The second film from the British historical drama series, Downton Abbey: A New Era, sees all our favourite characters return including Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary, and Phyllis Logan as Mrs Hughes. Released in April 2022, after a delay due to Covid, the DVD will be available to purchase later this month.
Having been filmed on a closed set last year, we had a day at Belchamp Hall where we heard all the behind-the-scenes gossip from costume designer, Anna Robbins, director Simon Curtis, plus stars Jim Carter (Mr Carson) and Raquel Cassidy (Lady Grantham’s maid, Baxter).
Downton Abbey film synopsis
The much anticipated cinematic return of Downton Abbey follows the Crawleys and their staff as they welcome a movie crew and their glamorous stars to Downton for the filming of a new silent movie, while other members of the family go on a grand adventure to a villa in the south of France to uncover a mystery about the Dowager Countess and her past.
Actors Jim Carter and Raquel Cassidy, who play Carson and Miss Baxter, respectively, were two of the lucky cast members who got to go on location to the Cote d’Azur.
“Oh, that was the best,” smiles Jim (73). “We were like children getting onto the plane to go there. It was so exciting. Carson was rather less enamoured. He doesn’t want to leave Downton but is so grumpy about the film crew that descend on the house, it’s thought the best thing to do is whisk him out of the way. But he doesn’t enjoy the Riviera. He’s very suspicious of the French and their ability to do anything properly.”
In the film Jim has a scene with his real-life wife Imelda Staunton who plays Lady Maud Bagshaw.
“It’s in a French hat shop and Carson is feeling the heat in his British bowler and is reduced to buying a straw hat,” Jim describes. “Lady Maud comes to his rescue. It’s a lovely little scene.”
On-going throughout the film is whether Baxter and Mr Molesley finally declare their feelings for each other…
“I’m not saying what happens,” teases Raquel (54), “but there are some lovely moments between the two and I think viewers will be satisfied with the result. When I found out I was needed for filming, I was thrilled. The French Riviera is a stunning part of the world. I’m not sure where it’s going to go next, but if there was a third one on the cards, I’m sure the cast would all be up for doing it. I certainly would be.”
Downton Abbey costumes
In the ‘fabric’, the costumes for Downton Abbey: A New Era are even more exquisite than they appear on screen.
“If I had to choose my favourite outfit, I’d probably opt for the wedding dress,” says costume designer, Anna. “There’s something so special about a bridal ensemble and the silver embroidery on the bodice of this one is from an original 1910 wedding train.
“We incorporated a lot of original items into the costumes and some were actually complete originals. These were mostly women’s evening wear, complete with beads and sequins, which were perfectly preserved.”
Does Anna know how much fabric and how many beads and sequins were used in all?
“No idea!” she laughs. “That’s an impossible question to answer. It’s mind-boggling just to think about it! We made upwards of 350 garments for the film and every single costume you see on screen went through the workroom to some extent.”
With lockdown in place when Anna and her team ‘prepped’ for the film, however did she source her materials?
“It wasn’t easy,” she admits. “Normally I would have been at Portobello market in London every weekend. Instead, I had to call my contacts and ask them if they had any original early 20th Century embroidery or a certain blue fabric or any original beaded dresses. It was all done remotely and we cast our net much wider, sourcing pieces from New York, California, France and Italy.”
Where was Downton Abbey: A New Era filmed?
The first Downton Abbey television series was filmed in 2010 at Highclere Castle, home to the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon. Such was its success, a further five series followed which were enjoyed by over 270 million viewers worldwide. The first film was released in 2019, with this second film reuniting the cast once again, along with newcomers Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye, and Dominic West.
Another filming location for A New Era was Belchamp Hall, a 17th Century red-brick house in the style of Queen Anne, set within a 1500-acre country estate in the heart of the Suffolk countryside. It’s also where, in the opening scene of chauffeur-turned-Downton estate manager Tom Branson marries Lucy Smith in the most glorious of settings – and where the launch for the DVD of the film took place.
In the film, part of the action takes place in the South of France where the Dowager Countess of Grantham has inherited a villa. However, due to Covid restrictions, West London almost stood in for the French Rivera.
“I was in Gunnersbury Park, trying to work out if it would be realistic to make out that it was really the South of France,” remembers director Simon Curtis. “Fortunately restrictions lifted just in time and we were able to travel to France. We had to quarantine for a week on arrival, though, and it was quite strange seeing the likes of Carson (Jim Carter) and Mr Bates (Brendan Coyle) sunbathing before we were able to start shooting!”
Back in the UK, another storyline focused on a film crew coming to Downton Abbey to film a silent movie there – just as, in real life, ‘talkies’ were coming into being.
“Having to direct a film within a film brought added complications,” Simon goes on. “Thankfully the fictional film crew were in period costume so it was easy working out who were the real crew and who were actors. The trickiest scene was when we had the fictional film crew, the actors in the fictional film, the regular ‘Upstairs’ actors and the ‘Downstairs’ actors dressed as aristocrats. It was in the dining room at Highclere with all kind of precious objects and ornaments and many people on set. I channelled my nervous energy into actor Hugh Dancy who played the fictional Twenties film director. It was funny watching him copy me and fortunately none of the precious items in the room were broken.”
Will there be a third Downton movie?
On this topic director Simon Curtis says, “That’s not up to me, I’m just a director for hire. But there’s certainly a lot of interest in Downton.”
Downton Abbey: A New Era is released on DVD/Blu-ray on Aug 15 but you can pre-order your copy now
If you love Downton, we think you'll love the new film about Emily Brontë that's being released October 2022.
We’ve got three copies of the DVD to give away. For a chance to win one, email us at yours@bauermedia.co.uk with subject line ‘Downton DVD Comp’ including your name and address by August 23. Good Luck!