>> When I spoke to Richard Davenport-Hines about his new book Titanic Lives, we had a long conversation about Julian Fellowes’s success with Downton Abbey. He’s lent kind words on the front of Richard’s book, which, seeing as Fellowes’ Titanic series is likely to be must-watch television in the Spring, is quite a coup. Anyway, Davenport-Hines’ theory is that the huge popularity of the show isn’t just because we’re obsessed with period drama or posh people, but because he’s so generous with the characters. On the whole, good things happen to good people. Certainly in the first series it’s this spirit of seeing the best in people which is so, well, surprising: you’d expect Bonneville’s character to be a classic uppity aristo stamping his foot on the proles, but he’s far from it.
That’s one theory. The other seems to be that we’re obsessed with the lives of posh people and period drama in these austere times. I don’t fully buy that – Downton is interesting because it’s a brilliantly told story full of great acting. Which is why, in the end, it’s enjoying worldwide success, even if it is barely-disguised soap opera, rather than simply enthralling a few million on a British Sunday night.
Click here to read the full story on Downton Abbey’s worldwide success in The National
