document_title: Facial expression

question_text: who was the first researcher to suggest that facial expressions are pre-verbal

text: Facial expression

text: Creation[edit]

text: Facial muscles[edit]

text: Facial expressions are vital to social communication between humans. They are caused by the movement of muscles that connect to the skin and fascia in the face. These muscles move the skin, creating lines and folds and causing the movement of facial features, such as the mouth and eyebrows. These muscles develop from the second pharyngeal arch in the embryo. The temporalis, masseter, and internal and external pterygoid muscles, which are mainly used for chewing, have a minor effect on expression as well. These muscles develop from the first pharyngeal arch.[4]

text: Neuronal pathways[edit]

text: There are two brain pathways associated with facial expression; the first is voluntary expression. Voluntary expression travels from the primary motor cortex through the pyramidal tract, specifically the corticobulbar projections. The cortex is associated with display rules in emotion, which are social precepts that influence and modify expressions. Cortically related expressions are made consciously.[4]

text: The second type of expression is emotional. These expressions originate from the extrapyramidal motor system, which involves subcortical nuclei. For this reason, genuine emotions are not associated with the cortex and are often displayed unconsciously. This is demonstrated in infants before the age of two; they display distress, disgust, interest, anger, contempt, surprise, and fear. Infants’ displays of these emotions indicate that they are not cortically related. Similarly, blind children also display emotions, proving that they are subconscious rather than learned. Other subcortical facial expressions include the “knit brow” during concentration, raised eyebrows when listening attentively, and short “punctuation” expressions to add emphasis during speech. People can be unaware that they are producing these expressions.[4]

text: Neural mechanisms in face perception[edit]

text: The amygdala plays an important role in facial recognition. Functional imaging studies have found that when shown pictures of faces, there is a large increase in the activity of the amygdala. The amygdala receives visual information from the thalamus via the subcortical pathways.[5] The amygdala may also have a significant role in the recognition of fear and negative emotions. It is believed that the emotion disgust is recognized through activation of the insula and basal ganglia. The recognition of emotion may also utilize the occipitotemporal neocortex, orbitofrontal cortex and right frontoparietal cortices.[6]

text: Gender and facial cues[edit]

text: More than anything though, what shapes a child's cognitive ability to detect facial expression is being exposed to it from the time of birth. The more an infant is exposed to different faces and expressions, the more able they are to recognize these emotions and then mimic them for themselves. Infants are exposed to an array of emotional expressions from birth, and evidence indicates that they imitate some facial expressions and gestures (e.g., tongue protrusion) as early as the first few days of life.[7][full citation needed] In addition, gender affects the tendency to express, perceive, remember, and forget specific emotions.[8][9] For instance, angry male faces and happy female faces are more recognizable, compared to happy male faces and angry female faces.[9]

text: Communication[edit]

text: Eye contact[edit]

text: A person's face, especially their eyes, creates the most obvious and immediate cues that lead to the formation of impressions.[10] This article discusses eyes and facial expressions and the effect they have on interpersonal communication.

text: A person's eyes reveal much about how they are feeling, or what they are thinking. Blink rate can reveal how nervous or at ease a person may be. Research by Boston College professor Joe Tecce suggests that stress levels are revealed by blink rates. He supports his data with statistics on the relation between the blink rates of presidential candidates and their success in their races. Tecce claims that the faster blinker in the presidential debates has lost every election since 1980.[11] Though Tecce's data is interesting, it is important to recognize that non-verbal communication is multi-channeled, and focusing on only one aspect is reckless. Nervousness can also be measured by examining each candidates' perspiration, eye contact and stiffness.[12]

text: Within their first year, Infants learn rapidly that the looking behaviors of others conveys significant information. Infants prefer to look at faces that engage them in mutual gaze and that, from an early age, healthy babies show enhanced neural processing of direct gaze.[13]

text: Eye contact is another major aspect of facial communication. Some have hypothesized that this is due to infancy, as humans are one of the few mammals who maintain regular eye contact with their mother while nursing.[14] Eye contact serves a variety of purposes. It regulates conversations, shows interest or involvement, and establishes a connection with others.

text: But different cultures have different rules for eye contact. Certain Asian cultures can perceive direct eye contact as a way to signal competitiveness, which in many situations may prove to be inappropriate. Others lower their eyes to signal respect, and similarly eye contact is avoided in Nigeria;[15] however, in western cultures this could be misinterpreted as lacking self-confidence.

text: Even beyond the idea of eye contact, eyes communicate more data than a person even consciously expresses. Pupil dilation is a significant cue to a level of excitement, pleasure, or attraction. Dilated pupils indicate greater affection or attraction, while constricted pupils send a colder signal.

text: Sign languages[edit]

text: Facial expression is used in sign languages to convey specific meanings. In American Sign Language (ASL), for instance, raised eyebrows combined with a slightly forward head tilt indicate that what is being signed is a yes/no question. Lowered eyebrows are used for wh-word questions. Facial expression is also used in sign languages to show adverbs and adjectives such as distance or size: an open mouth, squinted eyes, and tilted back head indicate something far while the mouth pulled to one side and the cheek held toward the shoulder indicate something close, and puffed cheeks mean very large. It can also show the manner in which something is done, such as carelessly or routinely.[16] Some of these expressions, also called non-manual signs, are used similarly in different sign languages while others are different from one language to another. For example, the expression used for 'carelessly' in ASL means 'boring or unpleasant' in British Sign Language.[17]

text: Universality hypothesis[edit]

text: The universality hypothesis is the assumption that certain facial expressions and face-related acts/ events are signals of specific emotions (happiness with laughter and smiling, sadness with tears, anger with a clenched jaw, fear with a grimace, surprise with raised eyebrows and wide eyes along with a slight retraction of the ears, and disgust with a wrinkled nose and squinted eyes— emotions which frequently lack the social component of those like shame, pride, jealousy, envy, deferance, etc.) and are recognized by people regardless of culture, language, or time. The belief in the evolutionary basis of these kinds of facial expressions can be traced back to Darwin’s The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. Reviews of the universality hypothesis have been both supportive[18][19] and critical.[20][21] Work in 2013 by Nelson and Russell[22] and Jack et al.[23] has been especially critical.

text: Support[edit]

text: Ekman's work on facial expressions had its starting point in the work of psychologist Silvan Tomkins. Ekman showed that facial expressions of emotion are not culturally determined, but universal across human cultures.

text: To demonstrate his universality hypothesis, Ekman ran a test on a group of the South Fore people of New Guinea, a pre-industrial culture that was isolated from the West. The experiment participants were told brief stories about emotional events (happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust). After each story, they were asked to select the matching facial expression from an array of three faces.[24] The Fore selected the correct face on 64%-90% of trials but had difficulty distinguishing the fear face from the surprise face. Children selected from an array of only two faces, and their results were similar to the adults’. Subsequent cross-cultural studies found similar results.[25]

text: Criticism[edit]

text: Both sides of this debate agree that the face expresses emotion. The controversy surrounds the uncertainty about what specific emotional information is read from a facial expression. Opponents of the universality hypothesis believe that more general information is pieced together with other contextual information in order to determine how a person feels.[26]

text: One argument against the evidence presented in support of the universality hypothesis is that the method typically used to demonstrate universality inflates recognition scores.[21] Although each factor may contribute only a small amount to the inflation, combined, they can produce exaggerated scores. The three main factors are the following:

text:
The universality hypothesis focuses on people's abilities to recognize spontaneous facial expressions as they occur naturally. However, the facial expressions used to test this hypothesis are posed. Studies of spontaneous facial expressions are rare and find that participants’ recognition of the expressions is lower than that of the corresponding posed expressions.[27][28]
In most studies, participants are shown more than one facial expression (Ekman recommends six of each expression). However, people judge facial expressions relative to others that they have seen,[29] and participants who judge more than one facial expression have higher recognition rates than those who judge only one.[21]
The response format that is most commonly used in emotion recognition studies is forced choice. In forced choice, for each facial expression, participants are asked to select their response from a short list of emotion labels. The forced choice method determines the emotion attributed to the facial expressions via the labels that are presented.[21] That is, participants will select the best match to the facial expression even if it is not the emotion label they would have provided spontaneously and even if they would not have labeled the expression as an emotion at all.[30]

text: Evolutionary significance of universality[edit]

text: Darwin argued that the expression of emotions has evolved in humans from animal ancestors, who would have used similar methods of expression. Darwin believed that expressions were unlearned and innate in human nature and were therefore evolutionarily significant for survival. He compiled supporting evidence from his research on different cultures, on infants, and in other animal species.[31] Ekman found that people from different cultures recognized certain facial expressions despite vast cultural differences, and his findings tended to confirm Darwin’s initial hypothesis.[32]

text: Cross-cultural studies had shown that there are similarities in the way emotions are expressed across diverse cultures, but studies have even shown that there are similarities between species in how emotions are expressed. Research has shown that chimpanzees are able to communicate many of the same facial expressions as humans through the complex movements of the facial muscles. In fact, the facial cues were so similar that Ekman’s Facial Action Coding System could be applied to the chimps in evaluating their expressions.[33] Of course, differences between the species' physical facial properties, such as white sclera and everted lips in chimps, would mean that some expressions could not be compared.[34]

text: Similarly, Darwin observed that infants’ method of expression for certain emotions was instinctive, as they were able to display emotional expressions they had not themselves yet witnessed.[35] Facial morphology impacts expression recognition in important ways, and therefore, infant facial morphology may also serve some specific communicative function. These similarities in morphology and movement are important for the correct interpretation of an emotion.[36] Darwin was particularly interested in the functions of facial expression as evolutionarily important for survival. He looked at the functions of facial expression in terms of the utility of expression in the life of the animal and in terms of specific expressions within species. Darwin deduced that some animals communicated feelings of different emotional states with specific facial expressions. He further concluded that this communication was important for the survival of animals in group-dwelling species; the skill to effectively communicate or interpret another animal’s feelings and behaviors would be a principal trait in naturally fit species.[37] However, this suggests that solitary species such as orang-utans would not exhibit such expressions.


document_title: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

question_text: who played rocky in rocky horror picture show

root

text: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

text: Plot[edit]

text: A criminologist narrates the tale of the newly engaged couple Brad Majors and Janet Weiss who find themselves lost and with a flat tire on a cold and rainy late November evening, somewhere near Denton, Texas. Seeking a telephone, the couple walk to a nearby castle where they discover a group of strange and outlandish people who are holding an Annual Transylvanian Convention. They are soon swept into the world of Dr. Frank N. Furter, a self-proclaimed "sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania". The ensemble of convention attendees also includes servants Riff Raff, his sister Magenta, and a groupie named Columbia.

tag: p

text: In his lab, Frank claims to have discovered the "secret to life itself". His creation, Rocky, is brought to life. The ensuing celebration is soon interrupted by Eddie (an ex-delivery boy, both Frank and Columbia's ex-lover, as well as partial brain donor to Rocky) who rides out of a deep freeze on a motorcycle. Eddie then proceeds to seduce Columbia, get the Transylvanians dancing and singing and intrigue Brad and Janet. When Rocky starts dancing and enjoying the performance, a jealous Frank kills Eddie with an ice pick. Columbia screams in horror, devastated by Eddie's death. Frank justifies killing Eddie as a "mercy killing" to Rocky and they depart to the bridal suite.

text: Brad and Janet are shown to separate bedrooms, where each is visited and seduced by Frank, who poses as Brad (when visiting Janet) and then as Janet (when visiting Brad). Janet, upset and emotional, wanders off to look for Brad, who she discovers, via a television monitor, is in bed with Frank. She then discovers Rocky, cowering in his birth tank, hiding from Riff Raff, who has been tormenting him. While tending to his wounds, Janet becomes intimate with Rocky, as Magenta and Columbia watch from their bedroom monitor.

text: After discovering that his creation is missing, Frank returns to the lab with Brad and Riff Raff, where Frank learns that an intruder has entered the building. Brad and Janet's old high school science teacher, Dr. Everett Scott, has come looking for his nephew, Eddie. Frank suspects that Dr. Scott investigates UFOs for the government. Upon learning of Brad and Janet's connection to Dr. Scott, Frank suspects them of working for him. Frank, Dr. Scott, Brad, and Riff Raff then discover Janet and Rocky together under the sheets in Rocky's birth tank, upsetting Frank and Brad. Magenta interrupts the reunion by sounding a massive gong and stating that dinner is prepared.

text: Rocky and the guests share an uncomfortable dinner, which they soon realize has been prepared from Eddie's mutilated remains. Janet runs screaming into Rocky's arms, provoking Frank to chase her through the halls. Janet, Brad, Dr. Scott, Rocky, and Columbia all meet in Frank's lab, where Frank captures them with the Medusa Transducer, transforming them into nude statues. After dressing them in cabaret costume, Frank "unfreezes" them, and they perform a live cabaret floor show, complete with an RKO tower and a swimming pool, with Frank as the leader.

text: Riff Raff and Magenta interrupt the performance, revealing themselves and Frank to be aliens from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania. They stage a coup and announce a plan to return to their home planet. In the process, they kill Columbia and Frank, who has "failed his mission". An enraged Rocky gathers Frank in his arms, climbs to the top of the tower, and plunges to his death in the pool below. Riff Raff and Magenta release Brad, Janet, and Dr. Scott, then depart by lifting off in the castle itself. The survivors are then left crawling in the dirt, and the narrator concludes that the human race is equivalent to insects crawling on the planet's surface, "lost in time, and lost in space... and meaning".

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Tim Curry as Dr. Frank N. Furter, a scientist
Susan Sarandon as Janet Weiss, a heroine
Barry Bostwick as Brad Majors, a hero
Richard O'Brien as Riff Raff, a handyman
Patricia Quinn as Magenta, a domestic
Nell Campbell as Columbia, a groupie (credited as Little Nell)
Jonathan Adams as Dr. Everett V. Scott, a rival scientist
Peter Hinwood as Rocky Horror, a creation
Meat Loaf as Eddie, an ex-delivery boy
Charles Gray as the Criminologist, an expert
Jeremy Newson as Ralph Hapschatt
Hilary Farr as Betty Munroe (credited as Hilary Labow)

tag: ul

text: Production[edit]

text: Concept and development[edit]

text: Richard O'Brien was living as an unemployed actor in London during the early 1970s. He wrote most of The Rocky Horror Show during one winter just to occupy himself.[7][8] Since his youth, O'Brien had loved science fiction and B horror movies. He wanted to combine elements of the unintentional humour of B horror movies, portentous dialogue of schlock-horror, Steve Reeves muscle flicks, and fifties rock and roll into his musical.[9] O'Brien conceived and wrote the play set against the backdrop of the glam era that had manifested itself throughout British popular culture in the 1970s.[10] Allowing his concept to come into being, O'Brien states "glam rock allowed me to be myself more".[11]

text: O'Brien showed a portion of the unfinished script to Australian director Jim Sharman, who decided to direct it at the small experimental space Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, Chelsea, London, which was used as a project space for new work.[7] O'Brien had appeared briefly in a stage production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar, directed by Sharman, and the two also worked together in Sam Shepard's The Unseen Hand. Sharman would bring in production designer Brian Thomson.[12] The original creative team was then rounded out by costume designer Sue Blane, musical director Richard Hartley, and stage producer Michael White, who was brought in to produce. As the musical went into rehearsal, the working title, They Came from Denton High, was changed just before previews at the suggestion of Sharman to The Rocky Horror Show.[7][13]

text: Having premiered in the small sixty-seat Royal Court Theatre, it quickly moved to larger venues in London, transferring to the 230-seat Chelsea Classic Cinema on Kings Road on 14 August 1973, before finding a quasi-permanent home at the 500-seat King's Road Theatre from 3 November 1973, running for six years.[14] The musical made its U.S. debut in Los Angeles in 1974 before being played in New York City as well as other cities.[12] Producer and Ode Records owner Lou Adler attended the London production in the winter of 1973, escorted by friend Britt Ekland. He immediately decided to purchase the U.S. theatrical rights. His production would be staged at his Roxy Theatre in L.A.[15] In 1975, The Rocky Horror Show premiered on Broadway at the 1,000-seat Belasco Theatre.[16]

text: Filming and locations[edit]

text: The film was shot at Bray Studios and Oakley Court, a country house near Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, and at Elstree Studios[17] for post production,[18] from 21 October to 19 December 1974. Oakley Court, built in 1857 in the Victorian Gothic style, is known for a number of Hammer films.[19][20] Much of the location shooting took place there, although at the time the manor was not in good condition.[21] Much of the cast were from the original London stage production, including Tim Curry, who had decided that Dr Frank N. Furter should speak like the Queen of England, extravagantly posh.[11] Fox insisted on casting the two characters of Brad and Janet with American actors, Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon.[12]  Filming took place during autumn, which made conditions worse. During filming, Sarandon fell ill with pneumonia.[9] Filming of the laboratory scene and the title character's creation occurred on 30 October 1974.[22]

text: The film is both a parody and tribute to many of the science fiction and horror movies from the 1930s up to the 1970s.[7] The film production retains many aspects from the stage version such as production design and music, but adds new scenes not featured in the original stage play.[12] The film's plot, setting, and style echo those of the Hammer Horror films, which had their own instantly recognizable style (just as Universal Studios' horror films did).[23] The originally proposed opening sequence was to contain clips of various films mentioned in the lyrics, as well as the first few sequences shot in black and white, but this was deemed too expensive and scrapped.[12]

text: Costumes, make-up, and props[edit]

text: In the stage productions, actors generally did their own make-up; however, for the film, the producers chose Pierre La Roche, who had previously been a make-up artist for Mick Jagger and David Bowie, to redesign the make-up for each character.[24] Production stills were taken by rock photographer Mick Rock, who has published a number of books from his work.[25] In Rocky Horror: From Concept to Cult, designer Sue Blane discusses the Rocky Horror costumes' influence on punk music style, opining "[It was a] big part of the build-up [to punk]." She states that ripped fishnet stockings, glitter, and coloured hair were directly attributable to Rocky Horror.[7]

text: Some of the costumes from the film had been originally used in the stage production. Props and set pieces were reused from old Hammer Horror productions and others. The tank and dummy used for Rocky's birth originally appeared in The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958). These references to earlier productions, in addition to cutting costs, enhanced the cult status of the film.[26]

text: Costume designer Sue Blane was not keen on working for the film until she became aware that Curry, an old friend, was committed to the project. Curry and Blane had worked together in Glasgow's Citizens Theatre in a production of The Maids, for which Curry had worn a woman's corset. Blane arranged for the theatre to loan her the corset from the other production for Rocky Horror.[27] Blane admits that she did not conduct research for her designing, had never seen a science fiction film, and is acutely aware that her costumes for Brad and Janet may have been generalizations.

text: "When I designed Rocky, I never looked at any science fiction movies or comic books. One just automatically knows what spacesuits look like, the same way one intuitively knows how Americans dress. I had never been to the United States, but I had this fixed idea of how people looked there. Americans wore polyester so their clothes wouldn't crease, and their trousers were a bit too short. Since they're very keen on sports, white socks and white T-shirts played an integral part in their wardrobe. Of course, since doing Rocky I have been to the United States and admit it was a bit of a generalization, but my ideas worked perfectly for Brad and Janet."[27]

text: The budget for the film's costumes was US$1,600,[27] far more than the stage production budget, but having to double up on costumes the film production was expensive. For filming, corsets for the finale had to be doubled for the pool scene, with one version drying while the other was worn on set. While many of the costumes are exact replicas from the stage productions, other costumes were new to filming, such as Columbia's gold sequined swallow-tail coat and top hat and Magenta's maid's uniform.[27]

text: Blane was amazed by the recreation and understanding of her designs by fans.[27] When she first heard that people were dressing up, she thought it would be tacky, but was surprised to see the depth to which the fans went to recreate her designs. Rocky Horror fan Mina Credeur, who designs costumes and performed as Columbia for Houston’s performance group, states that "the best part is when everyone leaves with a big smile on their face", noting that there's "such a kitschiness and campiness that it seems to be winking at you".[28] The film still plays at many theatre locations and Rocky Horror costumes are often made for Halloween, although many require much time and effort to make.[29]

text: Title sequence[edit]

text: The film starts with the screen fading to black and oversized, disembodied female lips appear overdubbed with a male voice,[26][30] establishing theme of androgyny to be repeated as the film unfolds.[31] The opening scene and song, "Science Fiction/Double Feature", consists of the lips of Patricia Quinn (who appears in the film later as the character Magenta (in addition to the latter, appeared as 'Trixie' the Usherette in the original London production who sang the song)), but has the vocals of actor and Rocky Horror creator, Richard O'Brien (who appears as Magenta's brother Riff Raff). The lyrics refer to science fiction and horror films of the past and list several film titles from the 1930s to the 1960s, including The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Flash Gordon (1936), The Invisible Man (1933), King Kong (1933), It Came from Outer Space (1953), Doctor X (1932), Forbidden Planet (1956), Tarantula (1955), The Day of the Triffids (1962), Curse of the Demon (1957), and When Worlds Collide (1951).[7] A second film poster was created using a set of red, lipstick painted lips with the tagline "A Different Set of Jaws", a spoof of the poster for the film Jaws (which was also released in 1975).[26] The lips of Former Playboy model Lorelei Shark are featured on the poster.[32]

text: Music[edit]

text: The soundtrack was released in 1975 by Ode Records and produced by Richard Hartley. The album peaked at No. 49 on the Billboard 200 in 1978.[33] It reached No. 12 on the Australian albums chart[34] and No. 11 on the New Zealand albums chart.[35] The album is described as the "definitive version of the [Rocky Horror] score."[36]

text:
"Science Fiction/Double Feature" – The Lips (those of Patricia Quinn; voice of Richard O'Brien)
"Dammit Janet" – Brad, Janet, and Chorus
"There's a Light (Over at the Frankenstein Place)" – Janet, Brad, Riff Raff, and Chorus
"The Time Warp" – Riff Raff, Magenta, The Criminologist, Columbia, and Transylvanians
"Sweet Transvestite" – Frank
"The Sword of Damocles" – Rocky and Transylvanians
"I Can Make You a Man" – Frank with Brad, Janet, Riff Raff, Magenta, and Columbia
"Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul" – Eddie and Transylvanians
"I Can Make You a Man (Reprise)" – Frank, Janet, and Transylvanians
"Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me" – Janet with Magenta, Columbia, Rocky, Brad, Frank, and Riff Raff
"Once in a While" (deleted scene) – Brad
"Eddie" – Dr. Scott, The Criminologist, Janet, Columbia, Frank, Rocky, Brad, Riff Raff, and Magenta
"Planet Schmanet Janet (Wise Up Janet Weiss)" – Frank
"Planet Hot Dog" – Janet, Brad, and Dr. Scott
"Rose Tint My World" – Columbia, Rocky, Janet, and Brad
"Fanfare/Don't Dream It, Be It" – Frank with Brad, Janet, Rocky, and Columbia
"Wild and Untamed Thing" – Frank with Brad, Janet, Rocky, Columbia, and Riff Raff
"I'm Going Home" – Frank and Chorus
"The Time Warp (Reprise)" – Riff Raff and Magenta
"Super Heroes" (only present in the original UK release) – Brad, Janet, and Chorus
"Science Fiction/Double Feature (Reprise)" – The Lips

tag: ol

text: Release[edit]

text: The film opened in the United Kingdom at Rialto Theater in London 14 August 1975 and in the United States on 26 September at the UA Westwood in Los Angeles, California. It did well at that location, but not elsewhere.[37] Before the midnight screenings' success, the film was withdrawn from its eight opening cities due to very small audiences, and its planned New York City opening on Halloween night was cancelled.[38] Fox re-released the film around college campuses on a double-bill with another rock music film parody, Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise (1974), but again it drew small audiences.[38]

text: With Pink Flamingos (1972) and Reefer Madness (1936) making money in midnight showings nationwide, a Fox executive, Tim Deegan, was able to talk distributors into midnight screenings,[31] starting in New York City on April Fools' Day of 1976.[38] The cult following started shortly after the film began its midnight run at the Waverly Theater in New York City.,[37] then spread to other counties in NYC, and to Uniondale, L.I. Rocky Horror was not only found in the larger cities but throughout the United States where many attendees would get in free if they arrived in costume. The western division of the film's release included the U.A. Cinemas in Fresno and Merced, the Cinema J. in Sacramento, California, and the Covell in Modesto. In New Orleans, an early organised performance group was active with the release there as well as in such cities as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Chicago (at the Biograph Theater). Before long nearly every screening of the film was accompanied by a live fan cast.[37]

text: The film is considered to be the longest-running release in film history.[39] It has never been pulled by 20th Century Fox from its original 1975 release, and it continues to play in cinemas.[40][41]

text: Home media[edit]

text: A Super 8 version of selected scenes of the film was made available.[42] In 1983, Ode Records released "The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Audience Par-Tic-I-Pation Album", recorded at the 8th Street Playhouse. The recording consisted of the film's audio and the standardised call-backs from the audience.[43]

text: A home video release was made available in 1987 in the UK.[44] In the US, the film (including documentary footage and extras) was released on VHS in November 8, 1990, retailing for $89.95.[45]

text: The film was released on DVD in 2000 for the film's 25th anniversary. A 35th Anniversary edition Blu-ray was released in the US on 19 October 2010. The disc includes a newly created 7.1 surround sound mix, the original theatrical mono sound mix, and a 4K/2K image transfer from the original camera negative. In addition, new content featuring karaoke and a fan performance were included.[46]

text: Reception, reaction and legacy[edit]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert noted that when first released, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was "ignored by pretty much everyone, including the future fanatics who would eventually count the hundreds of times they'd seen it". He considered it more a "long-running social phenomenon" than a movie, rating it 2.5 out of 4 stars.[47] Bill Henkin noted that Variety thought that the "campy hijinks" of the film seemed labored, and also mentioned that the San Francisco Chronicle's John Wasserman, who had liked the stage play in London, found the film "lacking both charm and dramatic impact". Newsweek called the film "tasteless, plotless and pointless" in 1978.[48]

text: Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 80% based on 41 reviews, with the critical consensus reading "Rocky Horror Picture Show brings its quirky characters in tight, but it's the narrative thrust that really drives audiences insane and keeps 'em doing the time warp again".[49] A number of contemporary critics find it compelling and enjoyable because of its offbeat and bizarre qualities; the BBC summarised: "for those willing to experiment with something a little bit different, a little bit outré, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has a lot to offer".[50] The New York Times called it a "low-budget freak show/cult classic/cultural institution" and considered the songs featured in the film to be "catchy".[51] Geoff Andrew of Time Out noted that the "string of hummable songs gives it momentum, Gray's admirably straight-faced narrator holds it together, and a run on black lingerie takes care of almost everything else", rating it 4 out of 5 stars.[52] Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader on the other hand considered the wit to be "too weak to sustain a film" and thought that the "songs all sound the same".[53]

text: In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[54][55]

text: Cult phenomenon[edit]

text: New York City origins[edit]

text: The Rocky Horror Picture Show helped shape conditions of cult film's transition from art-house to grind-house style.[56] The film developed a cult following in 1976 at the Waverly Theatre in New York, which developed into a standardised ritual. According to J. Hoberman, author of Midnight Movies, it was after five months into the film's midnight run when lines began to be shouted by the audience. Louis Farese Jr., a normally quiet teacher who, upon seeing the character Janet place a newspaper over her head to protect herself from rain, yelled, "Buy an umbrella, you cheap bitch". Originally Louis and other Rocky Horror pioneers, including Amy Lazarus, Theresa Krakauskas, and Bill O'Brian, did this to entertain each other, each week trying to come up with something new to make each other laugh. This quickly caught on with other theater goers and thus began this self-proclaimed "counter point dialogue", which became standard practice and was repeated nearly verbatim at each screening.[8] Performance groups became a staple at Rocky Horror screenings due in part to the prominent New York City fan cast.[37] The New York City cast was originally run by former schoolteacher and stand-up comic Sal Piro and his friend Dori Hartley. Hartley who portrayed Dr. Frank N. Furter, was one of several performers, including Will Kohler as Brad Majors, Nora Poses as Janet, and Lilias Piro as Magenta in a flexible rotating cast.[37] The performances of the audience was scripted and actively discouraged improvising, being conformist in a similar way to the repressed characters.[57]

text: On Halloween in 1976, people attended in costume and talked back to the screen, and by mid-1978, Rocky Horror was playing in over 50 locations on Fridays and Saturdays at midnight. Newsletters were published by local performance groups, and fans gathered for Rocky Horror conventions.[38] By the end of 1979, there were twice-weekly showings at over 230 theatres.[38] The National Fan Club was established in 1977 and later merged with the International Fan Club. The fan publication The Transylvanian printed a number of issues, and a semi-regular poster magazine was published as well as an official magazine.[56]

text: Los Angeles, Hollywood[edit]

text: The Los Angeles area performance groups originated in 1977 at the Fox Theatre, where Michael Wolfson won a look-alike contest as Frank N. Furter, and won another at the Tiffany Theater on Sunset Boulevard. Wolfson's group eventually performed in all of the L.A. area theaters screening Rocky Horror, including the Balboa Theater in Balboa, The Cove at Hermosa Beach, and The Sands in Glendale. He was invited to perform at the Sombrero Playhouse in Phoenix, Arizona.

text: At the Tiffany Theatre, the audience performance cast had the theater's full cooperation; the local performers entered early and without charge. The fan playing Frank for this theatre was a transgender performer,[37] D. Garret Gafford, who was out of work in 1978 and trying to raise the funds for a gender reassignment while spending the weekends performing at the Tiffany.[58] Presently, the live action rendition of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is available for attendance in various locations in Los Angeles, typically Saturday nights at Midnight.

text: San Francisco[edit]

text: In 1978 San Francisco, Rocky Horror moved from an earlier location to the Strand Theatre located near the Tenderloin on Market Street.[59] The performance group there, Double Feature/Celluloid Jam, was the first to act out and perform almost the entire film, unlike the New York cast at that time. The Strand cast was put together from former members of an early Berkeley group, disbanded due to less than enthusiastic management. Frank N. Furter was portrayed by Marni Scofidio, who, in 1979, attracted many of the older performers from Berkeley. Other members included Mishell Erickson and her twin sister Denise Erickson as Columbia and Magenta, Kathy Dolan as Janet, and Linda "Lou" Woods as Riff Raff. The Strand group performed at two large science fiction conventions in Los Angeles and San Francisco, were offered a spot at The Mabuhay, a local punk club, and performed for children's television of Argentina.[37]

text: Fan following[edit]

text: Rocky Horror is one of the last few western rites left that pertain to the carnivalesque.[60] Annual Rocky Horror conventions are held in varying locations lasting days. Tucson, Arizona has been host a number of times, including 1999 with "El Fishnet Fiesta", and "Queens of the Desert" held in 2006.[61] Vera Dika wrote that to the fans, Rocky Horror is ritualistic and comparable to a religious event, with a compulsive, repeated cycle of going home and coming back to see the film each weekend.[8] The audience call backs are similar to responses in church during a mass.[8] Many theatre troupes exist across the United States that produce shadow-cast performances where the actors play each part in the film in full costume and props as the movie plays on the big screen in a movie theatre.[62][63]

text: The film has a global following and remains popular.[64] Subcultures such as Rocky Horror have also found a place on the Internet.[65] Audience participation scripts for many cities are available to download on the Internet.[26] The Internet has a number of Rocky Horror fan-run websites with various quizzes and information specializing in different content allowing fans to participate at a unique level.[31]

text: Cultural influence[edit]

text: The Rocky Horror Picture Show has been featured in a number of other feature films and television series over the years. Episodes of The Simpsons, The Venture Bros., The Boondocks, Glee, The Drew Carey Show, That '70s Show, and American Dad! spotlight Rocky Horror, as do films such as Vice Squad (1982), Halloween II (2009), and The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012).[45] The 1980 film Fame featured the audience reciting their callback lines to the screen and dancing the Time Warp,[66] the dance from the stage show and film, which has become a novelty dance at parties.[67] Director Rob Zombie cited Rocky Horror as a major influence on his film House of 1000 Corpses (2003),[68] while the film's fan culture of cosplaying and audience participation during screenings laid the groundwork for the similarly influential cult following surrounding Tommy Wiseau's The Room (2003).[69][70]

text: "The Rocky Horror Glee Show" aired on 26 October 2010, as part of the second season of the TV series Glee, which recreated several scenes from the film, including the opening credits. It featured Barry Bostwick and Meat Loaf in cameo roles.[71]

text: "Bisexuality, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Me", by Elizabeth Reba Weise, is a piece in Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out (1991), an anthology edited by Loraine Hutchins and Lani Ka'ahumanu which is one of the seminal books[72][73] in the history of the modern bisexual rights movement.[74]

text: The Rocky Horror Picture Show remains a cultural phenomenon in both the U.S. and U.K.[75][76] Cult film participants are often people on the fringe of society that find connection and community at the screenings,[77] although the film attracts fans of differing backgrounds all over the world.[78]

text: Sequels[edit]

text: In 1979, Richard O'Brien wrote a projected sequel to the film entitled Rocky Horror Shows His Heels. This script would have featured the return of all of the characters from the original film, and O'Brien wished to largely use the original production team to make the new film, however Jim Sharman did not wish to revisit the original concept so directly, and Tim Curry did not wish to reprise his role.

text: Instead, in 1981, Sharman reunited with O'Brien to film Shock Treatment, a stand-alone feature that was not a direct sequel to the original film.[2] This film as originally conceived and written in 1980 under the title The Brad and Janet Show, using most of the songs from the original Rocky Horror Shows His Heels project with lyrical adjustments, and depicting the characters' continuing adventures in the town of Denton, however these plans had to be adjusted due to a Screen Actor's Guild strike. The eventual production would entail the entire film being shot within a sound stage. Shock Treatment was poorly received by critics and audiences upon release (in no small part due to the principal cast of Curry, Sarandon and Bostwick not returning) but over time has built a small cult following, though not nearly as strong as the first film.[79]

text: Ten years later, O'Brien wrote another script intended as a direct sequel to the cult classic entitled Revenge of the Old Queen.[80] Producer Michael White had hoped to begin work on the production and described the script as being "in the same style as the other one. It has reflections of the past in it."[81] Revenge of the Old Queen had apparently commenced pre-production, however after studio head Joe Roth was ousted from Fox in 1993, the project was shelved indefinitely. Although the script has not been published, bootleg copies can be read on the Internet, and one song from the project's original demo tape circulates among fans. The script is currently owned by Fox, which produced the two original films. Most individuals associated with the project, including O'Brien, agree that the film will probably never be made, owing to the failure of Shock Treatment and the aging of the original cast.[82]

text: Between 1999 and 2001, Richard O'Brien was working on a third attempted sequel project with the working title Rocky Horror: The Second Coming[83], first to be made as a stage production, with an option to create a film if met with success. This script would largely integrate plot elements from Rocky Horror Shows His Heels, but with all-new songs. O'Brien completed a first draft of this script (which was read by Terry Jones[84]) but had difficulties finalizing anything beyond the first act, and little more has been heard of this project since the mid-2000s.

text: In 2015, O'Brien produced Shock Treatment for the theatrical stage. The production premiered at the King’s Head theatre in Islington, London in the United Kingdom in the spring of 2015.[85][86]

text: Remake[edit]

text: On 10 April 2015, it was announced that the Fox Broadcasting Company would air a modern-day reimagining of the film, titled The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again.[87][88] On 22 October 2015, it was announced that the role of Dr. Frank N. Furter would be played by actress Laverne Cox.[89] Ryan McCartan and Victoria Justice play the roles of Brad and Janet, alongside Reeve Carney as Riff Raff and singer/model Staz Nair as Rocky.[90] Adam Lambert portrays Eddie.[91] Tim Curry, who portrayed Dr. Frank N. Furter in the film, portrays the Criminologist.[92] On 1 February 2016, it was announced that Broadway veteran Annaleigh Ashford would portray Columbia.[93] On 5 February 2016, Ben Vereen joined the cast as Dr. Everett von Scott.[94]

text: Kenny Ortega, best known for the High School Musical franchise and Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009), directed, choreographed and executive-produced the remake; Lou Adler, who was an executive producer of the original film, has the same role for the new film. The film premiered on Fox on 20 October 2016.[95]


document_title: Downton Abbey

question_text: who did lily james play in dowton abbey

question_tokens: who did lily james play in dowton abbey

text: Downton Abbey

text: Plot overview[edit]

text: Series 1: 2010[edit]

text: The first series, comprising seven episodes, explores the lives of the fictional Crawley family, the hereditary Earls of Grantham, and their domestic servants beginning the day after the historic sinking of the RMS Titanic on 14/15 April 1912. The storyline centres on the fee tail or "entail" governing the titled elite, which endows title and estate exclusively to heirs male. As part of the backstory, the main character, Robert, Earl of Grantham, had resolved past financial difficulties by marrying Cora Levinson, an American heiress. Her considerable dowry is contractually incorporated into the comital entail in perpetuity.  Robert and Cora have three daughters and no sons.

text: As the eldest daughter, Lady Mary Crawley was to marry her second cousin, son of the then-heir presumptive. The first episode begins as news reaches Downton Abbey that both Grantham heirs perished in the sinking of the Titanic. A distant male cousin, solicitor  Matthew Crawley, is from an upper-middle-class family – as his mother reminds him in episode two of series one. Matthew Crawley becomes the new heir. The plot centres on the relationship between Lady Mary and Matthew, who resists embracing an aristocratic lifestyle.

text: A subplot involves John Bates, Lord Grantham's new valet, and Thomas Barrow, who resents Bates replacing him and causing Barrow to be demoted back to footman. Bates and Thomas remain at odds as Barrow works to sabotage Bates after learning he was recently released from jail for theft. In the story line, Barrow, a gay man in late Edwardian England, aided by Miss O'Brien, Lady Grantham's maid, creates havoc for most of the staff. Barrow is caught stealing but hands in his notice as he has joined the Royal Army Medical Corps. Matthew eventually falls in love with Lady Mary, but she rejects his proposal. Cora becomes pregnant, but miscarries after O'Brien, mistakenly believing she was to be fired, retaliates by leaving a bar of soap on the slippery bathroom floor. The series ends just after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the outbreak of the First World War in July 1914.

text: Series 2: 2011[edit]

text: The second series comprises eight episodes and runs from the Battle of the Somme in 1916 to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. During the war, Downton Abbey is temporarily converted into an officers' convalescent hospital.

text: Matthew becomes engaged to Lavinia Swire, a wealthy solicitor's daughter, and joins the British Army as an officer. William Mason, the 2nd footman, finally gets permission from his father to join the Army and becomes Matthew's soldier servant. Unfortunately, both are injured in a bomb blast. William dies from his wounds after a deathbed marriage to Daisy, the kitchen maid. Daisy does not love William but Mrs Patmore, Downton's cook, pressures her to make William's last days happy by marrying him.

text: Mary finally acknowledges her feelings for Matthew, but becomes engaged to Sir Richard Carlisle, a powerful and ruthless newspaper mogul. Their relationship is rocky, but Mary is bound to Carlisle after he quashes a story regarding her past scandalous indiscretion. Bates's wife, Vera, repeatedly causes trouble for John and Anna, who is now his fiancée, and threatens to expose a Crawley secret. When Mrs Bates mysteriously dies, Bates is arrested on suspicion of her murder. Matthew and Mary realise they are in love but Matthew honourably remains committed to marrying Lavinia. Unknown to him, a devastated Lavinia overhears Matthew and Mary declare their love. The Spanish influenza epidemic hits Downton Abbey at the end of the war. Cora, taken seriously ill, survives, but Lavinia, also infected, dies. Barrow is rehired at Downton after helping the staff during the outbreak. Mary and Matthew reunite, while Bates is found guilty of murder and sentenced to death.

text: Lady Sybil, the youngest Crawley daughter who hates her stifling aristocratic life, falls in love with Tom Branson, the Irish chauffeur with strong socialist beliefs. They elope to Ireland after receiving Lord Grantham's reluctant blessing.

text: Ethel Parks, a new housemaid, has a relationship with one of the injured officers, Major Bryant. Mrs Hughes finds them together in bed and dismisses Ethel, but takes pity on her and helps her when Ethel realises that she is pregnant. She has a baby boy and names him Charlie after his father, but Major Bryant refuses to believe that he is the baby's father.

text: Series 3: 2012[edit]

text: In the third series, 1920–1921, Mary ends her engagement to Richard Carlisle, despite his vindictive threats to expose her past indiscretion. Mary and Matthew are married in the series première, but Robert (Lord Grantham) learns that the bulk of the family's fortune (including Cora's dowry) has been lost, due to his well-intentioned but bad investment. In the meantime, Edith has fallen hard for Sir Anthony Strallen, whom Robert discourages from marrying Edith due to his age and infirm condition. At Edith's insistence, Robert gives in and welcomes Sir Anthony, but the latter cannot accept the fact that there is no reservation from the Grantham family, and at the altar on their wedding day announces that he cannot go through with the marriage, devastating Edith.

text: Meanwhile, due to dislike and increasing tension, Bates's cellmate tries to sabotage him with a crime that will ruin his chances for a pardon, but Bates is informed by a fellow prisoner about the search, which results in the guards not finding what they are seeking.  Back at Downton, Mrs Hughes finds out she may have breast cancer, which only some of the household hear about, causing deep concern, but the tumour turns out to be benign. Tom Branson and Lady Sybil, now pregnant, return to Downton after Tom is implicated in the burning of an Irish aristocrat's house. After Matthew's reluctance to accept an inheritance from Lavinia's recently deceased father and then Robert's reluctance in turn to accept that inheritance as a gift, Matthew and Robert reach a compromise in which Matthew accepts and uses the inheritance to invest in Downton, giving him an equal say in how the estate is run.

text: Tragedy strikes when Sybil dies from eclampsia shortly after giving birth. Tom, devastated, names his daughter Sybil after his late wife. Bates is released from prison after Anna uncovers evidence clearing him of his wife's murder. Tom becomes the new estate agent at the suggestion of Dowager Countess Violet. Barrow and Miss O'Brien have a falling out, after which O'Brien leads Barrow to believe that Jimmy, the new footman, is sexually attracted to him. Barrow enters Jimmy's room and kisses him while he is sleeping, which wakes him up shocked and confused. In the end, Lord Grantham defuses the situation. The family visits Lady Violet's niece Susan and her husband "Shrimpie", the Marquess of Flintshire, in Scotland, while awaiting the birth of Matthew and Lady Mary's baby. The Marquess confides to Robert that the estate is bankrupt and will be sold, making Robert recognise that Downton has been saved through Matthew and Tom's efforts to modernise. Mary gives birth to the new heir, but Matthew dies in a car crash while driving home from the hospital.

text: Series 4: 2013[edit]

text: In series four, 1922–1923, Cora's maid Miss O'Brien, desiring adventure and travel, leaves to serve Lady Flintshire in India. Cora hires Edna Braithwaite, who had previously been fired for her interest in Tom. Eventually the situation blows up, and Edna is replaced by Miss Baxter.

text: Lady Mary deeply mourns Matthew's death. Matthew's newly-found will states Mary is to be his sole heir and thus gives her management over his share of the estate until their son, George, comes of age. With Tom's encouragement, Mary assumes a more active role in running Downton. Two new suitors — Lord Gillingham and Charles Blake — arrive at Downton, though Mary, still grieving, is not interested. Middle daughter Lady Edith, who has begun writing a weekly newspaper column, and Michael Gregson, her editor, fall in love. Due to British law, he is unable to divorce his wife, who is mentally ill and in an asylum. Gregson travels to Germany to seek citizenship there, enabling him to divorce, but is killed by Hitler's Brownshirts during riots. Edith is left pregnant and with help from her paternal aunt, Lady Rosamund, secretly gives birth to a daughter. She intends to give her up for adoption in Switzerland and places the baby with adoptive parents, but reclaims her after arranging a new adoptive family on the estate: Mr and Mrs Drewe of Yew Tree Farm take the baby in and raise her as their own.

text: Anna is raped by Lord Gillingham's valet, Mr Green, which Mr Bates later discovers. Subsequently, Mr Green is killed in a London street accident. A local schoolteacher, Sarah Bunting, and Tom begin a friendship, though Robert (Lord Grantham) despises her due to her openly vocal anti-aristocracy views. In the final Christmas special, Sampson, a card sharp, steals a letter from the Prince of Wales to his mistress, Rose's friend Freda Ward, which, if made public, would create a scandal; the entire Crawley family connives to retrieve it, though it is Bates who extracts the letter from Sampson's overcoat, and it is returned to Mrs Ward.

text: Series 5: 2014[edit]

text: In series five, 1924, a Russian exile, Prince Kuragin, wishes to renew his past affections for the Dowager Countess. Violet instead locates his wife in Hong Kong and reunites the Prince and his estranged wife. Scotland Yard and the local police investigate Green's death. Violet learns about Edith's daughter, Marigold. Meanwhile, Mrs Drewe, not knowing Marigold's true parentage, resents Edith's constant visits. To increase his chances with Mary, Charles Blake plots to reunite Gillingham and his ex-fiancée, Mabel. After Edith inherits Michael Gregson's publishing company, she removes Marigold from the Drewes and relocates to London. Bricker, an art expert interested in one of Downton's paintings, shows his real intentions toward Cora and is thrown out by Robert, causing a temporary rift between them.

text: Mrs Patmore's decision to invest her inheritance in real estate inspires Carson, Downton's butler, to do likewise. He suggests that head housekeeper Mrs Hughes invest with him; she confesses she has no money due to supporting a mentally incapacitated sister. The Crawleys' cousin, Lady Rose, daughter of Lord and Lady Flintshire, becomes engaged to Atticus Aldridge, son of Lord and Lady Sinderby. Lord Sinderby strongly objects to Atticus's marrying outside the Jewish faith. Lord Merton proposes to Isobel Crawley (Matthew's mother). She accepts, but later ends the engagement due to Lord Merton's sons' disparaging comments over her commoner background. Lady Flintshire employs underhanded schemes to derail Rose and Atticus's engagement, including announcing to everyone at the wedding that she and her husband are divorcing, intending to cause a scandal to stop Rose's marriage to Atticus; they are married anyway.

text: When Anna is arrested on suspicion of Green's murder, Bates writes a false confession before fleeing to Ireland. Miss Baxter and Molesley, a footman, are able to prove that Bates was in York at the time of the murder. This new information allows Anna to be released. Cora eventually learns the truth about Marigold, and wants her raised at Downton; Marigold is presented as Edith's ward, but Robert and Tom eventually discern the truth: only Mary is unaware. When a war memorial is unveiled in the town, Robert arranges for a separate plaque to honour Mrs Patmore's late nephew, who was shot for cowardice and excluded from his own village's memorial.

text: The Crawleys are invited to Brancaster Castle, which Lord and Lady Sinderby have rented for a shooting party. While there, Lady Rose, with help from the Crawleys, defuses a near–personal disaster for Lord Sinderby, earning his gratitude and securing his approval of Rose. A second footman, Andy, is hired on Barrow's recommendation. During the annual Downton Abbey Christmas celebration, Tom Branson announces he is moving to America to work for his cousin, taking daughter Sybil with him. Mr Carson proposes marriage to Mrs Hughes and she accepts.

text: Series 6: 2015[edit]

text: In series six, 1925, changes are once again afoot at Downton Abbey as the middle class rises and more bankrupted aristocrats are forced to sell off their large estates. Downton must do more to ensure its future survival; reductions in staff are considered, forcing Barrow to look for a job elsewhere. Lady Mary defies a blackmailer, who is thwarted by Lord Grantham. Lady Mary becomes the estate agent. Edith is more hands-on in running her magazine and hires a female editor. Lady Violet and Isobel once again draw battle lines as a government take-over of the local hospital is considered.

text: Meanwhile, Anna suffers repeated miscarriages. Lady Mary takes her to a specialist, who diagnoses a treatable condition, and she becomes pregnant again. Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes hold their wedding reception at the schoolhouse, during which Tom Branson reappears with Sybil, having returned to Downton for good. Coyle, who tricked Baxter into stealing,  is convicted after she and other witnesses are persuaded to testify. After Mrs Drewe kidnaps Marigold when Edith is not looking, the Drewes vacate Yew Tree Farm; Daisy convinces Tom Branson to ask Lord Grantham to give her father-in-law, Mr Mason, the tenancy. Andy, a footman, offers to help Mr Mason so he can learn about farming, but is held back by his illiteracy; Mr Barrow offers to teach Andy to read.

text: Robert suffers a near-fatal health crisis. Previous episodes alluded to health problems for Robert; his ulcer bursts and he is rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. The operation is successful, but Mary and Tom must take over Downton's operations. Larry Merton's fiancée, Amelia, encourages Lord Merton and Isobel Crawley to renew their engagement, but Lady Violet rightly suspects Amelia wants Isobel to be Lord Merton's caretaker in his old age.[3] Daisy and Mr Molesley score high marks on their academic exams; Molesley's are so exceptional that he is offered a teaching position at the school. Mary breaks off with Henry Talbot, unable to live with the constant fear he could be killed in a car race. Bertie Pelham proposes to Edith, but she hesitates to accept because of Marigold. Lady Violet, upset over Lady Grantham replacing her as hospital president, abruptly departs for a long cruise to restore her equanimity.

text: Bertie Pelham unexpectedly succeeds his late second cousin as marquess, moves into Brancaster Castle, and Edith accepts him. Then Mary spitefully exposes Marigold's parentage, causing Bertie to walk out. Tom confronts Mary over her spitefulness and her true feelings for Henry. Despondent Barrow attempts suicide, and is saved by Baxter, causing Robert and Mr Carson to reconsider Barrow's position at Downton. Mary and Henry reunite and are married. Mary apologises to Edith, and the sisters reconcile. Mrs Patmore's new bed and breakfast business is tainted by scandal, but saved when the Crawleys appear there publicly. Mary arranges a surprise meeting for Edith and Bertie, Bertie proposes again, and Edith accepts. Edith tells Bertie's moralistic mother about Marigold; she turns against the match, but is won over after all by Edith's honesty. Barrow finds a position as butler and leaves Downton on good terms, but he is unhappy at his new post.

text: Lord Merton is diagnosed with terminal pernicious anemia, and Amelia blocks Isobel from seeing him. Goaded by Lady Violet, Isobel pushes into the Merton house, and announces she will take Lord Merton away and marry him – to his delight. Lord Merton is later correctly diagnosed with non-fatal anemia.  Robert resents Cora's frequent absences as the hospital president, but eventually comes to admire her ability. Henry and Tom go into business together selling cars, while Mary announces her pregnancy. Molesley accepts a permanent teaching position and he and Miss Baxter promise to continue seeing each other. Daisy and Andy finally acknowledge their feelings; Daisy decides to move to the farm with her father-in-law. Carson develops palsy and must retire. Lord Grantham suggests Barrow return as butler, with Carson in an oversight role. Edith and Bertie are married on New Year's Eve. Lady Rose and Atticus return for the wedding. Anna goes into labour during the reception, and she and Bates become parents to a healthy son.

text: Crawley family[edit]

text: The series is set in fictional Downton Abbey, a Yorkshire country house, which is the home and seat of the Earl and Countess of Grantham, along with their children and distant family members. Each series follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family, their friends, and their servants during the reign of King George V.

text:
showFamily of Downton Abbey

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3rd Earl of Grantham(deceased)Countess of Grantham(deceased)

younger sonwife4th Earl of Grantham(deceased)Countess of Grantham(deceased)

sonwife5th Earl of Grantham(deceased)Countess of Grantham(deceased)

sonwifeyounger sonwife6th Earl of Grantham(deceased)Violet CrawleyDowager Countess of GranthamIsidore Levinson(deceased)Martha LevinsonRobertahusband

Dr. Reginald Crawley(deceased)Lady Isobel Grey(formerly Mrs. Crawley, née Turnbull) Baroness MertonRichard "Dickie" GreyBaron MertonJames Crawley(deceased)wifeLady Rosamund Painswick(née Crawley)Marmaduke Painswick(deceased)Robert Crawley7th Earl of GranthamCora CrawleyCountess of Grantham(née Levinson)Harold LevinsonSusan MacClareFormer Marchioness of FlintshireHugh "Shrimpie" MacClareMarquess of Flintshire

Patrick CrawleyOriginal heir presumptive (presumed dead) of Robert CrawleyMatthew CrawleyHeir presumptive of Robert Crawley. Died with issue.Lady Mary Josephine Talbot(née Crawley)Henry TalbotMichael Gregson(deceased)Natural father of MarigoldEdith Pelham(née Crawley)5th Marchioness of HexamBertie Pelham5th Marquess of HexhamTom BransonLady Sybil Cora Branson(née Crawley)(deceased)The Hon Atticus AldridgeLady Rose Aldridge(née MacClare)James MacClare Earl of NewtonmoreLady Abigail (née MacClare)

George CrawleyHeir and son of Mathew Crawley and heir presumptive of Robert CrawleyViola TalbotMarigold CrawleyIllegitimate daughter of Michael GregsonSybil BransonVictoria Aldridge

Notes

tag: table

text: Cast[edit]

text: The main cast of the Crawley family is led by Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham, and Elizabeth McGovern as his wife Cora Crawley, the Countess of Grantham. Their three daughters are depicted by Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley, Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith Crawley and Jessica Brown Findlay as Lady Sybil Crawley (Branson). Maggie Smith is Robert Crawley's mother Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham. Samantha Bond portrays Lady Rosamund Painswick, Robert's sister who resides in Belgrave Square, London. Dan Stevens portrays Matthew Crawley, the new heir, along with Penelope Wilton as his mother, Isobel Crawley, who are brought to Downton. Allen Leech begins the series as Tom Branson the chauffeur but falls in love with Lady Sybil, marries her and becomes the agent for the estate. Joining the cast in series three is Lily James as the Lady Rose MacClare (Aldridge), a second cousin through Violet's family, who is sent to live with the Crawleys because her parents are serving the empire in India and, later, remains there because of family problems. David Robb portrays Dr. Richard Clarkson, the local town doctor. Other suitors for Lady Mary's affections during the series include Tom Cullen as Lord Gillingham, Julian Ovenden as Charles Blake, and Matthew Goode as Henry Talbot.

text: Downton Abbey's senior staff are portrayed by Jim Carter as Mr Carson, the butler, and Phyllis Logan as Mrs Hughes, the housekeeper.  Tensions rise when Rob James-Collier, portraying Mr Barrow, a valet and footman, along with Siobhan Finneran as Miss O'Brien, the personal maid to the Countess of Grantham (up to series three), plot against Brendan Coyle as Mr Bates, the valet to the Earl of Grantham, and his love interest and eventual wife, Anna (Joanne Froggatt), the personal maid to Lady Mary. Kevin Doyle plays the unlucky Mr Molesley, valet to Matthew Crawley; he and Thomas Howes, as William Mason the second footman, round off the main, original downstairs staff.

text: Matt Milne joins the cast as O'Brien's nephew Alfred Nugent, the awkward new footman for series three and four, and Raquel Cassidy plays Baxter, Cora's personal maid, who was hired to replace O'Brien. The lower staff includes Lesley Nicol as Mrs Patmore the cook, Sophie McShera as Daisy, the scullery maid who works her way up to assistant cook and marries William Mason, and Rose Leslie as Gwen Dawson, a housemaid studying to be a secretary in series one. Amy Nuttall plays Ethel Parks, a maid, beginning in series two and three. In series three and four, Shirley MacLaine portrays the mother of Cora Crawley, Martha Levinson.  Cara Theobold portrays Ivy Stuart, a kitchen maid, joining the cast for series three and four. Ed Speleers plays the dashing James Kent, the second footman, from series three through five. In series five and six Michael C. Fox plays Andy Parker, a replacement footman for James. In series four, five, and six Andrew Scarborough plays Tim Drewe, a farmer of the estate, who helps Lady Edith conceal a big secret.

text: Production[edit]

text: Gareth Neame of Carnival Films conceived the idea of an Edwardian-era TV drama set in a country house and approached Fellowes, who had won an Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) for Gosford Park. The TV series Downton Abbey – written and created by Fellowes – was originally planned as a spin-off of Gosford Park, but instead was developed as a stand-alone property inspired by the film, set decades earlier.[4] Although Fellowes was reluctant to work on another project resembling Gosford Park, within a few weeks he returned to Neame with an outline of the first series. Influenced by Edith Wharton's The Custom of the Country,[5] Fellowes writes the scripts and his wife Emma is an informal story editor.[6]

text: Locations[edit]

text: Highclere Castle in north Hampshire is used for exterior shots of Downton Abbey and most of the interior filming.[7][8][9][10] The kitchen, servants' quarters and working areas, and some of the "upstairs" bedrooms were constructed and filmed at Ealing Studios.[11] Bridgewater House in the St James area of London served as the family's London home.

text: Outdoor scenes are filmed in the village of Bampton in Oxfordshire. Notable locations include St Mary's the Virgin Church and the library, which served as the entrance to the cottage hospital.[12] The old rectory in Bampton is used for exterior shots of Isobel Crawley's house, with interior scenes filmed at Hall Place near Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire.[13]

text: The Downton Abbey of the title and setting is described as lying in  Yorkshire. The towns of Easingwold, Kirkby Malzeard, Kirkbymoorside, Malton, Middlesbrough, Ripon, Richmond, and Thirsk, each mentioned by characters in the series, lie in North Yorkshire, as does the city of York, while Leeds—similarly mentioned—lies in West Yorkshire. Yorkshire media speculated the general location of the fictional Downton Abbey to be somewhere in the triangulated area between the towns of Easingwold, Ripon and Thirsk.[14]

text: First World War trench warfare scenes in France were filmed in a specially constructed replica battlefield for period war scenes near the village of Akenham in rural Suffolk.[15][16]

text: Many historical locations and aristocratic mansions have been used to film various scenes:

text: The fictional Haxby Park, the estate Sir Richard Carlisle intends to buy in Series 2, is part of Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire.[17] Byfleet Manor in Surrey is the location for the Dower house, home to Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham,[18] while West Wycombe Park in Buckinghamshire is used for the interior scenes of Lady Rosamund (Samantha Bond)'s London residence in Belgrave Square.[19] A house in Belgrave Square is used for exterior shots.[20]

text: Inveraray Castle in Argyll, Scotland, doubled as "Duneagle Castle" in the 2012 Christmas special.[21]

text: Greys Court near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire was used as the family's secondary property, which they proposed moving into and calling "Downton Place" due to financial difficulties in Series Three. Also in the third series, Bates's prison scenes were filmed at Lincoln Castle in Lincolnshire.

text: Horsted Keynes railway station in Sussex is used as Downton station.[22] The station is part of the heritage Bluebell Railway. St Pancras station in London doubled for King's Cross station in episode one of series 4, in the scene where Lady Edith Crawley meets her lover Michael Gregson.[23] The restaurant scene where Lady Edith meets Michael Gregson and where they share their kiss is filmed at the Criterion Restaurant in Piccadilly Circus which was originally opened in 1874.[24]

text: Bridgewater House in the St James area of London served as the family's London home. Outdoor scenes are filmed in the village of Bampton in Oxfordshire. Notable locations include St Mary's the Virgin Church and the library, which served as the entrance to the cottage hospital. The old rectory in Bampton is used for exterior shots of Isobel Crawley's house, with interior scenes filmed at Hall Barn, Hall Place near Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire, featured as Loxley House, the home of Sir Anthony Strallan.[25]

text: Parts of series 4 were filmed at The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Kent – The Tarred Yarn Store was used in episode one as a workhouse where Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan) visits Mr Grigg (Nicky Henson) and in episode two, streets at The Historic Dockyard Chatham were used for the scenes where Lady Rose MacClare (Lily James) is at the market with James Kent (Ed Speleers) watching her.[26] The production had previously filmed in Kent for series 1 where the opening sequence of a train going through the countryside was filmed at the Kent & East Sussex Railway.[27]

text: Other filming locations for series 4 include the ballroom of The Savile Club in Mayfair, London.[28]

text: Scenes for the 2013 Christmas special were filmed at Royal Holloway, University of London near Egham, Surrey, West Wittering beach in West Sussex and Berkshire's Basildon Park near Streatley. Lancaster House in London stood in for Buckingham Palace.[29][30]

text: Alnwick Castle, in Northumberland, was the filming location used for Brancaster Castle in the 2014 and  2015 Christmas specials, which included filming in Alnwick Castle's State Rooms, as well as on the castle's grounds, and at the nearby semi-ruined Hulne Abbey on the Duke of Northumberland's parklands in Alnwick.[31]

text: In Series 5 and 6, Kingston Bagpuize House in Oxfordshire was used as the location for Cavenham Park, the home of Lord Merton. In Series 6 (2015) the scenes of motor racing at Brooklands were filmed at the Goodwood Circuit in West Sussex. In 2015, Wayfair.co.uk published a map of 70+ Downton Abbey filming locations.[32]

text: Opening[edit]

text: The opening music of Downton Abbey, titled "Did I Make the Most of Loving You?",[33] was composed by John Lunn.[34]

text: A suite version was released on the soundtrack for the show on 19 September 2011 in the UK and later in the US on 13 December 2011. The soundtrack also included the song performed by singer Mary-Jess Leaverland,[35] with lyrics written by Don Black.[36]

text: Broadcasts[edit]

text: The rights to broadcast Downton Abbey have been acquired in over 220 countries and territories, and the series is viewed by a global audience of an estimated 120 million people.[37]

text: United Kingdom[edit]

text: The series first aired on the ITV network in the United Kingdom beginning on 26 September 2010, and received its first Britain-wide broadcast when shown on ITV3 beginning in February 2011.

text:
STV, the ITV franchisee in central and northern Scotland (including the Orkney and Shetland islands), originally opted out of showing Downton Abbey, choosing instead to screen a brand-new six-part series of Taggart, following a long practice of opting out of networked United Kingdom-wide programming on the ITV network.[38] This led to backlash from Scottish viewers, who were frustrated at not being able to watch the programme. Many viewers with satellite or cable television tuned into other regional stations of the ITV network, for example ITV London, with viewing figures showing this is also commonplace for other ITV programmes.[39]
STV announced in July 2011 that it would show the first and second series of Downton Abbey as part of its autumn schedule.[40] Scottish cast members Phyllis Logan and Iain Glen were both quoted as being pleased with the decision.[41]

text: United States[edit]

text: In the United States, Downton Abbey was first broadcast in January 2011 on PBS, as part of the 40th season of Masterpiece.[42] The programme was aired in four 90-minute episodes, controversially requiring PBS to alter the beginning and endpoints of each episode and make other small changes, slightly altering each episode's structure to accommodate fitting the programme precisely into the running-times allotted.[43][a][b] PBS also added a host (Laura Linney), who introduced each episode, explaining matters such as "the entail" and "Buccaneers"[c] for the benefit of U.S. viewers, which was labelled by some American critics as condescending.[43] PBS editing for broadcasts in the United States continued in the subsequent seasons.[44] The fifth began airing in the United States on 4 January 2015.[45][46][47]

text: Canada[edit]

text: In Canada, VisionTV began airing the programme on 7 September 2011. Canadian audiences can also view the series on PBS. Downton Abbey is aired in French on Ici Radio-Canada Télé.[48]

text: Australia and New Zealand[edit]

text: In Australia, the first series was broadcast on the Seven Network beginning on 29 May 2011;[49] the second series was broadcast beginning on 20 May 2012;[50] and the third series beginning on 10 February 2013.[51] In New Zealand, Prime began airing the first series on 10 May 2011, the second series on 18 October 2011 and the third series on 18 October 2012.[52]

text: Ireland[edit]

text: In Ireland, independent television channel TV3 aired the first series in January and February 2011.[53]

text: Reception[edit]

text:
Metacritic ratings per series

Series 1

Series 2

Series 3

Series 4

Series 5

Series 6

Rating

91[54]

85[55]

83[56]

72[57]

75[58]

76[59]

text: The series has been noted for its relatively sympathetic portrayal of the aristocratic family and the class-based society of early 20th century Britain. This has led to criticism from the political left and praise from the right.[60] James Fenton wrote in The New York Review of Books, "it is noticeable that the aristocrats in the series, even the ones who are supposed to be the most ridiculous, never lapse into the most offensive kind of upper-class drawl one would expect of them. Great care has been taken to keep them pleasant and approachable, even when the things they say are sometimes shown to be class-bound and unfeeling."[61] Jerry Bowyer argued in Forbes that the sympathy for aristocracy is over-stated, and that the show is simply more balanced than most period dramas, which he believes have had a tendency to demonise or ridicule upper class characters. He wrote that Downton Abbey shows "there is no inherent need for good TV to be left of center. Stories sympathetic to virtue, preservation of property and admiration of nobility and of wealth can be told beautifully and to wide audiences."[60]

text: Downton Abbey has been a commercial success and received general acclaim from critics, although some criticise it as superficial, melodramatic or unrealistic. Others defend these qualities as the reason for the show's appeal. David Kamp of Vanity Fair wrote, "Melodrama is an uncool thing to trade in these days, but then, that's precisely why Downton Abbey is so pleasurable. In its clear delineation between the goodies and the baddies, in its regulated dosages of highs and lows, the show is welcome counter-programming to the slow-burning despair and moral ambiguity of most quality drama on television right now."[6]

text: James Parker, writing in The Atlantic, said, "Preposterous as history, preposterous as drama, the show succeeds magnificently as bad television. The dialogue spins light-operatically along in the service of multiplying plotlets, not too hard on the ear, although now and again a line lands like a tray of dropped spoons. The acting is superb—it has to be."[62] Ben W. Heineman Jr. compared the series unfavourably to Brideshead Revisited, writing "Downton Abbey is entertainment. Its illustrious predecessor in television mega-success about the English upper class, Brideshead Revisited, is art."[63] He noted the lack of character development in Downton. Writing in The Sunday Times, A. A. Gill said that the show is "everything I despise and despair of on British television: National Trust sentimentality, costumed comfort drama that flogs an embarrassing, demeaning, and bogus vision of the place I live in."[6]

text: The first episode of Downton Abbey had a consolidated British audience of 9.2 million viewers, a 32% audience share—making it the most successful new drama on any channel since Whitechapel was launched on ITV in February 2009. The total audience for the first episode, including repeats and ITV Player viewings, exceeded 11.6 million viewers. This was beaten by the next episode, with a total audience of 11.8 million viewers—including repeats and ITV Player views.

text: Downton Abbey broke the record for a single episode viewing on ITV Player, the ITV online catch-up service.[64]

text: At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the first series received an average score of 91, based on 16 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[65] This result earned the show a Guinness World Record in 2011 for "Highest critical review ratings for a TV show", making Downton Abbey the most critically well received TV show in the world.[66] Season 4 of Breaking Bad surpassed Downton Abbey's record later in the year, with a score of 96, making series 1 of Downton Abbey the 2nd highest rated show of 2011.[67]

text: Sam Wollaston of The Guardian said,

text: It's beautifully made—handsome, artfully crafted and acted. Smith, who plays the formidable and disdainful Dowager Countess, has a lovely way of delivering words, always spaced to perfection. This is going to be a treat if you like a lavish period drama of a Sunday evening.[68]

text: Viewers were critical of the number of advertisement breaks during the first episode (five in a 90-minute episode, as well as one before and one after), claiming it ruined the continuity. ITV responded by saying that the number of breaks complied with Ofcom regulations and that advertising was necessary to cover the high costs of production.[69]

text: The second series premiered in Britain on 18 September 2011 in the same 9 pm slot as the first series, with the first episode attracting an average audience of 9 million viewers on ITV1, a 34.6% share.[70] The second episode attracted a similar following with an average of 9.3 million viewers.[71] In January 2012, the PBS premiere attracted 4.2 million viewers, over double the network's average primetime audience of 2 million. The premiere audience was 18% higher than the Series 1 premiere.[72]

text: The second series of Downton Abbey gave PBS its highest ratings since 2009. The second series averaged 5.4 million viewers, excluding station replays, DVR viewings and online streaming. The 5.4 million average improved on PBS first series numbers by 25%. Additionally, episodes of series two have been viewed 4.8 million times on PBS's digital portal, which bests series one's online viewing numbers by more than 400 percent. Overall, Downton Abbey-related content has racked up more than 9 million streams across all platforms, with 1.5 million unique visitors, since series 2's 8 January premiere.[73] In 2013, Downton Abbey was ranked the 43rd most well-written TV show of all time by the Writers' Guild of America.[74]

text: The third series premiered in the UK on 16 September 2012 with an average of 9 million viewers (or a 36% audience share).[75]

text: For the first time in the UK, episode three received an average of more than 10 million viewers (or a 38.2% audience share).[76] Premiering in the US in January 2013, the third series had an average audience of 11.5 million viewers and the finale on 17 February 2013, drew 12.3 million viewers making it the night's highest rating show.[77] Overall, during its seven-week run, the series had an audience of 24 million viewers making it PBS's highest-rated drama of all time.[77]

text: While rumoured, due to the departure of actor Dan Stevens, the death of Matthew Crawley, in the 2012 Christmas special, drew criticism.[78][79] Lord Fellowes defended the decision stating that they 'didn't really have an option' once Stevens decided to leave.[79] Stevens later said that he had no say in the manner of his character's departure but that he was 'sorry' his character had died on Christmas Day.[80]

text: The fourth series premiered in the UK on 22 September 2013 with an average audience of 9.5 million viewers—the highest ever for one of the drama's debut episodes.[81] It premiered in the US on 5 January 2014, to an audience of at least 10.2 million viewers, outperforming every other drama on that night; it was the largest audience for PBS since the 1990 premiere of the Ken Burns documentary The Civil War.[82]

text: In the UK, the second episode attracted an average of 9.6 million viewers.[83]

text: The third episode, which aired on 6 October 2013, included a warning at the beginning: "This episode contains violent scenes that some viewers may find upsetting."[84] The episode content, in which Anna Bates was raped, led to more than 200 complaints by viewers to UK television regulator Ofcom,[85] while ITV received 60 complaints directly.[86] On 4 November 2013, Ofcom announced it would not be taking action over the controversy citing the warning given, that the episode was screened after 9 pm, and, that the rape took place 'off-screen'.[87]

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text: Anti-Irish allegations[edit]

text: Julian Fellowes  supports a united  Ireland, "Ultimately, I believe in a united Ireland. I do come from a long line of Home Rule supporters."[88] Charges, largely in some Irish media, were made that the series depicts the Irish characters in a negative light.[89]

text: Allen Leech, who plays Tom Branson in the series, when asked about this by an Irish reporter writing for The Herald, denied that the series depicted Irish characters in a stage pejorative fashion.[89] Tom's brother Kieran, however, is depicted as boorish, rude, and drunken, and is described by the Dowager Countess as a 'drunken gorilla'[89]—a reminder to Irish audiences of the ape-like figures depicting the Irish that were commonly featured in British[90] and American[91] publications in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[92][93] The Dowager Countess character who makes these comments, however, was born in the mid 19th century, and frequently expresses Tory or pro-imperial views that were prevalent in England in the late 19th and early 20th century.[92]

text: Branson's character as an Irishman came in for some criticism in Ireland.  The Irish Times in a mocking review describes the character of Tom Branson as "an Irish republican turned Downtonian toff" and makes a humorous sarcastic case for a future Downton Abbey series where Branson "waxes lyrical about how lovely being part of the British ascendancy is. Then he burns an Irish flag."[94]

text: Allegations of anti-Catholicism[edit]

text: The character of the Earl of Grantham occasionally expresses anti-Catholic views and is described, by The Washington Post, as "xenophobic" but "at least historically accurate".[95]

text: The series writer, Julian Fellowes, himself a Roman Catholic, explains that he chose to address this in terms of "that casual, almost unconscious anti-Catholicism that was found among the upper classes, which lasted well into my growing up years."[96] Fellowes also stated that he "thought it might be interesting" to explore this in the series and described his own experiences where the British upper classes "were happy for you to come to their dances or shoot their pheasants, but there were plenty who did not want you to marry their daughters and risk Catholic grandchildren."[96]

text: Authenticity[edit]

text: Fellowes tries to be as authentic in his depiction of the period as he can.[6] Despite this, the show features many linguistic anachronisms.[97] The accents of characters have also been questioned with the Received Pronunciation of the actors who play the wealthy characters described as "slightly more contemporary" than would be expected among early-20th-century aristocrats, however, this "elicited more natural and unaffected performances from the cast."[98]

text: In 2010, Fellowes hired Alastair Bruce, an expert on state and court ritual, as historical adviser.[99] Bruce explains his role as being "here to guide the production and particularly the director as they bring Julian's words to life. That also involves getting the social conduct right, and giving actors a sense of surety in the way they deliver a performance."[99] Actor Jim Carter, who plays butler Carson, describes Bruce as the series "etiquette watchdog",[99] and the UK's Daily Telegraph finished its 2011 profile of Bruce's role stating "Downton's authenticity, it seems, is in safe hands."[100] However, historian Simon Schama criticised the show for historical inaccuracies and "pandering to clichés".[101] Producer Gareth Neame defended the show, saying, "Downton is a fictional drama. It is not a history programme, but a drama of social satire about a time when relationships, behaviour and hierarchy were very different from those we enjoy today."[102]

text: A "tremendous amount of research" went into recreating the servants' quarters at Ealing Studios because Highclere Castle, where many of the upstairs scenes are filmed,[103] was not adequate for representing the "downstairs" life at the fictional abbey.[104] Researchers visited nearly 40 English country houses to help inform what the kitchen should look like, and production designer Donal Woods said of the kitchen equipment that "Probably about 60 to 70 per cent of the stuff in there is from that period."[103] Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management is an important guide to the food served in the series, but Highclere owner, and author of Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle, Lady Carnarvon, states that dinner parties in the era "would have been even more over the top" than those shown.[103] Lady Pamela Hicks agreed, stating that "it is ridiculous to think that a weekend party would consist of only fourteen house guests, it would have consisted of at least 40!"[105] However, Carnavon understood the compromises that must be made for television, and adds, "It’s a fun costume drama. It’s not a social documentary. Because it’s so popular, I think some people take it as historical fact."[103]

text: DVD, Blu-ray and streaming video releases[edit]

text: Streaming[edit]

text: Previously available on Netflix, since 2013 the series has been available only on Amazon Video.[106]

text: Blu-ray and DVD[edit]

text:
Title

Number of discs

Year(s)

Number of episodes

Release date(UK only)

Blu-ray

DVD

Complete Series One

2

3

2010

7

8 November 2010

Complete Series Two

3

4

2011

8

7 November 2011

Complete Series One and Two

5

7

2010–11

15

7 November 2011

Christmas at Downton Abbey

1

1

2011

1

26 December 2011

Complete Series Three

3

3

2012

8

5 November 2012

Complete Series One-Three & Christmas at Downton Abbey

9

11

2010–12

24

5 November 2012

A Journey to the Highlands

1

1

2012

1

26 December 2012

Complete Series Four

3

3

2013

8

11 November 2013

Complete Series One-Four & Christmas at Downton Abbey and A Journey to the Highlands

13

15

2010–13

33

11 November 2013

The London Season

1

1

2013

1

26 December 2013

Complete Series Five

2

3

2014

8

17 November 2014

Complete Series One-Five & Christmas at Downton Abbey, A Journey to the Highlands and The London Season

16

19

2010-14

42

17 November 2014

A Moorland Holiday

1

1

2014

1

26 December 2014

Complete Series Six

2

3

2015

8

16 November 2015

Complete Series One-Six & Christmas at Downton Abbey, A Journey to the Highlands, The London Season and A Moorland Holiday

19

23

2010-15

51

16 November 2015

The Finale

1

1

2015

1

26 December 2015

The Complete Collection[107]

22

26

2016

52

24 October 2016

text: Internationally, the US DVD[which?] release date was 11 January 2011,[citation needed] in New Zealand it was released on 22 June 2011[citation needed] and in Australia on 4 August 2011.[citation needed] The release in Australia and New Zealand has an exclusive bonus disc in both the DVD and Blu-ray versions. It contains extras such as cast interviews, geography of Downton: upstairs and downstairs, a day in service and others.

text: On 16 September 2011, two days before the UK premiere of the second series, it was reported by Amazon.com that the first series of Downton Abbey had become the highest selling DVD boxset of all time on the online retailer's website, surpassing popular American programmes such as The Sopranos, Friends and The Wire.[108]

text: On 1 October 2013, a limited edition 10-disc DVD boxset of Downton Abbey was released, which included Series 1–3 in an inner slipcase, labelled as a '9-disc set', as well as a bonus disc featuring the exclusive TV documentary, 'Secrets of Highclere Castle', which focuses on the real-life history of the castle used as the Downton Abbey estate in the series.

text: On 26 January 2016, PBS released Series Six on DVD in the US, including the final 2015 Christmas Special.

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: A soundtrack, featuring music from the series and also new songs, was released by Decca in September 2011. Music by John Lunn and Don Black features, with vocals from Mary-Jess Leaverland and Alfie Boe.[109]

text: Track listing[edit]

text: Downton Abbey: Original Music from the Television SeriesNo.TitleArtistLength1."Downton Abbey: The Suite"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London7:092."Love and the Hunter"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London3:183."Emancipation"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:154."Story of My Life"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:585."Fashion"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:196."Damaged"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London5:257."If You Were the Only Girl in the World"Alfie Boe3:478."Preparation"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London3:279."Such Good Luck"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:3010."Us and Them"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:5311."Violet"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:5612."A Drive"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:0413."An Ideal Marriage"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:4314."Roses of Picardy"Alfie Boe3:5515."Telegram"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:4516."Deception"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:5117."Titanic"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:1018."A Song and a Dance"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:3019."Did I Make the Most of Loving You?" (a shortened version of "Downton Abbey: The Suite" with lyrics)John Lunn, Chamber Orchestra of London & Mary-Jess Leaverland4:18

text: Cultural impact[edit]

text: Downton Abbey has been credited with spawning a massive worldwide increase in demand for professionally trained butlers, especially British butlers, notably in China, Russia, and parts of the Middle East. Between 2010 and 2012, demand was thought to have doubled, leading to some butlers fetching salaries as high as £150,000.[110]

text: In 2014, China's first school for butlers opened to meet a demand again attributed to the influence of Downton Abbey.[111]

text: Some of the fashion items worn by characters on the show have seen a strong revival of interest in the UK and elsewhere during the show's run, including starched collars, midi skirts, beaded gowns, and hunting plaids.[112]

text: The Equality (Titles) Bill was an unsuccessful piece of legislation introduced in the UK Parliament in 2013 that would have allowed equal succession of female heirs to hereditary titles and peerages. It was nicknamed the "Downton Abbey law" because it addressed the same issue that affects Lady Mary Crawley, who cannot inherit the estate because it must pass to a male heir.

text: The decor used on Downton Abbey inspired US Representative Aaron Schock to redecorate his congressional offices in a more luxurious style.[113][114][115] He repaid the $40,000 cost of redecoration following scrutiny of his expenses and questions about his use of public money for personal benefit,[116] and subsequently resigned in March 2015.[117]

text: Other media[edit]

text: The World of Downton Abbey, a book featuring a behind-the-scenes look at Downton Abbey and the era in which it is set, was released on 15 September 2011. It was written by Jessica Fellowes (the niece of Julian Fellowes) and was published by HarperCollins.[109][118]

text: A second book also written by Jessica Fellowes and published by HarperCollins, The Chronicles of Downton Abbey, was released on 13 September 2012. It is a guide to the show's characters through the early part of the third series.[119]

text: Due to the show's popularity, there have been a number of references and spoofs on it, such as Family Guy episode Chap Stewie, which has Stewie Griffin reborn in a household similar to Downton Abbey, and How I Met Your Mother episode The Fortress, where the gang watch a television show called 'Woodworthy Manor', which is remarkably similar to Downton Abbey. In the episode the character, Lily, celebrates by viewing an episode of 'Woodworthy Manor'.[120]

text: The Gilded Age[edit]

text: Julian Fellowes' The Gilded Age is set to debut on NBC in 2019, portraying New York in the 1880s and how its old New York society coped with the influx of newly wealthy families.[121][122] While a separate series, a young Violet, Countess of Grantham could make an appearance on the new show.[123]

text: Film adaptation[edit]

text: On 13 July 2018, a feature length film was confirmed,[124] with production to commence during summer 2018.[125] The film is written by Julian Fellowes and is a continuation of the TV series, with direction by Brian Percival and will be distributed by Focus Features and Universal Pictures International.[126]