TRIFLES & TITBITS
DOWNTON REVEALS ITS JUICIEST SECRETS
Dust off the tails and polish the silver – the long-awaited Downton Abbey movie is almost here!
Four years after we farewelled the Crawleys, we return to the abbey for one last hurrah, joining the aristocrats in 1927 as they prepare for a visit from King George V and Queen Mary.
It’s a film fans have clamoured for, and series creator Julian Fellowes and the star-studded cast promise the flick will be the perfect ending to the saga – though with a twist that will send audiences reeling.
“I think by the end of the series [the film] was inevitable,” says Michelle Dockery (37), who plays the stoic eldest Crawley daughter, Lady Mary.
“We’d been talking about it for a long time and it was only a matter of time before they rallied the troops and got everyone in the same country and got people to commit. We knew it wasn’t quite over. When we went back, it felt like we never left.”
To celebrate the September 12 release, we’ve gathered some little-known behind-the-scenes facts about the hit drama.
1 Simon Jones, who plays King George V in the new movie, was the worst dancer in the cast, according to Allen Leech (Tom Branson). Unfortunately, and rather unbecoming of a king, he spent most of the time standing on the toes of Geraldine James, who portrays Queen Mary. The best? Michelle Dockery. “If anyone could do [ Dancing with the Stars] it’s her,” says Allen. “And because the men had to wear long socks for the dance scenes, you get to see their legs. Hugh Bonneville has the most incredible calves.” 2
The real-life army was called in to film parade scenes. Soldiers and horses of the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery – a ceremonial unit of the British Army – portrayed the King’s Guard. It took three days to shoot the scenes in Wiltshire. 3 Dame Maggie Smith has still not watched a single episode. She once said she didn’t want to be too self-critical, but just before the TV series ended in 2015, she relented and revealed she might give the show a try. “I will look at it when it’s all over, maybe, because it’s frustrating – I always see things that I would like to do differently, and think, ‘Why in the name of God did I do that?’ she said. Maybe after the movie, then? 4 The wall of bells downstairs is one of the show’s bestknown props, but it’s a bit of an anachronism. Although bells were used before World War I, most stately homes replaced them with lights soon after.
“You just clicked over a dial, and it went from white to red,” says production designer Donal Woods. “And you’d think, ‘Oh, I’m wanted in the study.’ But everyone loves these bells so we haven’t changed them.” 5 Laura Carmichael, who plays Lady Edith, and Michael C Fox, who portrays Andy in later seasons, are dating in real life. They met on the set and have been seeing each other since. 6 The Queen is a huge fan of the show and loves pointing out historical inaccuracies. She has picked up errors in several episodes, in particular noting a WWI soldier was wearing medals awarded in WWII. She
has been a guest at Highclere Castle, the stately Hampshire home where the series and movie were filmed. 7
Imelda Staunton, who plays new character Lady Bagshaw in the movie, is married to Jim Carter in real life – Jim of course plays fan favourite Carson. 8 It doesn’t seem like the set of the film was a particularly nice place to be, mostly because it reeked! “We do stink, as they don’t wash our costumes,” says Sophie McShera, who plays cook Daisy. “They have these weird patches which are sewn into the armpits and which they wash separately.” 9 The extensive food props caused logistical challenges. The lavish meals used in scenes were prepared in a tent outside the castle, and in winter they would sometimes freeze solid! And there was almost a big mishap with the food in season three, caused by the real lady of Highclere, the Countess of Carnarvon. The countess’ dogs almost ruined a whole day’s filming, explains food stylist Lisa Heathcote. “The side of my tent was open, and I could see Lady Carnarvon walking up the side of the lawn with three very big dogs. And they just took off, running towards me, because they saw the meat." Thankfully, the crew acted fast and the food was saved. 10
Highclere Castle is haunted, says Downton historical consultant Alastair Bruce. “I remember my cousin [Jean Margaret Herbert, the late Dowager Countess of Carnarvon] being ashenwhite when I told her what the opening sequence of the show would be. If you remember, Daisy gets up, gets the whole house going, and they clean before the Earl of Grantham comes downstairs. Mrs Hughes is going around and the camera focuses in on the chain around her waist carrying all the keys – and Jean went white because there is a ghost at the house who is a former housekeeper, and you know she’s around because you can hear the keys jangling at the end of her chain.”