The Secrets of DOWNTON’S BIG-SCREEN REVAMP NEW CHARACTERS! SURPRISE TWISTS! NEW LOCATIONS!

It’s all change in the highly anticipated movie sequel…

After six series of the show that changed the face of TV drama, and at its height had more than 12 million viewers, the first Downton movie arrived in 2019 and made a sweet $240m at the global box office – and it only cost $30m to make. So, three years on, this new sequel has a lot to live up to. But having seen the film, we’re pretty confident it should not only eclipse the huge international success of that original big-screen spin-off from the smashhit ITV drama, it’s also a major revamp and reboot of the franchise itself, providing an array of new characters, settings, surprises and twists to delight fans.

IN WITH THE NEW ER A

There’s a reason this second Downton Abbey film is titled A New Era, and that’s because there’s a major feeling of new-ness about the whole enterprise. The story is set in the late 1920s, with the world on the cusp of entering a new decade. And not only does writer/ creator Julien Fellowes introduce a gaggle of intriguing new characters (see sidebar, right), he also sends a handful of core old ones off on an adventure to the South of France, where there’s a whole new world of swanky luxury waiting for them in the shape of a massive villa. The period franchise’s most iconic figure – Dame Maggie Smith’s Dowager

Countess of Grantham – also has a fascinating secret to reveal, which of course we will not spoil here. Suffice to say it’s part of an array of intriguing revelations about the much-loved veteran character’s past that flesh out the Dowager, so to speak, like never before.

TAKE TWO

While the likes of Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville) and his beloved wife Cora (Elizabeth Mcgovern) head to France with key servants in tow to find out if their family really is about to inherit a villa they knew nothing about, there are all sorts of shenanigans happening back at the Downton country pile,

‘It’s fair to say that heads are turned ’

where the house is being turned into a film set. Yes, somehow Robert has reluctantly agreed – with major encouragement from his forward-thinking daughter Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) – to let a bunch of Hollywood types make a silent film in and around the mansion itself. This causes major excitement for both the upstairs lords and ladies and the downstairs staff, who suddenly have glamorous movie stars in their midst. And there’s more to this film-making sub-plot than a chance to see how they made movies back in the day.

MODERN ROMANCE

It’s fair to say that heads are turned by the cast and crew. In particular, Hugh Dancy’s director character Jack Barber turns out to be drawn to one major Downton regular, while Dominic West’s dashing actor Guy Wexler has a profound effect on another. Then there’s the female star of the movie, Myrna Dalgleish, played by Laura Haddock, who makes a pretty big splash all round.

Not only that, but as he has done throughout the entire run of the Downton saga, Julian Fellowes gives us a gay romantic storyline as well – one that reflects the manners and prejudices of the time while also having a gripping will they/won’t they element.

All in all, the second Downton movie feels like a major attempt to keep the franchise fresh and relevant. Maybe a third film will be announced soon… BOYD HILTON Downton Abbey: A New Era opens 29 April. See review, page 84