STACK NZ Dec #58

DVD&BD

FEATURE

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The cast of DOWNTON ABBEY give Judy Ewens the lowdown on what happens when the stately home opens its doors for a fifth series.

T he magic of Downton Abbey is that each series leaves us wanting more so, hurrah and three cheers, the latest series arrives on DVD and Blu-ray this month. And it is worth the wait.The new series sticks to the show’s winning formula of dramatic goings-on above and below stairs, against a meticulous period backdrop, with a sprinkling of guest stars, and Dame Maggie Smith delivering withering put-downs. But not everything

actress, meanwhile, is delighted that Mary has regained her acerbic wit, which she uses to spiteful effect on her downtrodden sister Edith. Poor Edith (Laura Carmichael) is in a world of private pain. After the love of her life, Charles, disappeared in Germany and she found out she was pregnant, she had little choice but to have the baby abroad in secret. However, she was unable to part with her daughter who is now being brought up by a local tenant farmer and his wife. Edith, though, is in despair at having her child nearby and not being able to raise her. “Even with the money and the

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is the same. It is now 1924 and the winds of change are blowing through

Britain. Heavens above, there is even a Labour government, which does not go down well with Downton’s owner, Robert, the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville).

power and the title, there’s no escaping the pain of having to give up your chlld,” says Carmichael. “You can’t buy your way out of this situation.” Not that life is any easier for those downstairs. Last series’ shocking rape of lady’s maid Anna (Joanna Froggatt) by visiting valet Green comes back to haunt her and her husband Bates (Brendan Coyle) when the police start looking into Green’s death. Did Bates push Green under the wheels of a London bus to avenge his wife’s rape? One person who knows is Coyle. “All I get in the street is, ‘Did he do it?’

Robert faces his worst nightmare in the shape of fiercely socialist local schoolteacher Sarah Bunting who is drawn to Robert’s widowed son- in-lawTom Branson. She is opposed to everything Robert stands for and is not afraid to say so, which makes dinners at Downton rather fiery affairs! “It has been fun to play Robert’s outright loathing of this annoying woman,” says Bonneville. “It’s partly that she’s left wing, but mainly she’s just bloody rude.” Whatever Robert thinks of the firebrand teacher, she re-awakens old feelings in socialistTom. As she challenges why he continues to live with a family of aristocrats, he begins to question where his future lies. He is not the only one with decisions to make. Widowed Lady Mary (Michelle

The new series sticks to the show’s winning formula of dramatic goings-on above and below stairs

Dockery), has turned a corner in her grief, and is ready to love again. But who will she choose – the eminently suitable Lord Gillingham or government worker Charles Blake? “It’s not a decision she wants to make quickly,” explains Dockery. “Whichever man she chooses will have to take on the responsibility of Downton and she also has her son George to consider.”The

And, yes, I do know whether he did it!” says Coyle chuckling. The actor knows the secret is safe with him, which is just how we like it.

Downton Abbey is out Dec 10

DECEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.co.nz

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