Getting to know your Dowager Countess, a.k.a. Dame Maggie Smith

As Planet Earth prepares for the final series of Downton Abbey which begins on Sunday (3 January) on PBS’ Masterpiece series, if, like the Dowager Countess herself, you haven’t seen the series, it’s quite possible that you’d be surprised to know that the Dowager Countess was not Dame Maggie Smith’s first role. When it comes […]

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Post-Dowager Countess, Dame Maggie Smith is ‘The Lady in the Van’

Now that Downton Abbey has come to an end (from a filming standpoint, anyway), Dame Maggie Smith will be swapping her trademark Dowager Countess attire for a knit cap and dirty raincoat for her forthcoming role in playwright Alan Bennett’s The Lady in the Van. In the film adaptation of his hit West End play, The Lady in the […]

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Duchess of Cambridge to check out downstairs at ‘Downton Abbey’

As hard as it is, post-Downton Abbey, life can be good as long as there is a steady stream of news from the production set where cast and crew are currently filming series 6. Especially, if the first bit of news arrives only one week removed from the finale of series 5 was broadcast on PBS’ Masterpiece series. […]

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Dame Maggie Smith swaps Downton Abbey for Alan Bennett’s driveway

Instead of having to forever wonder just “What is a weekend?” or endlessly question the need for electricity, Dame Maggie Smith has opted to swap her trademark Dowager Countess hat and dress for a knit cap and dirty raincoat (just for a bit, Downton Abbey fans) for her forthcoming role in playwright Alan Bennett’s The Lady in the […]

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Royal Mail to commemorate The Two Ronnies with new post stamp

In the age of more and more communication via texts, email and FaceTime, the archaic practice of sending snail mail may just get a bit more fun beginning 1 April 2015. Royal Mail has just released the first images of a new set of stamps celebrating Britain’s comedy greats, including The Two Ronnies, Ronnie Corbett and Ronnie […]

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Downton’s historical oracle reveals ‘The Manners of Downton Abbey’

When one thinks of Downton Abbey, the names of Julian Fellowes, Dame Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville and Michelle Dockery immediately come to mind. Right up there are the likes of Laura Carmichael, Allen Leech, Joanne Froggatt, Brendan Coyle and Jim Carter. Probably the one with the least visibility who should get much of the credit […]

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Dining upstairs at 'Downton Abbey' isn't all that…

While we all see the work on screen of the Dame Maggie Smith’s and Hugh Bonneville’s of the world in Downton Abbey, the hard work is the behind-the-scenes never-ending work of Lisa Heathcote. As the food stylist for Downton Abbey, Heathcote sums up her efforts by acknowledging the biggest challenge, “OK, this food has got […]

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