Upstairs, downstairs and in between
Allen Leech talks about his role in Downton Abbey’s 5th season
TONY WONG This article contains spoilers up to the end of Season 4 of Downton Abbey.
The last time Allen Leech was in Canada he worked in a Vancouver bar, appropriately called Shenanigans. He was 20 years old and he says it was the “best time” of his life.
But the 33-year-old Irish actor may be stretching things a bit.
In the intervening decade or so he has become famous as heartthrob Tom Branson, the former chauffeur who marries into aristocracy on Downton Abbey, which starts Season 5 on PBS on Jan. 4.
The show has become a global phenomenon, taking the fortunes of the former stage actor along with it.
“I sometimes forget how much reach this show has and I’ll be sitting in a bar with friends, and someone comes over and asks to take a picture, but it’s really lovely,” says the charismatic Leech.
“And it really depends on where you are. In North America they’re very enthusiastic, but in the U.K. they’ll cross the street just to tell you they don’t watch your show.”
The British costume drama, which is the biggest hit on PBS, looks at the lives of the Crawley family and their staff as they navigate changes in post-Edwardian England.
“I think the reason it resonates is the people’s fascination with aristocracy, the class system. It allows viewers to be real voyeurs where you are allowed into this world,” says Leech. “
I was in Germany recently and I ended up watching it in German. It’s huge down there. I think people really relate because there the world is hierarchical.”
One thing that Leech has had to learn is to stay off social media, particularly Twitter, when he talks about the show. Downton in the U.S. traditionally airs months later than in the U.K.
“I keep getting in trouble with the spoilers because I forget that there are huge bunches of people who haven’t seen it,” says Leech.
“We as a cast talk about it and can’t figure out why it can’t air simultaneously. But they must have their reasons.”
PBS chief Paula Kerger says the network will continue to lag behind ITV in airing the show, but that North American audiences continue to grow, despite potential piracy and downloading episodes from other sources.
When viewers left Branson at the end of Season 4, he was torn between continuing life at Downton Abbey or finding his own path.
“I am a little surprised at where Tom is and a little saddened as well,” Leech warns viewers. “Some serious stuff happens. It is a true set piece drama.
“He is very much finding his feet. He is still an outsider and always on the back foot in relation to the rest of family. In Season 5 he finds his niche. He takes a very strong position with (Lady) Mary in making the place work. And he sees his worth as a person outside of that world.”
Branson’s character has been a useful foil for creator Julian Fellowes as he takes the family into a more modern England and society develops a middle class.
“Tom is like your tour guide through the house. He has the ability to go upstairs and downstairs,” says Leech. “You’ll never find Lord Gran- tham in the kitchen. But when Tom does go downstairs there is a natural ease because that’s where he was before. He can take you anywhere. It’s a lovely position to be in. He’s kind of the first middle class man in the estate.”
With key characters having been killed off, nothing is certain on Downton Abbey. And Leech didn’t hold much hope for his character initially.
“I signed up for three episodes. That’s all that I was hired for, but Julian Fellowes really enjoyed the idea of crossing the class divide. He decided to keep the story going,” says Leech. “There were so many times I was sure I was going to be written out.”
Leech joked he is “afraid to get into a car” because something might happen to his character in the vein of Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) who was killed off when he wanted to leave the show.
“I was sure I was going to the war. And then Julian made me a conscientious objector, so I didn’t go. Then I found out that I was then moving to Dublin. I had a bet with Jessica (Brown Findlay, who played Lady Sybil) that I would get shot in Dublin. And I didn’t. And for the life of me I’m still here.”