Since we are still in the midst of the Downton Abbey Age here on Planet Earth, it’s only fitting that we continue to talk about ‘all-things Downton’. Partly, so that separation anxiety doesn’t quite have a chance to set in prior to Sunday’s episode and, partly, to keep our minds off the fact that there are only three more episodes in series 3 and it’s a long time until series 4 will come our way.

In an attempt to keep her mind off the emotional roller coaster that, we call, Downton, Lesley Nicol (Mrs. Patmore) was able throw in the kitchen towel and sneak past Carson recently for a bit of the ‘bright-lights, big-city’ atmosphere of Chicago, leaving Daisy in charge of the day-to-day below stairs kitchen drama at Downton. In town for a one-night-only Tuesday performance of Admission: One Shilling, Nicol sat down Monday with Chicago Tonight‘s Eddie Arruza on WTTW, the PBS station in Chicago, to talk all-things Downton, reflecting both on the Downton casts’ recent SAG Award and her character’s comparison to the great Gordon Ramsay.

***SPOILER ALERT*** Interview includes BIG episode 4 spoilers so if you haven’t seen it yet, consider yourself warned!
 

 
As the host alluded to at the end of the previous video, the conversation continued with Lesley Nicol, Mrs. Patmore from Downton Abbey, talking about the worldwide appeal of the series, her thoughts on the ‘Mrs. Patmore doll’ and to talk series 4 of Downton Abbey.
 

 
As is the case with most British actors, Lesley Nicol is no stranger to the stage having started her musical career in Jesus Christ Superstar, singing her way around the theatres of Great Britain and then finding herself in the West End for 3 years playing Rosie in Mamma Mia and, then, Kath Casey in Our House. Admission: One Shilling tells the extraordinary story of Dame Myra Hess and her famous World War II National Gallery concerts. In Dame Myra’s own words, compiled by her great-nephew, composer Nigel Hess, and with piano music by Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Schumann and Chopin, the unique aspect of this work let’s the audience hear how the ‘great adventure’ of these 1600 lunchtime concerts in the National Gallery began, and how it continued on a daily basis for 6 years, even while bombs rained down on London.

Sadly, this was only for one night but, rest assured, Mrs. Patmore has, by this time, found her way back to her place below stairs at Downton before this coming Sunday. Thanks to our friends at WTTW and Chicago Tonight for the clips from the Lesley Nicol interview.