This article is about the
series. For the 2019 film, see Downton Abbey (film).
Downton Abbey
Genre
Historical drama
Created by
Julian Fellowes
Written by
Julian Fellowes
Shelagh Stephenson
Tina Pepler
Starring
Hugh Bonneville
Jessica Brown Findlay
Laura Carmichael
Jim Carter
Brendan Coyle
Michelle Dockery
Siobhan Finneran
Joanne Froggatt
Phyllis Logan
Thomas Howes
Rob James-Collier
Rose Leslie
Elizabeth McGovern
Sophie McShera
Lesley Nicol
Maggie Smith
Dan Stevens
Penelope Wilton
Amy Nuttall
Kevin Doyle
Allen Leech
Matt Milne
Ed Speleers
Lily James
David Robb
Cara Theobold
Raquel Cassidy
Tom Cullen
Julian Ovenden
Michael Fox
Matthew Goode
Harry Hadden-Paton
Opening theme
"Did I Make the Most of Loving You?"
Composer
John Lunn
Country of origin
United Kingdom
Original language
English
No. of series
6
No. of episodes
52 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Julian Fellowes
Gareth Neame
Rebecca Eaton
Producers
Liz Trubridge
Nigel Marchant
Production location
Highclere Castle
Cinematography
Gavin Struthers
Camera setup
Single-camera
Running time
47–93 minutes
Production companies
Carnival Films
WGBH-TV
Original release
Network
ITV
Release
26 September 2010 (2010-09-26) – 25 December 2015 (2015-12-25)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)
Downton Abbey is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. It first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States on PBS, which supported its production as part of its Masterpiece Classic anthology, on 9 January 2011. The show ran for six series and fifty-two episodes, including five Christmas specials.
The series, set on the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey between 1912 and 1926, depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants in the post-Edwardian era, and the effects the great events of the time have on their lives and on the British social hierarchy. These events include news of the sinking of the Titanic (first series); the outbreak of the First World War, the Spanish influenza pandemic and the Marconi scandal (second series); the Irish War of Independence leading to the formation of the Irish Free State (third series); the Teapot Dome scandal (fourth series); and the British general election of 1923 and the Beer Hall Putsch (fifth series). The sixth and final series introduces the rise of the working class during the interwar period and hints at the eventual decline of the British aristocracy.
Downton Abbey has received acclaim from television critics and numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie. It was recognised by Guinness World Records as the most critically acclaimed English-language television series of 2011. It earned 27 Primetime Emmy Award nominations after its first two series, the most for any international television series in the awards' history.[1] It was the most watched television series on both ITV and PBS, and became the most successful British costume drama since the 1981 television serial of Brideshead Revisited.[2]
On 26 March 2015, Carnival Films and ITV announced that the sixth series would be the last; it aired on ITV between 20 September 2015 and 8 November 2015. The final episode, the annual Christmas special, was broadcast on 25 December 2015. A film adaptation, a continuation of the series, was confirmed on 13 July 2018 and released in the United Kingdom on 13 September 2019, and in the United States on 20 September 2019. A second feature film, Downton Abbey: A New Era, was released in the United Kingdom on 29 April 2022 by Universal Pictures, and in the United States and Canada on 20 May 2022 by Focus Features.[3]
^Brajer, Jessica (30 May 2022). "Downton Abbey: How the Period Franchise Has Remained Popular". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on 11 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
^"Downton Abbey: How Hollywood is snapping up our bright TV drama stars". Daily Mirror. 7 November 2010. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
^D'Allesandro, Anthony (26 January 2022). "'Downton Abbey: A New Era' Release Date Shifts To Early Summer". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
DowntonAbbey is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. It first aired...
This is a list of characters from DowntonAbbey, a British period drama television series created by Julian Fellowes and co-produced by Carnival Films...
DowntonAbbey is a British period drama television series created by Julian Fellowes and co-produced by Carnival Films and Masterpiece. It first aired...
The sixth series of the British historical drama television series DowntonAbbey broadcast from 20 September 2015 to 8 November 2015, comprising a total...
The first series of DowntonAbbey comprises seven episodes, was broadcast in the UK from 26 September 2010, and explored the lives of the Crawley family...
The second series of the British historical drama television series DowntonAbbey broadcast from 18 September 2011 to 6 November 2011, comprising a total...
The fifth series of the British historical drama television series DowntonAbbey broadcast from 21 September 2014 to 9 November 2014, comprising a total...
The fourth series of the British historical drama television series DowntonAbbey broadcast from 22 September 2013 to 10 November 2013, comprising a total...
The third series of the British historical drama television series DowntonAbbey broadcast from 16 September 2012 to 4 November 2012, comprising a total...
portrayal of Cora, Countess of Grantham, in the British drama series DowntonAbbey (2010–2015), for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award and Golden...
writer and executive producer of the multiple award-winning ITV series DowntonAbbey (2010–2015) and the HBO series The Gilded Age (2022–present). He wrote...
his role as Matthew Crawley in the ITV acclaimed period drama series DowntonAbbey (2010–2012). He also starred as David in the thriller film The Guest...
William (2010). Following a supporting role in the period drama series DowntonAbbey (2012–2015), her breakthrough was the title role in the fantasy film...
starring as Lady Mary Crawley in the ITV television period drama series DowntonAbbey (2010–2015), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and...
television series, including as Henry Talbot in the historical drama DowntonAbbey, Finley "Finn" Polmar in the legal drama The Good Wife and a music journalist...
international fame as the main location for the ITV historical drama series DowntonAbbey (2010–15) and the 2019 and 2022 films based on it. The house, Egyptian...
television series Waterloo Road, as Daisy Mason in the ITV television series DowntonAbbey, and as Drizella Tremaine in the 2015 Disney film Cinderella. McShera...
Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, in the ITV historical drama series DowntonAbbey from 2010 to 2015. His performance on the show earned him a nomination...
an embittered servant in the first three series of the costume drama DowntonAbbey (2010–2012) and a recovering addict in Happy Valley (2014–2023), for...
international fame for her role as Violet Crawley in the British period drama DowntonAbbey (2010–2015). The role earned her three Primetime Emmy Awards; she had...
Stephen Bonnet in the TV series Outlander and Jimmy Kent in the TV series DowntonAbbey. He recently appeared as Rhys Montrose in the fourth season of You (2023)...
actress. She played the role of Phyllis Baxter in the television series DowntonAbbey (2013–2015), winning a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance...
roles as Lady Jane Felsham in Lovejoy (1986–1993) and Mrs Hughes in DowntonAbbey (2010–2015). She won the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for...
played Turkish diplomat Kemal Pamuk in an episode of the first season of DowntonAbbey. His film credits include You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)...
is widely known for his roles as Tom Branson in the ITV period drama DowntonAbbey (2010–2015) and Paul Prenter in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)...
played Lady Sybil Crawley in the ITV television period drama series DowntonAbbey and Emelia Conan Doyle in the 2011 British comedy-drama feature film...