Lord Carnarvon has spoken about some of the stars of Downton Abbey(Image: Getty)
The owners of Highclere Castle, where Downtown Abbey was filmed, have fired a subtle dig at unnamed cast members of the hit ITV show.
In recent days, people have been flocking to the cinemas to watch a film of the series, titled Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, a swan song for the show that ran for six seasons between 2010 and 2015.
It is the third of three films which began with the release of Downton Abbey in 2019, followed by ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ in 2022, and ends with the latest release in 2025.
During that short time, Downton Abbey became an iconic show of the 2010s, garnering millions of fans around the world who have flocked to Highclere to see the famous building in person.
Speaking about their experiences of filming with Hello!, Lord and Lady Carnarvon have given some hints over their relationship with the cast members and who their favourites were.
Lord Carnarvon offered an insight(Image: Getty)
Lord Carnarvon said: “Some people you get on really well with, and others are more distant. The person who had the most aura around her was Dame Maggie Smith.”
Lord Carnarvon also had warm words to say about actor Jim Carter because his character reminded him of his grandfather’s butler.
He explained: “And I had a warmness towards Jim Carter – or rather his character, Carson – because he was like my grandfather’s butler, a wonderful guy called Robert Taylor.
“He was also very tall, very much the gentleman’s gentleman, and a stickler for everything being correctly placed on the table.”
While the focus following the film has been on waving goodbye to the series and castle, there has been renewed attention on the stars of the programme, including the likes of Hugh Bonneville and Michelle Dockery who play Robert Crawley and Lady Mary respectively.
Michelle Dockery has commented on the end of Downton Abbey(Image: Getty)
As Downton Abbey draws to a close for now, Michelle, 43, has been remarking on the legacy of the programme, how she feels about its demise, and what it was like for her filming the final scenes.
She told Vogue: “There was always the ambition to do a trilogy of films, but I never could have dreamed of it.
“As we were filming, I felt this real poignancy. We were shooting in locations we know so well, and saying goodbye to those, too—with each scene—was emotional. I really soaked it up.”
Michelle also touched on how just how much tastes have changed since Downton was first released in 2010, observing that at the time, the public didn’t seem to want period dramas.
She said: “When we first aired, period dramas weren’t being celebrated like they are now.
“It was a risk to do it—the appetite wasn’t there. I’ll never forget the call when I got it, and I feel proud that we’ve made something that’s resonated.”
