I must say, I’m a sucker for English period dramas, but this one is one of the best I’ve seen. Anyone else watching it?
One question I would like to put to British dopers is whether the servants’ accents can be identified. It seems like each one has a different accent, and I think I hear Scottish and Irish ones too. Would it be realistic for a Yorkshire manor of that period to have servants from all over the British Isles?
Another thing that got me wondering. When the gay duke came to visit (Episode 2 maybe?), Lady Crawley addressed him just as “Duke.” For some reason, that sounded odd to me. Everyone else addressed him as “Your Grace,” which sounded right. But would a countess-by-marriage address a duke with a bare “Duke”? If they are considered more-or-less of even status, I would still expect to hear “Duke William” (or whatever his given name is). I know she’s American in origin, but I’d expect her to have learned the proper forms.
Bates is Irish. Evil Lady’s Maid and Evil Footman are from Manchester/surrounding part of Lancs. Mrs Hughes is Scottish. William, Mrs Padmore…Yorkshire, I guess? Carson doesn’t sound terribly anything, as would be proper for a butler, but is probably from somewhere in the region.
So most of the accents are from somewhere that could be close by (either Lancs or Yorks) - doesn’t seem that unrealistic to me.
I assume that the countess’s accent is just Upper Crust American c. 1888 seasoned by 24 years of living in the UK.
I really enjoyed the first episode, which just aired tonight here. My gaydar pinged on the Evil Footman and the Conniving Duke almost as soon as I saw them in the bedroom together.
Why wouldn’t Bates immediately tell His Lordship, even if in private, that the Evil Lady’s Maid had kicked his leg out from underneath him just as the duke was entering the house? He’s ex-Army; he shouldn’t take her shit.
If I understand the entail correctly, even if one of the daughters married and had a son before the death of the Earl, the house and fortune would still pass to the gauche young solicitor, right?
Actually, it wasn’t cut all that much. The original ran eight hours in the UK but was stuffed with so many commercials when it was shown that there was quite a ruckus about it.
I like this baroque unwieldy Chesterfield green velvet sofa of a show, esp. Bates and the Lord and the young maid-of-all-work. Love the Maggie S. and Mrs. Heir’s-Mom. But I don’t know, it’s sort of lacking something–maybe it’s because they started it so late that WWI is, as the Master says, “shuddering on the horizon” and I’m sorta dreading seeing all the younger guys marching off in uniforms and the girls in nurse garb, and the solemn declarations on How Things Will Never Be the Same.
Oh well, it’s January and the Amazing Race isn’t on. Keep the TV antennas and the storm windows and the cellphone towers out of shot, watch it with the contemporary language, MARY, and I’ll sit back and enjoy.
Not according to this article. The first season isn’t being shown exactly as it was in the UK, but that’s because PBS doesn’t have commercials. The UK series had to allow time for ads. Instead of a one-hour episode (45 minutes + commercials), we’re getting 90-minute episodes – episodes are being combined. Or something like that.
I really liked it too, but I think I’m gonna get the DVD.
I suspect he wants to handle it on his own. I was shocked that she did it – not just because it was so evil but because it reflects poorly on the family, and if the family looks bad, the servants look bad. Isn’t that how things worked? Pride and all that?
Yeah, I suppose… but then they should SHOW us him handling it on his own. A polite but angrily through-clenched-teeth conversation with her behind closed doors, letting her know that he could just easily strive to see her get fired, and denied a reference as well. He’s got the Earl’s ear, after all. But months have now passed [on the show], and there they are, still working in the same house as it all’s well.
Correct; the vast majority of British peerage titles cannot pass to a female or through the female line (the exceptions being Scottish titles, very old baronies, & a handful of recent titles). That’s why Lady Mary was arranged to marry Cousin Patrick.
For the “handful of recent titles,” is that because British law has changed since 1912-13, or the creation of those titles was with the Crown’s explicit proviso that the title could pass through the women of the family?
Yes, Bates is Irish. Quite common in those days for Irishmen to join the British army, and end up in England on leaving the forces. There was also a sizeable trickle of Irish economic migrants, so it’s quite normal to find an irishman in Yorkshire at this time.
Her accent sounds like it’s from Lancashire to me, which is the bordering county to Yorkshire so would fit quite comfortably.
I think it’s quite apparent from the start that he thinks his position is unstable – partly because of his disability (no employment laws on such things in those days!) and partly because of what is revealed about his background further into the series. So he doesn’t want to get into a stink with the other servants and wants to maintain a low profile, particularly as the new boy he hasn’t got his feet wholly under the table yet.
The latter. For example when Prince Phillip’s uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, was created Earl Mountbatten of Burma there was a special remainder in the letters patent allowing his daughters to inherit since he didn’t have any sons. His elder daughter is currently the 2nd Countess Mountbatten.
Back to the show; Thomas is O’Brien’s bastard son, right?
I’m enjoying the series and ordered it via Amazon ($17.99 with free shipping). I hope it has extras, such as where it was filmed, etc. I’m a sucker for extras.
I also read that it was the most expensive Brit TV program ever produced, but that it was very well received in the UK.
If she doesn’t live there she spends a lot of time there as I saw her recently on a Britsh chat show and she was quite comfortable talking about British celebs/TV shows etc .
Okay, I just got around to watching the 1st episode (US) last night. I’m intrigued! Even got the (Brit) hubby interested. I’d never heard of a newspaper being ironed before, but my husband knew what “the board” was before immediately.
I have a question. In the scene where the lord is nearly poisoned, what was the substance that was almost sprinkled on his chicken instead of chopped egg? I thought the cook said “salt of sorrow” but I can’t find any reference to it anywhere. (other than a metal band!)