Downton Abbey

The storyline for Downton Abbey sees Mr Fellows returning to the world of the rich and privileged as he provides the script for an engaging drama about The Crawley family and their lives at the turn of the 20th century.

This family consists of the Earl and Countess of Grantham and their three daughters.  In series one of Downton Abbey we get to see the different personalities of each daughter and how they interact with each other and the servants who are there to tend to their every needs.

The major storyline that affects the whole family involves the issue of inheritance.  As a family of only daughters, the Earl is forced to accept that upon his death a male heir must inherit the family fortune. The only way for the family to retain some sort of control is if the eldest daughter, Lady Mary is married off to her cousin. We are introduced to Cousin Matthew Crawley and his mother. 

At first some of the family look down on him because he actually deigns to work for a living, as a solicitor.  As each episode progresses we watch as Lady Mary and Matthew get to know each other while the family look on to see if they will make the necessary match.  There are a lot of ups and downs as emotions are exchanged and relationships are forged.  We are left wondering will Lady Mary accept Matthew or not?

As well as observing the goings on of the Crawley family, we are also introduced to the different characters that make up the staff of servants.  Headed by the austere looking butler Mr Carson and equally stern looking Housekeeper Mrs Hughes, there are just as many dramas occurring below stairs as there are above.

We meet servants who are happy with their position and role in life and we also meet servants who have more than a little contempt for the people they work for.  There are several of the staff who have their own little secrets and we get to discover exactly what they are episode by episode.

One perfect example of a servant with secrets is Mr Bates. He has been hired to work as the personal valet to Lord Crawley, even though he has a leg injury and walks with a cane.  We discover how he got his injury and why he becomes a valued member of the staff.

There is so much more to discover about the different characters in Downton Abbey that to talk about it just doesn’t do it justice.  In fact the initial series gained so much world wide attention that it garnered a few award nominations and actually won at the Golden Globes.

It has been confirmed that a third series of Downton Abbey has been commissioned, which should be ready for 2012.  In the meantime, get your hands on the two box sets that are now for sale and enjoy them at your leisure.