In a new special edition, PEOPLE goes inside Downton Abbey, which enchanted television audiences for six seasons with its addicting narratives and richly compelling characters. Inside a grand Yorkshire castle, the aristocratic Crawleys and their domestic servants played out personal dramas - love and death, triumph and scandal - amid the tumultuous world events that unfolded from 1912 through the Roaring Twenties. Creator-writer Julian Fellowes’ masterpiece exploded into a global phenomenon and vaulted onto the big screen with a wildly successful 2019 feature film. Now comes 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era. PEOPLE presents a deep look at the films and the series, with exclusive photos and interviews with the cast and creative team.
Downton Abbey • ALL ABOUT THE BELOVED SERIES & FILMS
The Magic of Downton • HOW A BUNCH OF POSH BRITS AND THEIR SERVANTS WON AMERICA’S HEART
A New Era Opener • Downton Abbey comes back to the big screen, as the Crawleys & company navigate major changes - and break into the glamorous world of motion pictures
Downton Goes Hollywood • INSIDE THE SECOND FILM OF THE FRANCHISE - FEATURING A MOVIE WITHIN A MOVIE
Behind the Scenes • SPLIT BETWEEN BRITAIN AND FRANCE AMID A PANDEMIC, THE CAST HAD A BLAST
A Stellar Ensemble Opener • Throughout the series, upstairs and downstairs, a gifted company of actors brings Julian Fellowes’s complex characters and compelling story lines to vivid life
The Earl & Countess of Grantham • HUGH BONNEVILLE & ELIZABETH McGOVERN ROBERT AND CORA’S DEVOTION TO FAMILY - AND EACH OTHER - SUSTAINS DOWNTON ABBEY THROUGH DECADES OF CHALLENGE AND CHANGE
Lady Mary Talbot • MICHELLE DOCKERY WHETHER HAUGHTY AND NASTY (ESPECIALLY TO EDITH!) OR TENDER AND VULNERABLE, THE OLDEST CRAWLEY GIRL IS A SURVIVOR
Mr. Carson & Mrs. Hughes • JIM CARTER & PHYLLIS LOGAN DOWNTON’S STATELY BUTLER AND PLAINSPOKEN HOUSEKEEPER RUN A TIGHT SHIP BUT EVENTUALLY LOOSEN UP AND FIND LATE-BLOOMING LOVE
Lady Edith Pelham • LAURA CARMICHAEL A CLASSIC MIDDLE CHILD, BULLIED BY HER BIG SISTER AND UNLUCKY IN LOVE, SHE FINDS HER VOICE AND TRIUMPHS AT LAST
John & Anna Bates • BRENDAN COYLE & JOANNE FROGGATT THE VALIANT VALET AND THE LOYAL LADY’S MAID FORGE A LOVE THAT ENDURES THROUGH HARDSHIP AND CALAMITY - AND ONLY GROWS STRONGER
Tom Branson • ALLEN LEECH AS THE CRAWLEYS’ SOCIALIST CHAUFFEUR TURNED SON-IN-LAW, HE HELPS KEEP DOWNTON - AND THE AUDIENCE - GROUNDED
Daisy Mason & Mrs. Patmore • SOPHIE McSHERA & LESLEY NICOL THE CRUSTY COOK AND HER YOUNG ASSISTANT CLASHED IN THE KITCHEN BUT ULTIMATELY DEVELOPED A TENDER BOND
Thomas Barrow • ROB JAMES-COLLIER SURE, HE’S AN EMBITTERED SCHEMER - BUT WITH AN ANGUISHED SOUL THAT LENDS HIM DEPTH AND VULNERABILITY
Mr. Molesley & Miss Baxter • KEVIN DOYLE & RAQUEL CASSIDY HE WAS A DECENT, DIFFIDENT BUTLER WITH A TALENT FOR TEACHING; SHE WAS A KINDLY MAID WITH A HIDDEN SHAME - AND THEY FOUND EACH OTHER
Isobel Crawley Grey • PENELOPE WILTON FORTHRIGHT AND SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS, MATTHEW CRAWLEY’S PLAINSPOKEN MUM PROVES A WORTHY SPARRING PARTNER FOR THE CAUSTIC VIOLET
The People Around Downton • FAN FAVORITES, SUPPORTING PLAYERS, SPLASHY STAR TURNS: WHETHER THE ROLES WERE LARGE, SMALL OR ALL TOO BRIEF, DOWNTON’S GALLERY OF COLORFUL CHARACTERS MADE A LASTING IMPRESSION
The Dowager Countess of Grantham • DAME MAGGIE SMITH THE INDOMITABLE VIOLET CRAWLEY REIGNS OVER DOWNTON - AND STEALS THE SHOW - WITH HER REGAL PRESENCE, ACERBIC WIT AND LOVING HEART
Must-See Moments • AN ALBUM OF SOME OF THE MORE MEMORABLE PLOT POINTS DURING DOWNTON ABBEY’S SIX-SEASON RUN ON TV
Downton & History • THE CRAWLEY FAMILY’S UPSTAIRS-DOWNSTAIRS SAGA PLAYS OUT OVER TUMULTUOUS DECADES OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL…