Downton Abbey
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| German title | Downton Abbey |
| Original title | Downton Abbey |
 | |
| Country of production | United Kingdom |
| original language | English |
| Year (s) | 2010-2015 |
| Production company |
Carnival Films |
| length |
|
| Episodes | 52 in 6 seasons ( list ) |
| genre | Historical drama |
| Theme music | Downton Abbey - The Suite |
| idea | Julian Fellowes |
| production |
Liz Trubridge (St. 1–3) Nigel Marchant (St. 1) Rupert Ryle-Hodges (St. 4) Chris Croucher (St. 5–6) |
| music | John Lunn |
| First broadcast | September 26, 2010 (UK) on ITV 1 |
| German-language first broadcast |
July 20, 2011 on Sky Cinema |
| occupation | |
Downton Abbey is a British television series produced for ITV . Julian Fellowes wrote the idea and most of the scripts . Downton Abbey is about the fate of a noble family and its staff at the beginning of the 20th century, about significant events and upheavals such as the sinking of the Titanic , the introduction of women's suffrage , the outbreak of the First World War , the Spanish flu and the Irish War of Independence .
As with the successful British series Upstairs, Downstairs ( Das Haus am Eaton Place ) from the 1970s, great importance was attached to the attention to detail in the production. In addition, family and staff should be presented realistically without placing individual characters too much in the foreground. In 2011, the series received an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for "Critically-Rated Television Series" of the year.
action
The series is set in Yorkshire at the Earl and Countess of Grantham's family home, Downton Abbey.
First season
Robert and Cora, Lord and Lady Grantham, have three daughters but no son. A second cousin was therefore supposed to marry the eldest daughter Lady Mary in order to continue the name and to keep the Downton Abbey property in the family. However, that cousin dies in the sinking of the Titanic , and middle-class attorney Matthew Crawley, a third cousin from Manchester, is next in line. The family looks for a way to make Lady Mary their heir, but this proves legally impossible. At the same time, John Bates begins to work as the new valet in the house, but his appointment causes unrest among the servants because he has a war wound that makes his work difficult. The death of Turkish diplomat Mr. Pamuk in Lady Mary's bed at Downton Abbey adds to the complications and rumors.
The housemaid Gwen dreams of a job as a secretary and receives energetic support from Lady Sybil, the youngest of the three sisters. Lady Cora becomes pregnant again, but loses this child because of an accident caused by her maid O'Brien. O'Brien believed that she should be replaced by a new maid and wanted revenge on her mistress. After learning that this was just a mistake, she deeply regrets what she did.
The looming relationship between Mary and Matthew ends because Mary did not want to give him an answer to his marriage proposal and after Lady Grantham's accident he has the feeling that Mary would only have taken him as long as he is the heir of Downton Abbey. Mary has since learned that her sister Edith had written a letter to the Turkish ambassador and that the rumors about Mary's indiscreet behavior are believed because they came from her sister. She reciprocates by making Edith's admirer believe that she is only making fun of him. The season ends with Lord Grantham announcing the outbreak of World War I to the staff and guests over a garden tea on August 4, 1914, the day the British declared war .
Second season
November 1916: While Matthew and valet Thomas Barrow fight on the front lines in France, life goes on at Downton Abbey. Ethel starts out as the new housemaid, and John Bates' wife shows up unexpectedly, destroying the plans of John and Anna Smith, the chief housemaid, for a future together. The big businessman Sir Richard Carlisle wants to marry Lady Mary, but she realizes that she loves Matthew, who has meanwhile become engaged to the middle-class Lavinia Swire. Upon his return, John Bates decides to bribe his wife Vera with his mother's inheritance so that she agrees to the planned divorce. Lady Edith, the middle daughter, is learning to drive cars and so she supports John Drake in farming. After a love affair with him, her support on the farm is no longer needed.
Lady Sybil begins to work as a nurse caring for the war wounded, and a convalescent home for wounded officers is set up on Downton at the initiative of Isobel Crawley, Matthew's mother. In order to reduce Isobel Crawley's influence in Downton, O'Brien gets Thomas to serve as a sergeant of the Medical Corps in Downton under Major Clarkson. Meanwhile, servant William Mason is also called to the front, where he is serving under Matthew's command. Both are seriously wounded during an assault and sent to Downton for treatment. William succumbs a little later to his injuries, but shortly before he marries Daisy, whereupon she feels remorse and shame because of the wedding, which she sees as a lie. Matthew is diagnosed with a spinal cord injury that confines him to a wheelchair and impotent him. He then asks his fiancée to leave him, as he does not want her to be cared for for life and have no offspring. However, Lavinia returns a short time later and declares her love for Matthew.
Lady Sybil falls in love with the chauffeur Branson and plans with him to leave Downton after the end of the war and start a civil life with him. Ethel is caught at a romp with a major who is staying at Downton Abbey for care and thrown out. She later gives birth to his child, who is not recognized by him. He falls later. Miss Hughes first secretly helps her take care of the boy and later helps Ethel at a meeting with the major's parents, who do not want Charlie to be recognized as their grandson. Lady Mary's wedding plans with Richard Carlisle take shape after the latter ensures that Vera Bates does not carry out her threat to publicize the scandal over the death of Mr. Pamuk and thereby bring the Downton house into disrepute.
After the war ends, Downton Abbey tries to get back to everyday life. Vera Bates is found dead one morning, and gradually there are increasing indications that Bates should have something to do with her suicide. To everyone's surprise, Matthew is able to walk again when the fracture of his spine turns out to be a spinal cord contusion. This revives his wedding plans with Lavinia. At the same time, however, new feelings for Mary grow in him, which he tries to suppress out of respect for his fiancée. For a short time Lord Grantham has a somewhat intimate relationship with the new housemaid Jane. Thomas, who is no longer a servant because of his work as a sergeant, tries his hand at black market traders to finally make a fortune. Unfortunately, his goods are completely unusable, so he is broke. While preparing for the wedding, some residents of Downton fell ill with the Spanish flu , including Lavinia, to whom she suddenly succumbed. Shocked by the sudden loss, Lord Grantham comes to his senses again and ends the beginning relationship with Jane, who quits shortly afterwards. He also lets Lady Sybil move with Branson, although he previously refused to accept his daughter's inappropriate plans. Thomas can make himself useful during the illness phase so that he can return to Downton as a servant. A little later, Anna and Bates get married, but immediately afterwards he is arrested on suspicion of murdering the late Vera Bates.
Christmas episode 2011
Christmas 1919: As Downton Abbey prepares for Christmas and New Year, John Bates is sentenced to death for the murder of his wife Vera. After a while, Lord Grantham's lawyer succeeds in commuting the sentence to life imprisonment. Matthew Crawley realizes that his late fiancée wanted him to be happy. Before that, Lady Mary has finally admitted that she cannot be happy in a marriage to Richard Carlisle, and in this regard she gets the backing of her father, whom his wife has since informed of Mary's indiscretion. Crawley proposes marriage to Lady Mary, which she accepts after confessing to him regarding Mr. Pamuk. At the same time Thomas tries to become a personal servant to Lord Grantham again. After he made himself popular with Lord Grantham by sympathizing with the fate of the missing dog Isis (whom he had kidnapped himself and who was freed at night by a villager without his knowledge), the latter wants to give Thomas another chance.
Third season
The third season takes place in the 1920s after the Treaty of Versailles . Lord Grantham loses a large part of his wife's fortune due to a bad investment. When Lady Sybil and her Irish husband Tom Branson, the family's former chauffeur, visit their sister's wedding, an argument breaks out until Matthew chooses Tom as his best man and welcomes him to the family. Shortly before their wedding, Mary and Matthew quarrel because Matthew does not want to accept the fortune inherited from Lavinia’s father for moral reasons. In order to save the property from ruin, Mary asks her wealthy grandmother Martha Levinson from America for financial help, but she refuses because she does not have the necessary cash. When Matthew receives a letter from Lavinia’s father, he decides to accept the money. By taking a financial stake in the property, he can save it from being sold and becomes a partner.
Edith's wedding plans with Sir Anthony Strallan take shape despite opposition from Lord Grantham. Only in front of the altar does Sir Anthony decide that the age difference and his war injuries are too serious and leaves Edith standing in front of the altar.
Tom and the pregnant Lady Sybil have to flee Ireland because he was involved in an arson. Her child is born complications and Lady Sybil dies of eclampsia . Edith starts writing a weekly column for a London newspaper. Matthew works against Lord Grantham's opposition to modernize the estate. Tom decides to stay at Downton Abbey with his daughter and support Matthew's reform plans as estate manager.
Isobel Crawley takes the fallen Ethel into her household. After the cook has resigned, she will be responsible for the entire household including the kitchen. The problems increase as Lady Crawley's house is now socially intolerable because of the former prostitutes working there and Ethel is repeatedly attacked in the village. Violet Grantham and Edith are trying to find a new, distant position for her via a complaint so that she can start over.
Alfred, the nephew of Ms. O'Brien, is hired as the new servant despite the uncertain financial situation in the house. Meanwhile, Anna continues to try to find evidence of John's innocence in the death of his wife. Thomas Barrow works instead of the imprisoned Bates as a valet for Lord Grantham and falls in love with the second new servant Jimmy. With the help of attorney Murray, Anna is able to prove that Vera Bates committed suicide and manipulated evidence to expose her husband to allegations of murder. Upon his release, John Bates resumes the position of valet at Lord Grantham. For his part, Thomas Barrow is accused of homosexuality after an intrigue by the maid O'Brien. However, thanks to the help of John Bates, Thomas is allowed to stay in Downton Abbey and is promoted to sub-butler and thus deputy to the butler Charles Carson.
Christmas episode 2012
September 1921: The family visits the parents of Rose, the great niece of Violet Grantham, in Scotland, who are in a marital crisis and on the verge of losing their property. Edith's publisher, Michael Gregson, joins the company. At Downton Abbey, Tom, who was left alone, comes closer to the servants. While visiting the village fair, the cook, Mrs. Patmore, finds an admirer, and Thomas Barrow and Jimmy become friends. Mary returns prematurely from Scotland at eight months pregnant and gives birth to a son. The family travels home quickly. Matthew sees Mary and his son in the hospital, drives overjoyed in the car to Downton Abbey and dies in a traffic accident.
Fourth season
Six months later, in February 1922, Lady Mary continued to mourn Matthew and hardly took care of their baby George. Lord Grantham and Branson disagree on how the property should be managed and struggle to raise inheritance tax after Matthew's death . Tom wants Mary's support to continue the change Matthew started; With the help of Carson it is possible to tear Mary out of her grief after initial resistance and bring it back to life. Later, a letter appears in Matthew's estate in which he declares Mary his sole heir.
Miss O'Brien suddenly resigns to accompany Lady Flintshire to India. As a replacement for them is Cora Edna Braithwaite, who had worked as a maid in the third season and after their release to the maid was trained; Tom had got Mrs. Hughes to give her a good recommendation to come back. Edna has to leave the house soon after seducing Tom and trying to blackmail him into marrying her. Thomas makes sure that Miss Baxter becomes her successor and demands that she provide her with information.
Matthew's death has left Joseph Molesley, Isobel Crawley's former butler, unemployed; the countess wants to help him by having him serve him at lunch with a friend who is looking for a butler; but her own butler, fearing to be replaced, sabotages Molesley's efforts, making him look clumsy and inexperienced. Ultimately, he took over the position of valet Alfred Nugent, who was accepted for training as a chef at the Ritz Hotel in London ; for Molesley, being a lackey means relegation.
Mary has several suitors vying for her. The young Lady Rose ties up with a black singer, who gives up his wedding plans because of the widespread racism out of love for Rose. Edith becomes pregnant after a night of love with Michael Gregson, who shortly after travels to Germany for his divorce, which is not possible under English law, and disappears there after his arrival. Desperate for an illegal abortion, Edith decides to keep the child. Anna is raped by Lord Gillingham's valet Alex Green, but initially hides the incident out of concern that her husband would kill the perpetrator in revenge. When Bates finds out about this and by chance can identify the perpetrator, he takes a day off; on the same day the rapist is killed in London.
Christmas episode 2013
The family spends the 1923 season in London and receives a visit from Cora's mother and brother Harold. Rose is introduced at court and meets Crown Prince Edward and his lover when a scandalous love letter from the prince is stolen by a cardsharp. Edith misses her daughter, who she left behind with adoptive parents after the secret birth in Geneva, and decides to move the child into the family of Drewe, the loyal tenant of the Granthams. Daisy Mason, the kitchen maid, refuses to advertise Harold's valet to go to America to cook for Harold Levinson; the kitchen maid Ivy Stuart seizes the opportunity in her place. With his encouragement, Molesley manages to get Miss Baxter to reject Thomas's espionage concern, although Thomas seems to know a dark secret from her past and has blackmailed her with it.
Fifth season
The fifth season takes place at the beginning of 1924 and is characterized by other social changes such as the first British Labor government under Ramsay MacDonald . This government is not well received by the Granthams, while Daisy sees it as an opportunity for members of the lower classes to become socially and spiritually mobile. She takes lessons from the school teacher Sarah Bunting, who in turn is friends with Tom and repeatedly clashes politically with Lord Grantham.
First Servant Jimmy has to leave Downton Abbey after Lord Grantham caught him in bed with Jimmy's former employer during the fire in Lady Edith's room. Since Thomas saves Lady Edith's life, Lady Grantham revises her negative judgment about him after she had previously learned from Miss Baxter that Thomas knew about her past as a convicted thief. Thomas tries to change his sexual tendencies with medical help, but the drug is only saline and causes a fever and rash. Miss Baxter then proves to be compassionate and helpful, which causes Thomas to rethink his previous behavior - he even regrets to a certain extent his intrigues against the Bates couple.
Edith suffers from the fact that she can hardly visit her daughter Marigold at the Drewe family's tenant family, and finally not at all, because Mrs. Drewe refuses her interest in Marigold. When the definitive news of Michael Gregson's death comes, Edith takes Marigold out of the tenant family and goes with her to London, where she inherited Michael's publishing house. Cora learns the truth about her granddaughter and brings Edith back, Marigold is officially accepted into the Grantham family as an adopted child. Robert finally guesses that Marigold is the daughter of Edith and Michael Gregson.
Lord Gillingham continues to try to get Mary to marry. Mary accepts his suggestion to spend a week in Liverpool to find out if she loves him physically, but then turns him down, much to his annoyance. Mary's former admirer Charles Blake and Lord Gillingham's former fiancée step in to finally separate Lord Gillingham from Mary.
The art historian Simon Bricker flirts with Cora and is thrown out of the house by Robert when he becomes intrusive. Rose looks after Russian aristocrats who fled to England before the Russian Revolution and became impoverished. When the Russians visit Downton Abbey, it turns out that the countess widow once had a passionate affair with the Russian prince Kuragin, who still desires her. Isobel accepts Lord Merton's marriage proposal, but doubts the marriage plans when Lord Merton's sons classify them as inappropriate and reject them. Rose falls in love with Atticus Aldridge, whose wealthy Jewish father, Lord Sinderby, is against religious mixed marriage and the divorce of Rose's parents, but at the urging of his mother finally agrees to the marriage.
Butler Carson and housekeeper Hughes plan to invest in a house together. The countess widow has a new maid who has little skirmishes with her butler Spratt. Anna and Mr. Bates are again targeted by the police after a witness has emerged who cast doubts on Mr. Green's accident. Anna is eventually suspected of pushing Mr. Green in front of the bus and arrested.
Christmas episode 2014
The Granthams visit Lord and Lady Sinderby, Rose's in-laws, where the arrogant butler Stowell and Thomas Barrow clash. Mary and Edith take a liking to two of the Sinderbys' house guests. Isobel finally rejects Lord Merton's marriage proposal, the countess widow rejects Prince Kuragin and brings him together with his missing wife. In a letter, Mr. Bates makes the false admission to have murdered Mr. Green to exonerate Anna and flees to Ireland. Anna is then released. Christmas is being celebrated at Downton Abbey, Tom is about to emigrate to the USA with his daughter Sibyl. Thanks to research by Molesley and Baxter, Mr. Bates can return from Ireland. Carson surprisingly proposes marriage to Mrs. Hughes, which she accepts.
Sixth season
In 1925 Lord Grantham tries to further reduce the number of servants, with underbutler Thomas Barrow as the apparently first candidate. At the subtle insistence of Butler Carson, Barrow searches in vain for a job and finally tries to kill himself and is only found by Miss Baxter at the last moment. Carson and Mrs. Hughes must first clarify their different wishes and fears for their wedding and marriage. After the wedding they move into a cottage, where Carson measures Mrs. Hughes' housewife work against the standards of a household with a large number of servants. Mrs. Hughes uses a ruse to put an end to Carson's complaint.
The countess widow fights Isobel Crawley and Cora with all means to maintain the autonomy of the village hospital, but finally has to accept the merger with the hospital of York and angrily hand over her office as hospital president to Cora. Lord Grantham has another stomach ulcer that bursts spectacularly at dinner. He gets well after an operation.
Edith dismisses the incompetent publisher of her magazine and, with the help of her admirer Bertie Pelham, completes the gallows for the current issue overnight. Edith's daughter Marigold is briefly taken along by her former foster mother Mrs. Drewe, which is why Mr. Drewe decides to give up the farm. Edith hires a woman as a publisher at the publishing house. Tom Branson feels uncomfortable after emigrating to the USA and returns to Downton Abbey with his daughter on the day of the Carsons' wedding for good. With the help of her father, Mary defends herself against a blackmailer who had observed her affair with Lord Gillingham in Liverpool. She falls in love with her new admirer Henry Talbot, but rejects him, ostensibly because he is not wealthy and has a lower status, but really because as a racing driver he barely escapes a fatal car accident and thus opens old wounds.
Anna and Mr. Bates can breathe a sigh of relief when the murderer is found by Mr. Green. After three miscarriages, Anna is pregnant again and can avoid another miscarriage after an operation. Daisy continues studying with the help of Mr. Molesley for her external school exam, which she eventually passes. The village teacher is impressed with Molesley's education and employs him as a teacher at the school. At Daisy's urging, her father-in-law, Mr. Mason, receives the Drewes' leasehold. The new butler Andrew wants to help old Mason - while Mr. Barrow finds out that he is illiterate. With the offer to remedy this, he finally convinces Andy to accept him as a "normal" friend. Mrs. Patmore opens a bed and breakfast with her niece in her newly acquired home.
Edith accepts Bertie Pelham's proposal, but cannot bring herself to tell Bertie that Marigold is her daughter. When Bertie surprisingly becomes the new 7th Marquis of Hexham after the death of his cousin, Mary does not endure Edith's impending promotion to Marquise in her unacknowledged lovesickness and forces Edith to confess her motherhood to Bertie. Bertie then breaks off the engagement, the sisters get into a heated argument. The countess widow finally manages to get Mary to marry Henry Talbot. Edith returns from London for the wedding to make peace with Mary.
Christmas episode 2015
Mary and Rosamund arrange a meeting between Edith and Bertie in London. Bertie renews his marriage proposal to Edith and the wedding takes place. Tom and Henry decide to set up a car dealership together in York. Thomas leaves Downton to take a job in a smaller house. Lord Merton was falsely diagnosed with pernicious anemia (which was fatal at this point) . Lord Merton and Isobel then marry. It later turns out that it is simply iron deficiency anemia . Molesley takes on a full-time teaching position and leaves Downton. Carson develops a tremor that eventually forces him to give up his position. Thomas becomes the new butler. Anna gives birth to a son on New Year's Eve 1925.
Production and broadcast
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Highclere Castle in Hampshire is used as the filming location to portray the Downton Abbey estate, while the village of Bampton , Oxfordshire is used for exterior scenes. The servants' rooms were filmed at Ealing Studios . Characters in the series often mention the nearby villages of Malton , Easingwold , Kirkby, and Ripon , which are in North Yorkshire ; however, there is no Downton village there. The Horsted Keynes station of the Bluebell Railway serves as Downton station . For Duneagle Castle in the Christmas episode of the third season (A Journey to the Highlands) was Inveraray Castle used in Scotland; the scenes at Brancaster Castle for the Season 5 Christmas episode (A Moorland Holiday) were shot on the grounds of Alnwick Castle .
Production costs were estimated at around a million pounds per episode.
Season four was watched by an average of 11.8 million people in the UK when it first aired, the highest number of viewers of any series in 2013.
In March 2015, PBS declared season six for the series’s final season.
The first season was broadcast in Great Britain in autumn 2010 and from July 20, 2011 in Germany on the pay-TV channel Sky Cinema . On September 18, 2011, the second season began broadcasting on ITV 1. The third season was broadcast in the UK from September 2012. The German-language free TV premiere of the first season ran on July 6, 2012 on Swiss SRF 1 . In Germany, the first season of the series was shown for the first time on free TV on ZDF and ZDFneo around Christmas 2012 .
Cast and dubbing
The German synchronization was for a synchronous book and the dialogue director of Hilke Flickenschildt by the synchronous company Interopa film .
The title of Lord Grantham's mother Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham, is incorrectly translated as "Countess von Dowager" in the German dubbed version, which suggests that she belongs to a county. However, Dowager Countess would have been correctly translated as "Countess Widow" and refers to Violet's status as the widow of Patrick Crawley, the sixth Earl of Grantham.
Another mistake was made in the translation of the titles "Prince" and "Princess" in Season 5, which were broadcast as "Prince Igor" and "Princess Irina", but should actually be "Fürst" and "Fürstin". In seasons 5 and 6 Isobel Crawley has the office of "almoner" ( English Almosner, hospital welfare officer) in Downton Hospital , incorrectly translated as "chairperson". The following list of actors and roles follows the German dubbed version as the officially published role designation.
Also in the German version the direct form of address "Your Lordship / Ladyship" is incorrectly reproduced as "Your Lordship / Ladyship". This was again taken directly from English and should actually be translated correctly as "Your Highness".
main actor
Crawley family, relatives and friends
| actor | Voice actor | role | consequences | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michelle Dockery | Anne Helm | Mary Talbot, b. Crawley | 1-52 | Co-administrator of the estates (as Matthews sole heir) (St. 4–5) , later independent administrator (from St. 6) ; eldest daughter of Cora and Robert; Sister of Edith and Sybil; Wife of Henry; Widow of Matthew; Mother of George; Aunt of Sybbie and Marigold; Granddaughter of Violet, Patrick, Martha and Isidore; Niece of Rosamund, Marmaduke (via Rosamund) and Harold; Great niece of Roberta and Gordon; Cousin 1 ° of James, Susan and Hugh (via Susan) , 2 ° of Patrick, James, Annabelle, Rose, Atticus (via Rose) and Victoria, 3 ° of Reginald and Isobel (via Reginald) , 4 ° of Matthew; Ex-fiancée of Patrick Crawley (unofficial) and Sir Richard Carlisle; Ex-lovers of Kemal Pamuk and Tony Foyle |
| Hugh Bonneville | Erich Rauker | Robert Crawley | 1-52 | Earl of Grantham; as Lord Lieutenant, Head of Downton and Eryholme Counties ; (Co-) owner of Downton Abbey and Grantham House in London ; Patron , Curator, and Sponsor of Downton Cottage Hospital; Patron of a war memorial association; during the war, Colonel of the Voluntary Corps North Riding (honorary position) (St 2) ; Son of Violet and Patrick; Brother of Rosamund; Husband of Cora; Father of Mary, Edith and Sybil; Grandfather of Sybbie, George and Marigold; Nephew of Roberta and Gordon; Cousin 1 ° of James, Patrick, Susan, Hugh (via Susan) , James, Annabelle, Rose, Atticus (via Rose) and Victoria; 3 ° of Reginald, Isobel (via Reginald) and Matthew; Flirtation by Jane Moorsum |
| Laura Carmichael | Anita Hopt | Edith Pelham, b. Crawley | 1-52 | Marchioness of Hexham (from Lv. 6) ; temporary help on Longfield-Farm (St. 2) ; during the war in charge of non-medical care at Downton Abbey convalescence home (St. 2) ; Columnist (level 3) ; Authorized representative for Gregson's business (St. 4–5) , after his officially confirmed death heiress and director of his publishing company (from St. 5) ; Co-founder of Hillcroft College (St. 6) ; second eldest daughter of Cora and Robert; Sister of Mary and Sybil; Wife of Bertie; Mother of Marigold; Aunt of Sybbie and George; Granddaughter of Violet, Patrick, Martha and Isidore; Niece of Rosamund, Marmaduke (via Rosamund) and Harold; Great niece of Roberta and Gordon; Cousin 1 ° of James, Susan and Hugh (via Susan) , 2 ° of Patrick, James, Annabelle, Rose, Atticus (via Rose) and Victoria, 3 ° of Reginald and Isobel (via Reginald) , 4 ° of Matthew; Ex-fiancée of Sir Anthony Strallan; Ex-partner of Michael Gregson; Flirtation from John Drake |
| Jessica Brown Findlay | Rubina Kuraoka | Sybil Branson, b. Crawley † | 1-21 | during the war auxiliary nurse in the hospital (St. 2) , afterwards nurse in Dublin (St. 2-3) ; youngest daughter of Cora and Robert; Sister of Mary and Edith; Wife of Tom; Mother of Sybbie; Aunt of George and Marigold; Granddaughter of Violet, Patrick, Martha and Isidore; Niece of Rosamund, Marmaduke (via Rosamund) and Harold; Great niece of Roberta and Gordon; Cousin 1 ° of James, Susan and Hugh (via Susan) , 2 ° of Patrick, James, Annabelle, Rose, Atticus (via Rose) and Victoria, 3 ° of Reginald and Isobel (via Reginald) , 4 ° of Matthew; dies of eclampsia after giving birth to her daughter |
| Elizabeth McGovern | Christin Marquitan | Cora Crawley, b. Levinson | 1-52 | Countess of Grantham; during the war responsible for the daily organizational routine of the convalescence home Downton Abbey (together with Isobel) (St. 2) ; initially curator, then president of Downton Cottage Hospital (from St. 6) ; Daughter of Martha and Isidore; Sister of Harold; Wife of Robert; Mother of Mary, Edith and Sybil; Grandmother of Sybbie, George and Marigold; Cousin 1 ° of James, Patrick, Susan, Hugh, James, Annabelle, Rose, Atticus and Victoria; 3 ° of Reginald, Isobel and Matthew (each via Robert) ; is from Cincinnati |
| Maggie Smith | Barbara Adolph | Violet Crawley | 1-52 | Dowager Countess of Grantham; President of Downton Cottage Hospital (up to level 6, from episode 2 together with Isobel) ; Patron of an organization that works for war refugees (St. 2) ; Widow of Patrick; Mother of Robert and Rosamund; Grandmother of Mary, Edith and Sybil; Great grandmother of Sybbie, George and Marigold; Aunt of Susan and James (via Patrick) ; Great aunt of James, Annabelle, Rose, and Patrick; Great-great-aunt of Victoria; Cousin 2 ° of Reginald, Isobel (via Reginald) and Matthew |
| Penelope Wilton | Isabella Grothe | Isobel Gray, b. Turnbull, used Crawley | 1-52 | Lady Merton; trained nurse; President of Downton Cottage Hospital (together with Violet) (from St. 1) , later only Carer (St. 6) ; During the war initially responsible for the organizational daily routine of the convalescence home Downton Abbey (together with Cora), then only worked for the tracing service for missing persons under the direction of the Red Cross in northern France, after the end of the war as a supporter of refugees (level 2) ; Head of a center for women who had to humiliate themselves in order to survive (from level 3) ; Helper in setting up an ambulance in Downton, for which she is also involved (from level 4) ; Daughter of john; Sister of Edward; Wife of Richard; Widow of Reginald; Mother of Matthew; Stepmother of Larry and Tim; Grandmother of George; Cousin 2 ° to Violet and Patrick, 3 ° from Robert, Cora, Mary, Edith, Sybil, Tom (via Sybil) , Henry (via Mary) , Bertie (via Edith) , Sybbie, Marigold, Rosamund, Marmaduke, James and Patrick (each via Reginald) |
| Dan Stevens | Tim Knauer | Matthew Crawley † | 1-25 | Lawyer for Business Law from Manchester ; Clerk at Harvell & Carter law firm in Ripon ; legal heir of Robert; independent co-owner of Downton Abbey (Lv. 3) ; during the war first lieutenant , later captain (St. 2) ; Son of Isobel and Reginald; Husband of Mary; Father of George; Uncle of Sybbie and Marigold; Grandson of john; Nephew of Edward; Cousin 2 ° of Violet and Patrick (as well as James, Annabelle, Rose, Atticus and Victoria (each via Mary) ), 3 ° of Robert, Cora (via Robert) , Rosamund, Marmaduke (via Rosamund) and James, 4 ° of Mary , Edith, Sybil, Patrick, Tom (via Sybil) , Henry (via Mary) and Bertie (via Edith) ; Ex-fiance of Lavinia Swire; had a fatal accident in his automobile after George was born |
| David Robb | Bodo Wolf | Dr. Richard Clarkson | 2-52 | Doctor and Director of Downton Cottage Hospital; during the war in the rank of captain, later a major overall responsible for the hospital and Downton Abbey as a convalescence home (St. 2) main role only from episode 27 (season 4), in episodes 2–25 (seasons 1–3) initially supporting role |
| Allen Leech | Constantin von Jascheroff | Tom Branson | 4-52 |
Chauffeur (level 1–2) , journalist (level 2–3) , estate manager (level 3–5) ; Instructor of Mary as steward of her inheritance (Lv. 4) ; Mechanic in his cousin's Boston (6th) car company, which was expanded to include agricultural machinery ; Brother of Kieran; Widower of Sybil; Father of Sybbie; Uncle of George and Marigold; Grandson of a farmer and farmer with Schwarzkopf sheep in Galway ; Cousin 1 ° of Nuala and James, Susan and Hugh, 2 ° of Patrick, James, Annabelle, Rose, Atticus and Victoria, 3 ° of Reginald and Isobel, 4 ° of Matthew (each via Sybil) ; Edna's one-night stand; grew up in Bray ; opens a used car dealership together with Henry. Leading role only from episode 17 (season 3), in episodes 4–15 (seasons 1–2) initially supporting role |
| Lily James |
Kristina Tietz (St. 3–4) Yvonne Greitzke (St. 5–6) |
Rose Aldridge, b. MacClare | 24-43, 52 | volunteering for Russian refugees in York (St. 5) ; Daughter of Susan and Hugh; Sister of James and Annabelle; Wife of Atticus; Mother of Victoria; Niece of Louisa and Agatha; Great niece of Violet and Patrick; Cousin 1 ° of Robert, Cora (via Robert) , Rosamund and Marmaduke (via Rosamund) , 2 ° of Mary, Edith, Sybil, Tom (via Sybil) , Matthew (via Mary) , Henry (via Mary) , Bertie (via Edith) , Sybbie, George and Marigold; Ex-fiancée of Jack Ross (unofficial); Ex-affair of Terence Margadale; goes to New York with Atticus leading role only from episode 26 (season 4), in episodes 24-25 (season 3) initially guest role |
| Tom Cullen | Oliver Siebeck | Anthony "Tony" Foyle | 28-42 | Lord Gillingham; Son of John "Johnnie" Foyle; served during the war on the Iron Duke under Admiral Jellicoe , u. a. off Jutland ; Husband of Mabel Lane Fox; Ex-lover of Mary; gives up his unsuccessful recruiting for Mary and returns to his ex-fiancée, whom he finally marries. Main role only from episode 35 (season 5), in episodes 28-34 (season 4) initially supporting role |
| Julian Ovenden | Frank Schaff | Charles Blake | 31-41 | Member of the State Government, who is to write a report on the economic management of rural property in order to increase its effectiveness in terms of self-sufficiency, to assess the damage caused by the war years and to be able to determine a possible change in society; Evelyn Napier's superior; served with Tony on the Iron Duke during the war; Cousin 1 ° of Severus Blake; Admirer of Mary; is sent to Poland with a trade delegation. Leading role only from episode 36 (season 5), in episodes 31–34 (season 4) initially supporting role |
| Matthew Goode | Markus Pfeiffer | Henry Talbot | 43-52 | Car mechanic and team racing driver; Son of a parliamentarian and nephew of a bishop ; Husband of Mary; Stepfather of George; Uncle of Sybbie and Marigold; Nephew of Lady Shackleton; Cousin 1 ° of James and Susan, 2 ° of Patrick, James, Annabelle, Rose, Atticus and Victoria, 3 ° of Reginald and Isobel, 4 ° of Matthew (via Mary , respectively) ; opens a used car dealership together with Tom, leading role only from episode 47 (season 6), in episode 43 (season 5) initially guest role |
| Harry Hadden-Paton | Nicolas Boell | Herbert "Bertie" Pelham | 43-52 | Marquess of Hexham; Administrator (St. 5-6) , then owner of Brancaster Castle in Northumberland ; Son of Mirada Pelham; Husband of Edith; Stepfather of Marigold; Uncle of Sybbie and George; Cousin 1 ° of James and Susan (both through Edith) , 2 ° of Peter Pelham (formerly Lord Hexham) as well as Patrick, James, Annabelle, Rose, Atticus and Victoria, 3 ° of Reginald and Isobel, 4 ° of Matthew (each through Edith) Listed as a leading role only in episode 52, in episodes 43–51 (seasons 5–6) as a supporting role |
Servants
| actor | Voice actor | role | consequences | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brendan Coyle | Michael Iwannek | John Bates | 1-52 | Chief valet of Robert, whom he served as an officer's lad during the Second Boer War in South Africa ; temporarily waiter in the pub “The Red Lion” in Kirkbymoorside (St. 2) ; Husband of Anna; Father of her son; Vera's widower |
| Sophie McShera | Julia Kaufmann | Daisy Mason, b. Robinson | 1-52 | Kitchen maid (level 1–2) , assistant to Mrs. Patmore (level 3) , assistant cook (from level 3) ; Widow of William |
| Rose Leslie | Julia Stoepel | Gwen Harding, b. Dawson | 1-7, 47 | Housemaid; Daughter of a servant ; Wife of John Harding; leaves her service for a position as a secretary with a telephone company and later works for the Yorkshire local government |
| Joanne Froggatt | Marie Bierstedt | Anna Bates, b. Smith | 1-52 | Chief housemaid (St. 1-3) , Mary's maid (since St. 3) , temporarily also from Cora (St. 4) ; Daughter of a wage-earner , later step-daughter of an ironworker ; Wife of Mr. Bates; Mother of his son |
| Lesley Nicol | Joseline Gassen | Beryl Patmore | 1-52 | Cook; Operator of a bed-and-breakfast - Pension ; Sister of Kate Philpotts; Aunt of Archibald "Archie" Philpotts and Lucy |
| Rob James-Collier | Alexander Doering | Thomas Barrow | 1-52 | House ( footman ) and first servant (St. 1) , during the war initially corporal in the medical corps , later as acting sergeant responsible for the medical management of the convalescence home Downton Abbey, after the end of the war black market dealer for groceries (St. 2) , chief valet ( Lv. 2-3) (provisionally before episode 1 after Mr. Watson's departure and at the end of Lv. 5), Unterbutler ( Lv. 3-6) , Butler (from the end of Lv. 6) , previously in service for a short time from Sir Mark Stiles (St. 6) ; Son of a watchmaker; Ex-Affair of the Duke of Crowborough |
| Thomas Howes | Tobias Nath | William Mason † | 1-12 | House servant and second servant; war soldier and officer boy of Matthew (Lv. 2) ; Son of Albert Mason; Husband of Daisy; dies due to his destroyed lungs in a grenade explosion in Amiens |
| Phyllis Logan | Karin Buchholz | Elsie Carson, b. Hughes | 1-52 | Chief housemaid; Owner of a house on Brouncker Road (together with Carson) (from St. 5) ; Daughter of a farmer from Argyll ; Sister of Becky; Wife of Carson; Joe Burns' childhood love |
| Jim Carter | Jürgen Kluckert | Charles Carson | 1-52 | Butler; Owner of a house on Brouncker Road (together with Mrs. Hughes) (from St. 5) ; Committee chairman of an association that erects a memorial for those who died in war (St. 5) ; Husband of Mrs. Hughes; before his employment at Downton Abbey member of the duo "The Two Happy Charlies" (together with Charlie Grigg); retires for health-related reasons |
| Siobhan Finneran | Andrea Aust | Sarah O'Brien | 1-25 | Cora's maid; Aunt of Alfred; steals away at night in the direction of Bombay to enter the service of Susan MacClare, and is later taken over by the wife of the governor Leslie Orme Wilson . The role was played at the beginning of episode 26 (season 4) by an unnamed double. |
| Kevin Doyle | Uwe Büschken | Joseph Molesley | 2-52 | Butler to Isobel and Matthew and valet to Matthew (later also at Downton Abbey) (Lv. 1-3) , street repair laborer and grocer at "Bakewell" (Lv. 4) , house servant (Lv. 4-5) , first servant (St. 5-6) , finally teacher of history and literature at the Downton Elementary School (from the end of St. 6) ; Son of Bill Molesley Leading role only from episode 17 (season 3), in episodes 2-15 (season 1-2) initially supporting role |
| Amy Nuttall | Natascha Schaff | Ethel Parks | 8-24 | Housekeeper at Downton Abbey ( Lv.2 ) , cleaner ( Lv.2 ) , housekeeper and cook from Isobel ( Lv.3 ) ; Mother of Charlie; Ex-affair of Maj. Charles Bryant; takes a job with Mrs. Watson in Cheadle after her reputation in Downton is ruined by her interim prostitution (Lv.3) |
| Matt Milne | Leonhard Mahlich | Alfred Nugent | 17-33 | House servant, temporary valet to Tom and Matthew (level 3) , second servant (level 4) ; before being employed at Downton Abbey waiter in a hotel; Nephew of Sarah O'Brien; Ms. Reed's flirtation; starts a free apprenticeship as a chef in the London “ Hotel Ritz ” and is promoted to sous chef a year later |
| Ed Speleers | Nico Sablik | James "Jimmy" Kent | 20-36 | House servant (level 3) , first servant (level 3–5) ; Ivy flirtation; has to leave his job after a night of love with his former employer, Lady Anstruther |
| Cara Theobold | Luisa Wietzorek | Ivy Stuart | 20-34 | Kitchen maid; Jimmy's flirtation; goes to New York to work as a cook for Harold Levinson. Leading role only from episode 26 (season 4), in episodes 20-25 (season 3) initially supporting role |
| Raquel Cassidy | Peggy Sander | Phyllis Baxter | 30-52 | Cora's maid; Before being employed, she spent three years in prison for theft at her former employer Mrs. Benton. Leading role only from episode 35 (season 5), in episodes 30-34 (season 4) initially supporting role |
| Michael Fox | Ricardo Richter | Andrew "Andy" Parker | 42-52 | initially temporarily temporary worker at Grantham House, then house servant at Downton Abbey; is also trained in pig breeding by Mr. Mason; before hiring usher in Bayswater ; grew up in the East End of London ; suffers from illiteracy. Leading role only from episode 44 (season 6), in episodes 42–43 (season 5) initially guest role |
supporting cast
| actor | Voice actor | role | consequences | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Coy | Detlef Bierstedt | George Murray | 1-23, 43 | Crawley family lawyer |
| Brendan Patricks | Peter Flechtner | Evelyn Napier | 3-7 30-33, 49 |
Son and heir of County Branksome ; State Government Scouts (Lv. 4) ; Admirer of Mary |
| Robert Bathurst | Reinhard Kuhnert | Sir Anthony Strallan | 5-19 | Large landowners ; Owner of Locksleigh House; Widower of Maud; Ex-fiance of Edith; leaves Edith standing in front of the altar |
| Samantha Bond | Sabine Falkenberg | Rosamund Painswick, b. Crawley | 7-52 | Owner of a house in Belgrave Square, London; Founder of Hillcroft College, Surbiton for Clever Women from Modest backgrounds (6th grade) ; Daughter of Violet and Patrick; Sister of Robert; Widow of Marmaduke; Aunt of Mary, Edith and Sybil; Great aunt of Sybbie, George, and Marigold; Niece of Roberta and Gordon; Cousin 1 ° of James, Patrick, Susan, Hugh (via Susan) , James, Annabelle, Rose, Atticus (via Rose) and Victoria, 3 ° of Reginald, Isobel (via Reginald) and Matthew |
| Christine Lohr |
Christel Merian (St. 1–2) Liane Rudolph (St. 3) |
May Bird | 7-21 | Cook to Isobel and Matthew; during the war she ran a soup kitchen in the absence of her employers (together with Mrs. Patmore, Daisy and Mr. Molesley); Returns to Manchester in protest when Ethel is hired at the Crawley house |
| Zoe Boyle | Sanam Afrashteh | Lavinia Swire † | 8-15 | Daughter of London attorney Reginald Swire and his wife Anne; Niece of the liberal politician Jonathan Swire, from whom she once stole secret documents as blackmailed and passed them on to the press, thereby sparking the scandal surrounding the Marconi stock affair of 1912; Fiancee of Matthew; dies of the Spanish flu |
| Maria Doyle Kennedy | Katja Brugger | Vera Bates † | 8-13 | Wife of Mr. Bates; Cousin of Mr. Harlip; briefly in the service of Susan MacClare (St. 1) ; commits suicide using an arsenic -infused pie for which Mr. Bates is convicted of murder |
| Iain Glen | Bernd Vollbrecht | Sir Richard Carlisle of Morningside | 9-16 | Newspaper publisher (inter alia “Circular Letter of the Court”); Owner of Haxby Park (after being sold by the Russells); Ex-fiance of Mary; leaves Downton after Mary disconnects |
| Daniel Pirrie | Matthias Klages | Charles Bryant † | 10-12 | Major; Son of Daphne and Horace Bryant; Father of Charles "Charlie" Parks; Ethel's ex-affair; falls shortly before the end of the war in the battle of Vittorio Veneto (news of death in episode 13) |
| Paul Copley | Rudiger Evers | Albert Mason | 12-52 | Farmer; Owner of Mallerton Hall, later tenant of Yewtree Farm (succeeding Tim Drewe) (6th grade ) ; Father of William; Daisy's father-in-law |
| Clare Calbraith | Nicole Hannak | Jane Moorsum | 12-15 | Housemaid; Daughter of an apple trader; War widow ; Mother of Freddie; leaves Downton Abbey after a love affair with Robert so he doesn't have to feel uncomfortable in his house |
| Michael Cochrane | Georg Tryphon | Albert Travis | 12-22 46-52 |
Pastor in Downton |
| Kevin R. McNally | Jörg Hengstler | Horace Bryant | 14-20 | Husband of Daphne; Father of Charles; Grandfather of Charles "Charlie" Parks |
| Christine Mackie | Monica Bielenstein | Daphne Bryant | 14-24 | Wife of Horace; Mother of Charles; Grandmother of Charles "Charlie" Parks |
| Douglas Reith | Rainer Doering | Richard "Dickie" Gray | 17, 33-52 | Lord Merton; Owner of Cavenham Park (through 6th St.) ; Head of a newly formed donor committee following the merger of Downton Cottage Hospital with Royal Yorkshire Hospital (from St. 6) ; Husband of Isobel; Widower of Ada; Father of Larry and Tim; Godfather of Mary |
| Jason Furnival | Joachim Kaps | Craig | 17-22 | Cellmate of Mr. Bates; Receives an additional year in prison for drug trafficking in prison |
| Shirley MacLaine | Judy Winter | Martha Levinson | 17-18, 34 | Owner of two homes in New York City and Newport ; Widow of Isidore; Mother of Cora and Harold; Grandmother of Mary, Edith and Sybil; Great grandmother of Sybbie, George and Marigold |
| Neil Bell | Durrant | 18-22 | Closer in the jail where Mr. Bates is incarcerated; receives an official reprimand for his drug deals | |
| Charles Edwards | Torsten Michaelis | Michael Gregson † | 23-29 | Owner of a publishing company; Publisher of The Sketch magazine; Husband of Lizzy; Partner of Edith; Father of Marigold; moved to Germany, where he could get a divorce from his wife suffering from insanity, however, disappears after a fight with a group of Nazis without a trace and a half years later during the Burgerbrau putsch killed |
| MyAnna Buring | Maja Maneiro | Edna Braithwaite | 25-29 | House maid (level 3) , Cora's maid (level 4) ; One night stand by Tom; has to leave her service after a planned intrigue is revealed |
| Peter Egan | Kaspar Eichel | Hugh "Shrimpie" MacClare | 25, 38, 42, 52 |
impoverished Marquess of Flintshire ; Earl of Newtonmore ; former owner of Duneagle Castle; Minister in the Foreign Office; Brother of Louisa and Agatha; Ex-husband of Susan; Father of James, Annabelle and Rose; Grandfather of Victoria; 1st cousin of Robert, Cora, Mary, Edith, Sybil, Tom, Matthew, Sybbie, George, Marigold, Rosamund, and Marmaduke (via Susan , respectively) ; is transferred to Bombay (outpost of the Empire) for three years |
| Phoebe Nicholls | Silke Matthias | Susan MacClare | 25, 42 | impoverished Marchioness of Flintshire; Owner of a house on Upper Brook Street (initially with Hugh); Ex-wife of Hugh; Mother of James, Annabelle and Rose; Grandmother of Victoria; Niece and goddaughter of Violet; Cousin 1 ° of Robert, Cora (via Robert) , Rosamund, Marmaduke (via Rosamund) , Mary, Edith, Sybil, Tom (via Sybil) , Matthew (via Mary) , Henry (via Mary) , Bertie (via Edith) , Sybbie, George, and Marigold; moves to Bombay with Hugh |
| Jeremy Swift | Christoph Banks | Septimus Spratt | 26-52 | Violet's butler; Columnist for "The Sketch" (under the pseudonym "Miss Cassandra Jones"); Uncle of Wally Stern |
| Harriet Walter | Liane Rudolph | Lady Prudence Shackleton | 26, 35, 47, 51 |
Widow of Hubert; Mother of Philip; Aunt of Henry Talbot; longtime friend of Violet |
| Nigel Harman | Rainer Fritzsche | Alex Green † | 28-33 | Tony's valet; Anna's rapist; is encountered and run over on Piccadilly by a previous victim |
| Gary Carr | Marios Gavrilis | Jack Ross | 29-33 | African American jazz musician from Chicago ; Singer in the London "Lotus Club"; breaks up with Rose shortly after her engagement so as not to destroy her future |
| Andrew Scarborough | Nico Mamone | Timothy "Tim" Drewe | 30-45 | Yew Tree Farm leaseholder, Crawley family pig farmer (from Lv. 4) , fire chief of their property (from Lv. 5) ; Husband of Margie; Father of Peter, Billy and a daughter; former foster father of Marigold; looks around for a new lease because his wife fails to get away from Marigold |
| Daisy Lewis | Maria Koschny | Sarah Bunting | 32-39 | Teacher at Downton Elementary School; moves to a high school in Preston when Tom breaks off contact with her after she has repeatedly deliberately provoked Robert with her socialist views |
| Paul Giamatti | Lutz Schnell | Harold Levinson | 34 | has "something" to do with yachts (level 3) and oil rights (level 4) ; involved with his company in the Teapot Dome scandal of 1922; Son of Martha and Isidore; Brother of Cora; Uncles of Mary, Edith, and Sybil; Great uncles of Sybbie, George and Marigold |
| Emma Lowndes | Katrin Zimmermann | Margie Drewe | 35-45 | Wife of Tim; Mother of Peter, Billy and a daughter; former foster mother of Marigold; moves away with her family |
| Patrick Brennan | Mr. Dawes | 35, 45-52 | Director of Downton Elementary School; lets Daisy take exams for university entrance qualification and tests Molesley's general education in order to be able to employ him | |
| Richard E. Grant | Jürgen Uter | Simon Bricker | 36-39 | Art historian ; Admirer of Cora; leaves Downton Abbey after a physical altercation with Robert |
| Howard Ward | Dieter Memel | Sgt. Willis | 36-51 | Investigators, u. a. in the death of Alex Green ( Lv. 5–6) and the search for Spratt's nephew who escaped from prison ( Lv. 6) |
| Rade Šerbedžija | Roland Hemmo | Prince Igor Kuragin | 37-43 | Russian exile ; Husband of Irina, who was presumably exiled to Hong Kong ( Wan Chai ) after they were arrested together ; former admirer of Violet; goes to Paris with his wife |
| Catherine Steadman | Julia Meynen | Mabel Foyle, b. Lane Fox | 38-42 | Lady Gillingham; Daughter of Lord and Lady Osweston; Wife of Tony Foyle |
| Louis Hilyer | Viktor Neumann | Inspector Vyner | 39-42 | Detective at Scotland Yard ; Death investigator Alex Green |
| Matt Barber | Peter Lontzek | Ephraim Atticus Aldridge | 39-43, 52 | Banker in York, then in London; Son of Rachel and Daniel Aldridge; Half-brother of Daniel Clark; Husband of Rose; Father of Victoria; Cousin 1 ° of Robert, Cora, Rosamund and Marmaduke, 2 ° of Mary, Edith, Sybil, Tom, Matthew, Henry, Bertie, Sybbie, George and Marigold (each via Rose) ; follows a job offer from New York |
| Sue Johnston | Arianne Borbach | Glady's thinker | 40-52 | Violet's maid (succeeding Ms. Collins) |
| Penny Downie | Irina von Bentheim | Rachel Aldridge | 40-43 | Lady Sinderby; Wife of Daniel Aldridge; Mother of Atticus; Grandmother of Victoria; Cousin of Lady Anne Melford and Sir John Gluck; Descendant of immigrants during the reign of King Richard III. |
| James Faulkner | Klaus-Dieter Klebsch | Daniel Aldridge | 40-43 | Lord Sinderby; Banker of Russian descent (the family was driven from their Odessa homeland by pogroms in the 1850s and subsequently renamed by Daniel's father); Owner of Canningford Grange; is involved in the Jewish community; Husband of Rachel Aldridge; Father of Atticus Aldridge and Daniel Clark; Grandfather of Victoria; Diana Clark's ex-affair |
| Sebastian Dunn | Matthias Rimpler | Charles "Charlie" Rogers † | 43-50 | 3rd cousin of Peter Pelham, Lord Hexham; good friend of Atticus and Henry; dies in an accident during the 1925 Brooklands Race Track |
| Victoria Emslie | Audrey | 46-51 | Assistant to Edith in their publishing company | |
| Antonia Bernath | Laura Edmunds | 48-52 | Editor-in-chief and co-editor of "The Sketch" | |
| Phoebe Sparrow | Tanja Schmitz | Amelia Gray, b. Cruikshank | 49-52 | Daughter of Henry Cruikshank; Wife of Larry Gray |
Episode list
season 1
The first season consists of seven episodes, which were produced under the overall responsibility of Liz Trubridge and the producer Nigel Marchant . Series creator Julian Fellowes wrote all the scripts for every single episode, supported in the first season by Shelagh Stephenson (episode 4) and Tina Pepler (episode 6). In addition to Rebecca Eaton and Gareth Neame , he also acted as a senior producer . Sky Cinema broadcast the season in Germany on July 20 and 27, 2011 in four 90-minute segments, for which the beginnings and ends of the individual episodes were cut. This division was also chosen for the German-language free TV broadcast on SF 1 and ATV . The season was broadcast on ZDF in the original version of seven episodes, which have been available on DVD since October 13, 2011.
| number | German title (unofficial) | Rod | First broadcast (UK) |
First broadcast (D) |
running time | Episode cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.01 (1) |
The legacy |
Director: Brian Percival Editing: John Wilson |
September 26, 2010 | July 20, 2011 | 65:39 |
|
| 1.02 (2) |
The family heritage |
Director: Ben Bolt Editing: Nick McPhee |
October 3, 2010 | July 20, 2011 | 47:33 | |
| 1.03 (3) |
A fateful affair | October 10, 2010 | July 20, 2011 | 47:30 | ||
| 1.04 (4) |
New times |
Director: Brian Kelly Editing: Alex Mackie |
17th October 2010 | July 20-27, 2011 | 46:02 | |
| 1.05 (5) |
Under suspicion | October 24, 2010 | July 27, 2011 | 47:35 | ||
| 1.06 (6) |
The confession |
Director: Brian Percival Editing: John Wilson |
October 31, 2010 | July 27, 2011 | 46:32 | |
| 1.07 (7) |
Days of fate | November 7, 2010 | July 27, 2011 | 62:35 |
season 2
The second season consists of eight episodes and a Christmas episode, which were shown in July and August 2012 on Sky Cinema in six modified 90-minute parts. It was broadcast on ZDF at Christmas 2013 in the original version of nine episodes, which have been available on DVD since September 6, 2012. Liz Trubridge took over the sole production responsibility for the episodes from season 2 and was supported by the line producer Charles Hubbard .
| number | German title (unofficial) | Rod | First broadcast (UK) |
First broadcast (D) |
running time | Episode cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.01 (8) |
Times of war |
Director: Ashley Pearce Editing: John Wilson |
September 18, 2011 | July 18, 2012 | 66:10 |
|
| 2.02 (9) |
Hope for mary | September 25, 2011 | July 18-25, 2012 | 52:54 | ||
| 2.03 (10) |
The hospital |
Director: Andy Goddard Editing: John Wilson |
October 2, 2011 | July 25, 2012 | 53:09 | |
| 2.04 (11) |
Bates' return |
Director: Brian Kelly Editing: Steve Singleton |
October 9, 2011 | July 25 • August 1, 2012 |
52:00 | |
| 2.05 (12) |
Until death do you part | October 16, 2011 | August 1–8, 2012 | 53:03 | ||
| 2.06 (13) |
Confusion of feelings |
Director: Andy Goddard Editing: John Wilson |
October 23, 2011 | August 8, 2012 | 53:08 | |
| 2.07 (14) |
The wonder |
Director: James Strong Editing: Mike Jones |
October 30, 2011 | August 8-15, 2012 | 53:02 | |
| 2.08 (15) |
In the abyss | November 6, 2011 | August 15, 2012 | 67:22 | ||
| 2.09 (16) |
A proposal out of love |
Director: Brian Percival Editing: John Wilson |
December 25, 2011 | 22nd August 2012 | 92:37 |
season 3
The broadcast of the third season, at the beginning of which Nigel Marchant - now as co-executive producer - returned, was carried out by Sky in July and August 2013, again this time in the form of six 90-minute cut parts. The regular follow-up versions have been available on DVD since October 2, 2013.
| number | German title (unofficial) | Rod | First broadcast (UK) |
First broadcast (D) |
running time | Episode cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.01 (17) |
Wedding on Downton |
Director: Brian Percival Editing: John Wilson |
September 16, 2012 | 17th July 2013 | 66:14 |
|
| 3.02 (18) |
The changing world | 23rd September 2012 | July 17th • 24th 2013 | 47:28 | ||
| 3.03 (19) |
Pile of broken glass |
Director: Andy Goddard Editing: Al Morrow |
September 30, 2012 | July 24, 2013 | 47:44 | |
| 3.04 (20) |
Escape to Downton | October 7, 2012 | July 24th • 31st, 2013 | 47:33 | ||
| 3.05 (21) |
For life and death |
Director: Jeremy Webb Editing: John Wilson |
October 14, 2012 | July 31 • August 7, 2013 |
47:35 | |
| 3.06 (22) |
alienation | October 21, 2012 | 7th August 2013 | 47:31 | ||
| 3.07 (23) |
Changes |
Director: David Evans Editing: Al Morrow |
October 28, 2012 | August 7-14, 2013 | 47:35 | |
| 3.08 (24) |
intrigue | 4th November 2012 | August 14, 2013 | 66:48 | ||
| 3.09 (25) |
heaven and hell |
Director: Andy Goddard Editing: John Wilson |
December 25, 2012 | August 21st, 2013 | 92:35 |
Season 4
The overall responsibility lay with the producer Rupert Ryle-Hodges and the line producer Ian Hogan (from episode 27) after Liz Trubridge joined the ranks of the leading producers. Sky Atlantic HD showed the fourth season over the Easter days on April 19 and 20, 2014 in ten episodes, with the Christmas Special being split into two halves. The episodes have been available on DVD since June 12, 2014.
| number | German title (unofficial) | Rod | First broadcast (UK) |
First broadcast (D) |
running time | Episode cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.01 (26) |
Shadow of death |
Director: David Evans Editing: Al Morrow |
22nd September 2013 | April 19, 2014 | 66:26 |
|
| 4.02 (27) |
Matthew's legacy | 29th September 2013 | April 19, 2014 | 47:26 | ||
| 4.03 (28) |
The crime |
Director: Catherine Morshead Editing: Justin Krish |
October 6, 2013 | April 19, 2014 | 47:23 | |
| 4.04 (29) |
Matthew's Letter 1 | October 13, 2013 | April 19, 2014 | 47:28 | ||
| 4.05 (30) |
Anna's secret |
Director: Philip John Editing: Al Morrow |
20th October 2013 | April 19, 2014 | 46:46 | |
| 4.06 (31) |
Under suspicion | October 27, 2013 | April 20, 2014 | 47:27 | ||
| 4.07 (32) |
A hard decision |
Director: Edward Hall Editing: Paul Garrick |
3rd November 2013 | April 20, 2014 | 47:27 | |
| 4.08 (33) |
The great bazaar |
Director: Edward Hall Editing: Justin Krish |
November 10, 2013 | April 20, 2014 | 66:55 | |
| 4.09 (34) |
Visit from America |
Director: Jon East Editing: Al Morrow |
December 25, 2013 | April 20, 2014 | 92:14 |
- 1 The title of this episode is misleading, as the said letter already appears in episode 4.02 (“Matthew's Legacy”) and in 4.04 no longer plays a role in itself. In terms of content, swapping the titles is also out of the question.
Season 5
After only one season, overall responsibility was passed on to producer Chris Croucher , who worked alongside line producer Gina Marsh . Nigel Marchant acted for the first time as a "full" executive producer in the team around Fellowes, Eaton and Neame, which has existed in this composition since season 1, to which Trubridge also belonged from 2013 (see season 4 ). The episodes have been available on DVD since June 25, 2015.
| number | German title (unofficial) | Rod | First broadcast (UK) |
First broadcast (D) |
running time | Episode cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.01 (35) |
The wedding day |
Director: Catherine Morshead Editing: Al Morrow |
September 21, 2014 | April 1, 2015 | 66:37 |
|
| 5.02 (36) |
Turning point | September 28, 2014 | April 8, 2015 | 47:39 | ||
| 5.03 (37) |
Questions with no answers | 5th October 2014 | April 15, 2015 | 47:39 | ||
| 5.04 (38) |
The scandal |
Director: Minkie Spiro Editing: Paul Garrick |
October 12, 2014 | April 22, 2015 | 47:38 | |
| 5.05 (39) |
The disaster | 19th October 2014 | April 29, 2015 | 47:39 | ||
| 5.06 (40) |
Message from Germany |
Director: Philip John Editing: Al Morrow |
October 26, 2014 | May 6, 2015 | 47:38 | |
| 5.07 (41) |
Marriage plans |
Director: Philip John Editing: Paul Garrick |
2nd November 2014 | May 13, 2015 | 47:39 | |
| 5.08 (42) |
The wedding |
Director: Michael Engler Editing: Paul Garrick |
November 9, 2014 | May 20, 2015 | 66:56 | |
| 5.09 (43) |
Christmas |
Director: Minkie Spiro Editing: Al Morrow |
December 25, 2014 | May 27 • June 3, 2015 | 93:29 |
Season 6
For the production of the final season, Susanne Simpson joined the senior producers, who was responsible for the masterpiece work together with Rebecca Eaton. Denis Wray also followed his predecessor Gina Marsh to the post of line producer. Before the regular German first broadcast on pay TV, the final episodes were already available on April 16, 2016 via the VoD services Sky on Demand , Sky Go and Sky Online . They have been available on DVD since August 4th, 2016.
| number | German title (unofficial) | Rod | First broadcast (UK) |
First broadcast (D) |
running time | Episode cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.01 (44) |
Good news |
Director: Minkie Spiro Editing: Al Morrow |
20th September 2015 | 3rd June 2016 | 66:33 |
|
| 6.02 (45) |
Wedding with obstacles | September 27, 2015 | June 10, 2016 | 47:17 | ||
| 6.03 (46) |
The most beautiful day |
Director: Philip John Editing: Paul Garrick |
4th October 2015 | 17th June 2016 | 47:24 | |
| 6.04 (47) |
Welcome Home | October 11, 2015 | June 24, 2016 | 47:01 | ||
| 6.05 (48) |
High visit |
Director: Michael Engler Editing: Al Morrow |
October 18, 2015 | July 1, 2016 | 47:42 | |
| 6.06 (49) |
Open-door day | October 25, 2015 | July 8, 2016 | 47:36 | ||
| 6.07 (50) |
The car race |
Director: David Evans Editing: Alex Kalmakrian |
November 1, 2015 | 15th July 2016 | 47:33 | |
| 6.08 (51) |
Broken hearts |
Director: David Evans Editing: Paul Garrick |
November 8, 2015 | July 22, 2016 | 72:36 | |
| 6.09 (52) |
The grand finale |
Director: Michael Engler Editing: Al Morrow |
December 25, 2015 | July 29 • August 5, 2016 |
93:40 |
Motion picture
Directed by Michael Engler , a film was made in 2019 that continues the plot of the television series, with much of the original cast returning. The film is set in 1927 and shows an official visit by the British royal couple to the Crawley family's English country house in Yorkshire. The film's framework is based on an actual trip the British royal couple made to Wentworth Woodhouse in 1912 to demonstrate the importance of the monarchy.
The film opened in German and Austrian cinemas on September 19, 2019.
Awards
The series received a number of awards including eleven nominations at the 2011 Emmy Awards . It won the Emmy in the categories "Best Cinematography", "Best Costumes in a Miniseries" and "Best Miniseries / Best Film". Julian Fellowes won an Emmy for Best Screenplay, Maggie Smith for Best Supporting Actress and Brian Percival for directing. In 2012, the series was nominated for an Emmy in sixteen categories . Maggie Smith won again in the "Best Supporting Actress" category. Two more Emmys were awarded for the best musical composition and the best hairstyling.
The series was named Best Drama Series and Julian Fellowes Best Screenwriter by the British Broadcasting Press Guild in 2011 . Hugh Bonneville and Maggie Smith were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress.
At the 2012 Golden Globe Awards , Downton Abbey received Best Mini-Series / Best TV Movie awards and nominations for Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively. Maggie Smith received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress. At the 2013 Golden Globe Awards , Maggie Smith received the award for "Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Drama". Downton Abbey was nominated for Best TV Drama, as was Michelle Dockery for Best Actress. Two years later, at the 2015 awards ceremony , Joanne Froggatt was named “Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Drama”.
At the British National Television Awards 2013, the series was awarded the prize for "Best Drama". The series was also able to prevail at the Screen Actors Guild Awards 2013 in the category "Best Acting Ensemble - Drama" against the US cable series Homeland , Breaking Bad and Mad Men , among others . The series received another nomination at the Critics' Choice Television Awards 2013 in the category " Best Drama Series ".
Reviews
The first season was rated 92% by the aggregator website Metacritic and thus secured an entry in the Guinness Book of Records as “the television show of the year best rated by critics”. Downton Abbey is the first British broadcast to set this record.
“In his never chatty script, which is limited to pleasantly brief conversations, Julian Fellowes wisely insists that the unwritten laws of the era and its values are reflected at least as much in the facade of the house and in the behavior of individuals as in what they do say to each other. […] It is part of the series' recipe for success that nobody is presented here, neither the nobility nor the staff. Instead, a precisely functioning mechanism is shown, in which some people never take responsibility for others who are employed in their service. "
" Downton Abbey is excellently staged, authentic entertainment for friends of British aristocratic histories, [...] The German dubbing is too thick and bold in the case of isolated voices. On the other hand, she manages to transpose the linguistic differences between servant and lordship that existed in the English original into German. "
“Fellowes' tale effortlessly juggles a mind-boggling assortment of storylines - each practically worthy of a Jane Austen novel and absorbing in its own way. The remarkable trick is that longings of the lord's plain, overlooked daughter Edith (Laura Carmichael) and the chef's harried assistant Daisy (Sophie McShera) are handled with equal care. […] It's facile to say the Brits excel at such productions, since this is the sort of material - especially in its period exploration of class distinctions - their Yank counterparts seldom tackle. From virtually any angle, though, Downton Abbey is an almost peerless piece of real estate. "
“Fellowes' plot effortlessly juggles numerous narrative threads - each worthy of a Jane Austen novel and gripping in its own way. The trick is that the longings of the nondescript, often overlooked daughter of the lord, Edith (Laura Carmichael), and those of the hard-working kitchen helper Daisy (Sophie McShera) are treated with equal care. [...] It is easy to say that the British are second to none with such productions, because that is the kind of material - especially the theming of the class system of the time - that their American colleagues rarely dare to approach. However, from practically every perspective, Downton Abbey is an almost unique property. "
literature
- Jessica Fellowes: The World of Downton Abbey. Edel, Hamburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-8419-0200-9 .
- Jessica Fellowes, Matthew Sturgis: The Chronicles of Downton Abbey. Edel, Hamburg 2014, ISBN 978-3-8419-0307-5 .
Web links
- Downton Abbey in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Official website of ITV
Individual evidence
- ↑ Number of original episodes. German-language episodes were partially recut and broadcast in fewer, but longer episodes (see also episode list).
- ↑ Downton Abbey enters Guinness Book of Records TNT UK Magazine, September 2011.
- ^ David Gritten, "Downton Abbey: behind the scenes," Daily Telegraph , Sep. 20, 2010
- ↑ Horsted Keynes on www.bluebell-railway.com
- ^ Downton Abbey : How Hollywood is snapping up our bright TV drama stars. In: The Mirror. November 7, 2010, accessed September 18, 2011 .
- ^ Downton to return for series five . ITV.com/DowntonAbbey . January 23, 2014. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
- ↑ Laura Prudom: 'Downton Abbey' Ending After Season 6 . Variety . March 26, 2015. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ↑ Sky shows successful British drama "Downton Abbey" - DIGITALFERNSEHEN.de. In: digitalfernsehen.de. Retrieved September 17, 2011 .
- ^ Julian Fellowes & Downton Abbey Cast on Season 2, Emmys, and WWI. In: The Daily Beast. August 29, 2011, accessed September 18, 2011 .
- ^ Downton Abbey: ITV confirms third series. In: The Guardian. Retrieved November 7, 2011 .
- ^ "Downton Abbey": Also a piece of German history. In: DWDL. Retrieved September 29, 2012 .
- ↑ Downton Abbey. In: synchronkartei.de. German synchronous index , accessed on November 11, 2012 .
- ↑ a b c d e f The individual episode titles that were chosen for the German version of episodes 1–52 were neither faded in nor mentioned elsewhere.
- ↑ Downton Abbey (Masterpiece). In: Emmys.com. Retrieved September 19, 2011 .
- ↑ Downton Abbey. In: Emmys.com. Retrieved September 24, 2012 .
- ^ Downton Abbey and Sherlock vie for Broadcasting Press Guild awards. In: The Guardian. February 25, 2011, accessed September 18, 2011 .
- ↑ 69th Golden Globe Awards: The Nominations. In : quotemeter.de. December 15, 2011, accessed December 15, 2011 .
- ↑ The winners of the 70th Golden Globe Awards. In : quotemeter.de. January 14, 2013, accessed January 21, 2013 .
- ↑ Joanne Froggatt ( Memento of the original from January 14, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on goldenglobes.com, accessed January 14, 2015.
- ↑ Successful series Downton Abbey - The castle as the spiritual home of a nation. In: FAZ. March 2, 2011, accessed September 22, 2011 .
- ↑ The Critics: Downton Abbey . In : quotemeter.de. July 20, 2011, accessed September 22, 2011 .
- ^ Variety Reviews Downton Abbey . In: Variety.com. January 6, 2011, accessed September 22, 2011 .
