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...