The successful 2019 Downton Abbey movie takes place shortly after the events of the series, in 1927. Across six seasons, Downton and its residents live through World War I, the Spanish Influenza pandemic, structural economic shifts, and rapid social changes. Related: Downton Abbey: A New Era Risks Breaking The Dowager's Golden Ruleĭownton Abbey's timeline begins with season 1 in 1912, just after the sinking of the Titanic. Among Downton Abbey's many awards are three Golden Globes and sixteen Primetime Emmys.
Hughes the housekeeper, and Thomas Barrow, the footman-turned-butler. Maggie Smith plays the imposing Dowager Countess of Grantham, and Penelope Wilton embodies Isobel Crawley, her match in wit and willpower.
Many of Downton Abbey's actors have enjoyed fame thanks to the show as well. Audiences were introduced to the aristocratic Crawley family including Hugh Bonneville as the Earl of Grantham, Elizabeth McGovern as his wife the Countess of Grantham, and their three daughters Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael), and Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay).
Over the course of six seasons and a film in which Downton Abbey is set, the series entwines the fictional characters' stories with the true historical events going on around them both in the UK and the wider world.ĭownton Abbey, created by Julian Fellowes, first premiered in the fall of 2010 and quickly saw success across the UK, US, and internationally. In England, these years were a time of rapid changes in social structures, with the rise of the working class and decline of the aristocracy, and of significant historical events, most importantly The Great War. Downton Abbey's timeline follows the lives of the Crawley family and their staff over the course of several years, from 1912 to 1927.