BACK IN TIME

FOUR YEARS AFTER THE CONCLUSION OF THE TELEVISION SERIES, DOWNTON ABBEY RETURNS FOR MORE UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS INTRIGUE … ON THE BIG SCREEN

When Downton Abbey wrapped up its six-season run in 2015, the stories of the Crawley family and their loyal servants were tied up neatly, and all the characters sent on their way with a bright future ahead of them. But it’s amazing what a royal visit can do to upset even the most settled of households, as we see in the big-screen sequel (out now).

The impending arrival of King George V (Simon Jones) and Queen Mary (Geraldine James) for a one-night stay has the Crawleys pulling out all stops to impress the royals, and the downstairs staff in a flurry of activity as they prepare to host the Abbey’s most important guests ever.

“A family like the Crawleys want to make it appear as though this is just water off a duck’s back but in fact there’s an awful lot of paddling going on,” says Hugh Bonneville, who plays Lord Grantham. “It’s the upheaval of the staff caused by the arrival of the royal entourage that creates the dramatic tension.”

Indeed, the Crawleys’ servants are put right out when it appears their role will be limited to waiting on the Buckingham Palace staff brought in to assume control of Downton’s kitchen.

“When Mrs Patmore gets told she’s surplus to requirements it is devastating,” says Lesley Nichol, who portrays the Downton cook. “The servants are being usurped, so they cook up a little plan to derail that situation.”

Things aren’t entirely drama-free upstairs. Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) panics that current butler Mr Barrow (Rob James-Collier) isn’t up to the challenge of the visit and asks Mr Carson (Jim Carter) to come out of retirement for the occasion.

“She’s very hands-on, which is always really interesting for me because in the first season Mary was this almost reluctant young girl who didn’t really want all of this,” Dockery says.

Meanwhile, Tom Branson (Allen Leech) comes under scrutiny due to his political alignments. “Tom has always had that streak within him of the Irish rebel – the republican,” Leech says. But would he do anything to upset the royal visit?

“The house is in a state of chaos,” reveals Jim Carter, “so Carson comes riding to the rescue.”

“We’ve nudged on in time, but things are much as they were,” Hugh Bonneville says. “You see Edith feel a bit disgruntled and missing her old life at the newspaper,” Laura Carmichael (far left) says of her character.