Downton Abbey trivia: 70 unknown facts about the famous TV series

Downton Abbey is a British historical period drama series. It managed to be a worldwide sensation and soon it will have a feature length movie!

So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about this TV series!

1. Downton Abbey is a British historical period drama television series
2. It is set in the early 20th century
3. It is created and co-written by Julian Fellowes
4. The series first aired on ITV in the United Kingdom on 26 September 2010
5. And in the United States on PBS
6. Which supported production of the series as part of its Masterpiece Classic anthology, on 9 January 2011
7. The series, set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey between 1912 and 1926
8. It depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants in the post-Edwardian era
9. With the great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy
10. Events depicted throughout the series include news of the sinking of the Titanic in the first series
11. The outbreak of the First World War
12. The Spanish influenza pandemic
13. And the Marconi scandal in the second series
14. The Irish War of Independence leading to the formation of the Irish Free State in the third series
15. The Teapot Dome scandal in the fourth series
16. And the British general election of 1923
17. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre
18. The Beer Hall Putsch in the fifth series
19. The sixth and final series introduces the rise of the working class during the interwar period
20. Ir hints towards the eventual decline of the British aristocracy
21. Downton Abbey has received acclaim from television critics
22. It won numerous accolades
23. Including a Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie
24. It was recognised by Guinness World Records as the most critically acclaimed English-language television series of 2011
25. It earned the most nominations of any international television series in the history of the Primetime Emmy Awards
26. With twenty-seven in total (after two series)
27. It was the most watched television series on both ITV and PBS
28. And subsequently became the most successful British costume drama series since the 1981 television serial of Brideshead Revisited
29. On 26 March 2015, Carnival Films and ITV announced that the sixth series would be the last
30. It aired on ITV between 20 September 2015 and 8 November 2015
31. The final episode, serving as the annual Christmas special, was broadcast on 25 December 2015
32. A film adaptation, serving as a continuation of the series, was confirmed on 13 July 2018
33. The series is set in fictional Downton Abbey, a Yorkshire country house
34. Which is the home and seat of the Earl and Countess of Grantham
35. Along with their children and distant family members
36. Each series follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family, their friends, and their servants during the reign of King George V
37. Fellowes tries to be as authentic in his depiction of the period as he can
38. Despite this, the show features many linguistic anachronisms
39. The accents of characters have also been questioned with the Received Pronunciation of the actors who play the wealthy characters described as “slightly more contemporary” than would be expected among early-20th-century aristocrats
40. In 2010, Fellowes hired Alastair Bruce, an expert on state and court ritual, as historical adviser
41. However, historian Simon Schama criticised the show for historical inaccuracies and “pandering to clichés”
42. A “tremendous amount of research” went into recreating the servants’ quarters at Ealing Studios
43. Because Highclere Castle, where many of the upstairs scenes are filmed, was not adequate for representing the “downstairs” life at the fictional abbey
44. Researchers visited nearly 40 English country houses to help inform what the kitchen should look like
45. And production designer Donal Woods said of the kitchen equipment that “probably about 60 to 70 per cent of the stuff in there is from that period”
46. Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management is an important guide to the food served in the series
47. But Highclere owner, and author of Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle, Lady Carnarvon, states that dinner parties in the era “would have been even more over the top” than those shown
48. Lady Pamela Hicks agreed, stating that “it is ridiculous to think that a weekend party would consist of only fourteen house guests, it would have consisted of at least 40!”
49. However, Carnavon understood the compromises that must be made for television
50. Downton Abbey has been credited with spawning a massive worldwide increase in demand for professionally trained butlers
51. Especially British butlers
52. Notably in China, Russia, and parts of the Middle East
53. Between 2010 and 2012, demand was thought to have doubled
54. Leading to some butlers fetching salaries as high as £150,000
55. In 2014, China’s first school for butlers opened to meet a demand again attributed to the influence of Downton Abbey
56. Some of the fashion items worn by characters on the show have seen a strong revival of interest in the UK
57. And elsewhere during the show’s run, including starched collars, midi skirts, beaded gowns, and hunting plaids
58. The Equality (Titles) Bill was an unsuccessful piece of legislation introduced in the UK Parliament in 2013 that would have allowed equal succession of female heirs to hereditary titles and peerages
59. It was nicknamed the “Downton Abbey law” because it addressed the same issue that affects Lady Mary Crawley
60. Who cannot inherit the estate because it must pass to a male heir
61. The decor used on Downton Abbey inspired US Representative Aaron Schock to redecorate his congressional offices in a more luxurious style
62. He repaid the $40,000 cost of redecoration following scrutiny of his expenses
63. And questions about his use of public money for personal benefit
64. And subsequently resigned in March 2015
65. The film is written by Julian Fellowes
66. It is a continuation of the TV series
67. With direction by Brian Percival
68. And will be distributed by Focus Features and Universal Pictures International
69. The film is scheduled for a UK release on 13 September 2019
70. With the US following one week later on 20 September 2019