Downton Abbey is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century. It was created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The show first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on September 26, 2010, and in the United States on PBS on January 9, 2011. PBS supported the production as part of its Masterpiece Classic anthology. The series ran for 52 episodes over six seasons, including five Christmas specials.
The story takes place on the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey, from April 16, 1912, to New Year’s Eve, 1925. It follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants during the post-Edwardian era. The series covers major historical events, such as the sinking of the Titanic (first season), World War I, the Spanish flu outbreak, and the Marconi scandal (second season). Other events include the Irish War of Independence and the creation of the Irish Free State (third season), the Teapot Dome scandal (fourth season), the 1923 British general election and the Beer Hall Putsch (fifth season), and the rise of the working class and the decline of the British aristocracy during the interwar period (sixth season).
Downton Abbey received praise from television critics and won many awards, including a Golden Globe for Best Miniseries or Television Film and a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie. It was recognized by Guinness World Records as the most critically acclaimed English-language television series of 2011. The show received 27 Primetime Emmy nominations after its first two seasons, the most for any international series in the awards’ history. It was the most popular television series on both ITV and PBS and became the most successful British costume drama since the 1981 series Brideshead Revisited.
After Carnival Films and ITV announced the end of the television series in 2015, the story continued in three films: a film with the same name in 2019, followed by A New Era in 2022, and The Grand Finale in 2025.
Plot overview
The first series has seven episodes and follows the lives of the fictional Crawley family, the hereditary Earl of Grantham, and their servants at their estate in Yorkshire. The story focuses on the legal rule called an "entail," which gives the title and estate only to male heirs. A method called "common recovery" was created in the fifteenth century to stop this rule, but it did not stop the practice. In the seventeenth century, lawyers developed "strict settlements" to enforce the entail. The Settled Land Acts from 1882 to 1890 allowed strict settlements to be broken by agreement with the next heir, unless the heir was a minor.
As part of the backstory, Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham, solved his father’s financial problems by marrying Cora Levinson, an American heiress. Her large dowry is now part of the entail forever, but Robert and Cora have three daughters and no sons.
Lady Mary Crawley, the eldest daughter, had agreed to marry her second cousin Patrick, the son of the previous heir, James Crawley. The series begins the day after the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912. News reaches Downton Abbey that both James and Patrick died in the disaster. The family learns that a distant cousin, Matthew Crawley, a doctor’s son, has become the next heir. The story focuses on the relationship between Lady Mary and Matthew, who avoids aristocratic life, while Lady Mary resists her feelings for him.
One subplot involves John Bates, Lord Grantham’s new valet and former soldier, and Thomas Barrow, an ambitious footman who resents Bates for taking his job. Bates and Thomas are often at odds, and Thomas tries to sabotage Bates. After learning Bates was in prison, Thomas and Miss O’Brien, Lady Grantham’s maid, plot against the Crawley family, causing scandal. Barrow, who is secretly homosexual, and O’Brien create problems for the staff and family. When Barrow is caught stealing, he quits to join the army. Matthew proposes to Lady Mary, but she delays when Lady Grantham becomes pregnant, fearing Matthew might lose his heir status if the baby is a boy. Cora miscarries after O’Brien leaves a bar of soap on the floor, causing her to fall. The miscarriage was a boy. Although Lady Mary wants to accept Matthew, he believes her hesitation is due to his uncertain heir status and withdraws his proposal, leaving her heartbroken. The series ends just after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the start of World War I in August 1914.
The second series has eight episodes and covers events from the Battle of the Somme in 1916 to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. During the war, Downton Abbey becomes a hospital for injured soldiers. Matthew, now a British Army officer, is engaged to Lavinia Swire, the niece of a Liberal minister. William Mason, a footman, is drafted despite efforts to save him. Matthew protects William as his orderly. Both are injured in battle, and William dies after marrying Daisy, a scullery maid, on his deathbed. Daisy agrees to marry him as his final wish but is widowed shortly after. She later realizes she loved him but could not admit it to herself.
Matthew is paralyzed from the waist down by his injuries, but Lavinia stays with him. Mary, who still loves Matthew, becomes engaged to Sir Richard Carlisle, a newspaper publisher, but their relationship is troubled. Bates’s wife, Vera, causes trouble for John and Anna, who are engaged. Vera threatens to expose Mary’s past scandal, but Carlisle pays her to keep quiet. Vera later dies from arsenic poisoning, and Bates is arrested for her murder. Matthew regains the use of his legs and realizes he still loves Mary, but he remains committed to Lavinia. Lavinia, who is sick with the flu, overhears Matthew and Mary confess their love while dancing.
The Spanish flu epidemic affects Downton Abbey, with Cora and the butler, Carson, becoming seriously ill. Thomas tries to help by working hard and becomes Lord Grantham’s valet after Bates is arrested. Lavinia dies suddenly, causing guilt for Matthew and Mary. Bates is sentenced to life in prison, but Lord Grantham helps reduce his sentence. Mary ends her engagement to Carlisle, and Matthew and Mary finally propose to each other on a snowy night.
Lady Sybil, the youngest Crawley daughter, falls in love with Tom Branson, a chauffeur from Ireland with socialist views. Her sisters stop her from eloping, but she eventually marries him with Lord Grantham’s reluctant approval.
Ethel Parks, a new housemaid, is seduced by a wounded officer, Major Bryant. Mrs. Hughes, the housekeeper, fires Ethel but helps her when she reveals she is pregnant. Ethel names her son Charlie after Major Bryant, who refuses to acknowledge his paternity.
Highclere Castle, where the show was filmed, was used as a hospital during World War I.
In the first episode of the third series, covering 1920 to 1921, preparations begin for Mary and Matthew’s wedding. Tom and Sybil Branson arrive from Ireland, as does Cora’s mother, Martha Levinson, from America. Robert learns the family’s fortune, including Cora’s dowry, was lost due to his risky investment in the Grand Trunk Railway. Meanwhile, Edith falls for Sir Anthony Strallan, but Robert refuses to let her marry him because of his age and disability. At Edith’s insistence, Robert agrees, but Sir Anthony cannot accept the family’s disapproval and leaves her at the altar.
Cast and characters
The main characters in the Crawley family include Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham, and Elizabeth McGovern as his wife, Cora Crawley, the Countess of Grantham. Their three daughters are played by Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley (Talbot), Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith Crawley (Pelham), and Jessica Brown Findlay as Lady Sybil Crawley (Branson). Maggie Smith portrays Violet, Robert Crawley's mother, the Dowager Countess of Grantham. Samantha Bond plays Lady Rosamund Painswick, Robert's sister who lives in Belgrave Square, London. Dan Stevens portrays Matthew Crawley, the new heir, and Penelope Wilton plays his mother, Isobel Crawley, who move to Downton. Allen Leech plays Tom Branson, who begins as the family's chauffeur, later marries Lady Sybil, and becomes the estate's agent. David Robb portrays Dr. Richard Clarkson, the local doctor.
In series three, Lily James joins as Lady Rose MacClare, a cousin whose mother is Violet's niece, Susan, the Marchioness of Flintshire. Lady Rose moves to live with the Crawleys because her parents are working in India and stays there due to family issues. In series three and four, Shirley MacLaine plays Martha Levinson, Cora Crawley's mother. Men who show interest in Lady Mary include Tom Cullen as Lord Gillingham, Julian Ovenden as Charles Blake, and Matthew Goode as Henry Talbot. Bertie Pelham, 7th Marquess of Hexham, Edith's fiancé and husband, is played by Harry Hadden-Paton.
The senior staff at Downton Abbey include Jim Carter as Mr. Carson, the butler, and Phyllis Logan as Mrs. Hughes, the housekeeper. Tensions arise when Rob James-Collier, as Thomas Barrow, a footman who later becomes a valet and under-butler, and Siobhan Finneran, as Miss O'Brien, the lady's maid to the Countess of Grantham, plot against Brendan Coyle as Mr. Bates, the Earl's valet, and his wife, Anna (Joanne Froggatt), who works as Lady Mary's lady's maid. Kevin Doyle plays Mr. Molesley, Matthew Crawley's valet. Thomas Howes portrays William Mason, the second footman.
Other staff include Rose Leslie as Gwen Dawson, a housemaid studying to be a secretary in series one. Amy Nuttall plays Ethel Parks, a maid who joins in series two and three. Matt Milne portrays Alfred Nugent, O'Brien's nephew, a new footman in series three and four. Raquel Cassidy plays Baxter, Cora's new lady's maid, hired after Edna Braithwaithe was fired. Ed Speleers plays James (Jimmy) Kent, the second footman, from series three to five. Michael Fox plays Andy Parker, a replacement footman for Jimmy in series five and six. Andrew Scarborough portrays Tim Drewe, a farmer who helps Lady Edith hide a secret in series four, five, and six.
The kitchen staff include Lesley Nicol as Mrs. Patmore, the cook, and Sophie McShera as Daisy, a scullery maid who becomes an assistant cook after marrying William Mason. Cara Theobold plays Ivy Stuart, a kitchen maid who joins the cast in series three and four.
The series is set in Downton Abbey, a large house in Yorkshire, which is the home of the Earl and Countess of Grantham, their three daughters, and other family members. Each series shows the lives of the Crawley family, their friends, and their servants during the time of King George V's reign.
Production
Gareth Neame of Carnival Films had the idea for a TV drama set in an Edwardian-era country house and asked Fellowes, who had won an Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) for Gosford Park, to help. Fellowes originally planned Downton Abbey, which he wrote and created, as a spin-off of Gosford Park, but it became a separate project inspired by the film and set decades earlier. Although Fellowes was hesitant to work on another project like Gosford Park, he soon returned to Neame with an outline for the first series. Fellowes was influenced by Edith Wharton’s The Custom of the Country when writing the scripts, and his wife, Emma, helped review the story as an informal editor.
Locations used in Downton Abbey include:
– Highclere Castle, Hampshire (exterior and interior of Downton Abbey)
– Byfleet Manor, Surrey (the Dower House)
– Bampton, Oxfordshire (Downton village)
– St Mary’s Church, Bampton (St Michael and All Angels, Downton)
– Bampton Library, Bampton (Downton Cottage Hospital)
– Churchgate House, Bampton (Crawley House)
– Kingston Bagpuize House, Oxfordshire (Cavenham Park)
– Bridgewater House, Westminster, London (Grantham House)
– Inveraray Castle, Argyll (Duneagle Castle, home of Lord and Lady Flintshire)
– Beamish Museum, County Durham (York, 2019 film)
Highclere Castle in north Hampshire is used for most exterior and interior scenes of Downton Abbey. The kitchen, servants’ quarters, working areas, and some upstairs bedrooms were built and filmed at Ealing Studios.
Outdoor scenes in the fictional village of Downton are filmed in Bampton, Oxfordshire. The Church of St Mary the Virgin and the library in Bampton were used for scenes showing the entrance to the cottage hospital. The old rectory in Bampton appears as Isobel Crawley’s house, with interior scenes filmed at Hall Barn in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.
The fictional village of Downton is said to be in Yorkshire. Real towns mentioned in the series, such as Easingwold, Ripon, and Thirsk, are in North Yorkshire, while Leeds is in West Yorkshire. Yorkshire media suggested the fictional Downton Abbey might be located near Easingwold, Ripon, and Thirsk.
First World War trench scenes in France were filmed at a special replica battlefield near Akenham, Suffolk.
Many real locations and historic mansions were used for filming:
– Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire, was used for Haxby Park, the estate Sir Richard Carlisle plans to buy.
– Byfleet Manor, Surrey, was used for the Dower House, home to Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham.
– West Wycombe Park, Buckinghamshire, was used for Lady Rosamund’s London home in Belgrave Square.
– Inveraray Castle, Scotland, stood in for Duneagle Castle in the 2012 Christmas special.
– Greys Court, near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, was used as the family’s secondary home, called “Downton Place,” in series three.
– Lincoln Castle, Lincolnshire, was used for Bates’s prison scenes in series three.
– Horsted Keynes railway station, Sussex, was used as Downton station.
– Bridgewater House, London, was used for the exterior of Grantham House, while interior scenes were filmed at Basildon Park, West Berkshire.
– Hall Barn, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, was used as Loxley House, home to Sir Anthony Strallan.
– Lancaster House, London, stood in for Buckingham Palace in the 2013 Christmas special.
– Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, was used for Brancaster Castle in the 2014 and 2015 Christmas specials, including scenes in the castle’s State Rooms and at nearby Hulne Abbey.
The 2019 film of Downton Abbey used many of the same locations as the TV series, including Highclere Castle and Bampton, and included exterior shots filmed at Beamish Museum. The North York Moors Railway was used for railway scenes.
The opening music of Downton Abbey, titled “Did I Make the Most of Loving You?”, was composed by John Lunn. A version of the music was released on the show’s soundtrack in the UK on September 19, 2011, and in the US on December 13, 2011. The soundtrack also included a song performed by singer Mary-Jess Leaverland, with lyrics written by Don Black.
Broadcasts
The rights to broadcast Downton Abbey have been obtained in more than 220 countries and territories. The series has been watched by an estimated 120 million people worldwide.
The series first aired on the ITV network in the United Kingdom on 26 September 2010. It received its first nationwide broadcast on ITV3 in February 2011.
STV, the ITV franchisee in central and northern Scotland (including the Orkney and Shetland islands), initially chose not to show Downton Abbey. Instead, it aired a new six-part series of Taggart, following a long tradition of not broadcasting ITV-wide programming in Scotland. This decision upset many Scottish viewers, who wanted to watch the show. Some viewers with satellite or cable television tuned into other ITV regional stations, such as ITV London. This was also common for other ITV programs. In July 2011, STV announced it would air the first and second seasons of Downton Abbey as part of its autumn schedule. Scottish actors Phyllis Logan and Iain Glen expressed approval of this decision.
In the United States, Downton Abbey first aired on PBS in January 2011 as part of the 40th season of Masterpiece. The program was shown in four 90-minute episodes. PBS made changes to the beginning and end of each episode and adjusted their structure slightly to fit the time limits. As part of Masterpiece, each episode was introduced by host Laura Linney, who explained terms like "the entail" and "Buccaneers" for American viewers. Some critics found this approach condescending. PBS continued to edit episodes for U.S. broadcasts in later seasons. The final sixth season aired in 2016. PBS repeated episodes until 2020, when NBCUniversal took over U.S. broadcasting rights for its streaming service, Peacock. The series became available on Netflix in 2021 and aired on the E! network in 2022. On 3 February 2026, PBS announced that the show would return on 1 March 2026 for PBS Passport members, with broadcasting rights beginning on 17 May 2026.
In Canada, VisionTV began airing the series on 7 September 2011. CBC Television repeated the entire series in 2021. The show was also aired in French on Ici Radio-Canada Télé.
In Australia, the first season began on the Seven Network on 29 May 2011. The second season aired starting 20 May 2012, and the third season began on 10 February 2013. In New Zealand, Prime Television aired the first season on 10 May 2011, the second season on 18 October 2011, and the third season on 18 October 2012.
In Ireland, independent television channel TV3 aired the first season in January and February 2011.
Downton Abbey was broadcast on TMC in France beginning on 11 December 2011.
Reception
At Metacritic, which gives scores out of 100 based on reviews from well-known critics, the first series of Downton Abbey received an average score of 91 from 16 reviews. This score, which Metacritic calls "universal acclaim," helped the show earn a Guinness World Record in 2011 for "Highest critical review ratings for a TV show." This made Downton Abbey the most highly praised TV show in the world at that time. Later in 2011, Breaking Bad Season 4 surpassed this record with a score of 96, making Downton Abbey the second highest rated show of that year.
The series is known for showing the aristocratic family and class-based society of early 20th-century Britain in a way that is generally kind. This has caused some people on the political left to criticize the show, while others on the right have praised it. James Fenton wrote in The New York Review of Books that the characters in the series, even those who are silly, are never shown as overly rude or unkind. He said the writers made sure the characters remained pleasant, even when their actions were sometimes shown as class-focused or cold. Jerry Bowyer, writing in Forbes, said the show is not overly sympathetic to the aristocracy. He argued that the series is more balanced than other period dramas, which often make upper-class characters seem bad or foolish. He said Downton Abbey proves that stories that support traditional values can be both beautiful and popular.
Downton Abbey has been a commercial success and has received praise from critics, though some have called it shallow, overly dramatic, or unrealistic. Others say these qualities are what make the show popular. David Kamp wrote in Vanity Fair that the show’s clear good and bad characters, along with its mix of happy and sad moments, make it a refreshing contrast to other dramas that focus on slow, uncertain stories. In 2019, The Guardian ranked Downton Abbey 50th on its list of the best TV shows of the 21st century, calling it a "comfort blanket" during a time of economic hardship. Mary McNamara of Los Angeles Times called it "possibly the best series of the year," and Jill Serjeant of Reuters said it became a "new darling" in U.S. pop culture. The staff of Entertainment Weekly called it "the biggest PBS phenomenon since Sesame Street," and David Hinckley of New York Daily News said it "maintains its magic touch."
James Parker, writing in The Atlantic, said the show is "preposterous" as history and drama but still succeeds as entertaining television. He noted the dialogue is light and easy to follow, though some lines are awkward. He praised the acting as excellent. Ben W. Heineman Jr. compared Downton Abbey unfavorably to Brideshead Revisited, saying the older show was more artistic. He criticized Downton Abbey for not developing characters deeply. A. A. Gill of The Sunday Times said the show is "everything I despise" about British television, calling it sentimental and outdated.
Sam Wollaston of The Guardian wrote about the show’s controversy. The death of Matthew Crawley in the 2012 Christmas special, which was rumored to be due to actor Dan Stevens leaving the show, caused criticism. Fellowes, the writer, said they had no choice once Stevens decided to leave. Stevens later said he had no control over how his character left but expressed regret that his character died on Christmas Day.
The third episode of the fourth series, which aired on 6 October 2013, included a warning about violent scenes. The episode showed Anna Bates being raped, leading to over 200 complaints to the UK regulator Ofcom. Ofcom said it would not take action because the episode had a warning, aired after 9 p.m., and the rape occurred "off-screen." The fourth series also introduced a character named Jack Ross, a black jazz musician who had a brief romantic relationship with Lady Rose. The casting of Gary Carr as Ross led to accusations of political correctness in the media. The character was partly based on Leslie Hutchinson, a real-life 1920s jazz singer who had affairs with high-society women.
The first episode of Downton Abbey had 9.2 million viewers in the UK, a 32% audience share, making it the most successful new drama on any channel since 2009. Including repeats and online views, the total audience reached 11.6 million. The next episode had an even larger audience of 11.8 million, breaking the record for a single episode on ITV Player.
The second series premiered in the UK on 18 September 2011, with the first episode attracting 9 million viewers and a 34.6% share. The second episode had 9.3 million viewers. In January 2012, the U.S. premiere on PBS attracted 4.2 million viewers, more than double the network’s average primetime audience. The premiere audience was 18% higher than the first series’ premiere.
The second series gave PBS its highest ratings since 2009. It averaged 5.4 million viewers, a 25% increase over the first series. Episodes were viewed 4.8 million times on PBS’s digital portal, more than 400% higher than the first series. Overall, Downton Abbey content had over 9 million streams across all platforms, with 1.5 million unique visitors, since the second series premiered in January 2012. In 2013, the show was ranked the 43rd most well-written TV show of all time by the Writers Guild of America.
The third series premiered in the UK on 16 September 2012 with an average of 9 million viewers (36% share). For the first time, the third episode had over 10 million viewers (38.2% share). In the U.S., the third series had an average audience of 11.5 million viewers, with the finale drawing 12.3 million, making it the night’s highest-rated show. Overall, the series had 24 million viewers during its seven-week run, making it PBS’s highest-rated drama of all time.
The fourth series premiered in the UK on 22 September 2013 with an average of 9.5 million viewers, the highest for any debut episode. In the U.S., it premiered on 5 January 2014 with at least 10.2 million viewers, outperforming all other dramas that night. This was the largest audience for PBS since the 1990 premiere of the Ken Burns documentary *The Civil
Awards and nominations
Julian Fellowes supports a united Ireland, but some people have criticized the show for using stereotypical Irish characters, such as Kieran, who is portrayed as rude and drunk. Allen Leech, who plays Tom Branson, defended the series, saying it did not show Irish characters in a negative way. However, some in Ireland criticized Branson's character, describing him as "an Irish republican turned Downtonian toff."
The character of the Earl of Grantham sometimes expresses negative opinions about Catholics. The Washington Post described him as "xenophobic" but "historically accurate." In Season 3, Lord Grantham uses offensive terms like "left-footer" to refer to Catholics and mocks the Catholic Mass by calling it a "gymnastics display." A scene also shows a Protestant minister calling Catholic practices "pagan." Fellowes, who is a Roman Catholic, explained that he wanted to show the "casual, almost unconscious anti-Catholicism" that existed among the upper class during that time. He said he thought it would be interesting to explore this in the series and shared his own experiences of how the aristocracy sometimes avoided close relationships with Catholics.
Fellowes has said he tries to be as accurate as possible in showing the time period. However, the show includes many language errors that are not from the early 20th century. Some people have questioned the accents used by the wealthy characters, noting that the way they speak sounds slightly more modern than it would have been in that era. This choice helped the actors give more natural performances.
In 2010, Fellowes hired Alastair Bruce, an expert on historical rituals, as a historical adviser. Bruce said his job was to help the production team bring Fellowes' ideas to life and ensure the social behavior of the characters was correct. Actor Jim Carter, who plays the butler, called Bruce the series' "etiquette watchdog." The Daily Telegraph noted that Bruce's work helped keep the show's historical details accurate. However, historian Simon Schama criticized the show for some historical mistakes and for relying on clichés. Producer Gareth Neame explained that Downton Abbey is a fictional drama, not a history program, and that it focuses on social changes from the past.
A lot of research was done to recreate the servants' living areas at Ealing Studios because Highclere Castle, where the show is filmed, was not suitable for showing the servants' lives. Researchers visited nearly 40 English country houses to design the kitchen, and production designer Donal Woods said about 60 to 70 percent of the kitchen equipment was from the correct time period. Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management was used as a guide for the food shown in the series. However, Lady Carnarvon, the owner of Highclere Castle, said real dinner parties in that era were even more extravagant than those shown in the series. Lady Pamela Hicks added that weekend parties would have had at least 40 guests, not 14 as shown. Carnarvon acknowledged that some inaccuracies are necessary for television, saying the show is a "fun costume drama" and not a historical documentary.
Home media
The entire series was released on Netflix in June 2021. It is also available on Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, Disney+, the PBS app, and PBS.org with a PBS Passport subscription.
On September 16, 2011, two days before the UK premiere of the second series, Amazon.com reported that the first series of Downton Abbey became the best-selling DVD box set ever sold on its website. This achievement beat popular shows like The Sopranos, Friends, and The Wire.
A book titled The World of Downton Abbey was published on September 15, 2011. It provides a behind-the-scenes look at Downton Abbey and the time period shown in the show. The book was written by Jessica Fellowes, the niece of Julian Fellowes, and published by HarperCollins.
A second book, The Chronicles of Downton Abbey, was released on September 13, 2012. It was also written by Jessica Fellowes and published by HarperCollins. This book helps readers learn about the characters during the early part of the third season.
Four cookbooks related to Downton Abbey have been published: The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook (2019), which includes dishes from the Edwardian period researched by food historian Dr. Annie Gray; The Official Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook (2020), written by Regula Ysewijn; The Official Downton Abbey Cocktail Book (2019); and The Official Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea Cookbook (2020).
Soundtracks
A soundtrack containing music from the series and new songs was released by Decca in September 2011. The music was composed by John Lunn and Don Black, and it includes vocals by Mary-Jess Leaverland and Alfie Boe. A second soundtrack, named Downton Abbey: The Essential Collection, was released on November 19, 2012. A third and final soundtrack, titled Downton Abbey: The Ultimate Collection, was released on January 15, 2016. This soundtrack includes two discs and features music from all six seasons of the series, as well as some songs from the first soundtrack.
Cultural impact
Some fashion items worn by characters on the show have become popular again in the UK and other places during the show's run. These include starched collars, midi skirts, beaded gowns, and hunting plaids.
The Equality (Titles) Bill was a law that did not pass in the UK Parliament in 2013. It would have allowed women to inherit family titles and positions equally with men. The law was called the "Downton Abbey law" because it dealt with the same problem faced by Lady Mary Crawley, who could not inherit an estate because it had to go to a male heir.
The style of decoration seen on Downton Abbey inspired US Representative Aaron Schock to change the look of his congressional offices to a more fancy and elegant style. He paid back the $40,000 cost of the redecoration after people examined his spending and asked if he used public money for his own benefit. He then resigned in March 2015.
Other media
Because of the show's popularity, many other shows and movies have included references or copies of it. For example, the Family Guy episode "Chap Stewie" features Stewie Griffin being reborn into a household similar to Downton Abbey. In the How I Met Your Mother episode "The Fortress," the characters watch a television show called Woodworthy Manor, which closely resembles Downton Abbey.
A brief scene showing the characters Sybil and Tom Branson from Downton Abbey appeared as a background image in the movie Iron Man 3.
Julian Fellowes's The Gilded Age, which began airing on HBO in 2022, follows life in New York during the 1880s and how the city's traditional society dealt with the arrival of new wealthy families. Although it is a separate series, Fellowes mentioned in interviews that some characters from Downton Abbey's Crawley family, as well as Martha Levinson, Cora's mother, might appear in The Gilded Age.
Film sequels
On 13 July 2018, a full-length film was announced, and production began in the middle of 2018. The film was written by Julian Fellowes and is a follow-up to the TV series, directed by Michael Engler. It was distributed by Focus Features and Universal Pictures International. The film was released in the United Kingdom on 13 September 2019, and the United States had its release one week later on 20 September 2019. Filming for a sequel started in April 2021. The film was finally released in the UK on 29 April 2022, and in the US on 20 May. The final film was released in cinemas on 12 September 2025.