Actor Hugh Bonneville joked that the worldwide success of Downton Abbey was because “It’s Breaking Bad with tea instead of meth.” With the show broadcast in more than 250 territories, he may have underestimated its appeal. Here are just a few highlights from across the globeÉ
Chinese state television, CCTV, began broadcast of series one of Downton Abbey in April 2013, after dubbing the show into Mandarin. To celebrate the Chinese premier’s visit to the UK the following year, British PM David Cameron gave Li Keqiang a copy of the shooting script for Downton Abbey’s first episode, signed by Julian Fellowes. [Sources: www.nytimes.com; www.itv.com] Greek state television, the NET channel, came under fire from Downton Abbey fans on social media in 2012 when it edited out a kiss between two male characters. NET stated that the scene was edited out to comply with rules on the time slot and parental consent label given to the show. An unedited version was broadcast the following night. [Source: www.reuters.com] The Japanese have been using Downton Abbey to learn English. The courses, introduced in 2013 by The British Council, use clips and scripts of the show to help Japanese students learn the language. The first course was oversubscribed within a day of its announcement, with some students travelling more than 600 miles to attend the class. [Sources: www.dailymail.co.uk; www.ft.com]
On its debut in 2011, Downton Abbey was the biggest new drama launch in Australia for three years, with 1.8 million viewers tuning in to watch it on the Seven Network. New Zealand opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa made a guest appearance in the show’s fourth series, playing real-life Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba. Other notable guest stars on the show have included Shirley MacLaine, Paul Giamatti, Charlie Cox, Nigel Havers, James Fox, and, in a special mini episode for ITV’s Text Santa charity, Joanna Lumley and George Clooney. [Sources: www.broadcastnow.co.uk , www.telegraph.co.uk, www.imdb.com]
Sarah O’Brien Siobhan Finneran Beryl Patmore Lesley Nicol
Elsie Hughes Phyllis Logan Martha Levinson Shirley MacLaine
Phyllis Baxter Raquel Cassidy
Edith Crawley Laura Carmichael
Daisy Mason (née Robinson) Sophie McShera
Cora Grantham (née Levinson) Elizabeth McGovern Mary Crawley Michelle Dockery
Sybil Branson (née Crawley) Jessica Brown Findlay XI
Tom Branson Allen Leech Anna Bates (née Smith) Joanne Froggatt
Ivy Stuart Cara Theobold