At the premiere of this long-awaited Downton sequel, the wonderful Jim Carter, who plays pugnaciously patriotic ex-butler Mr Carson, was asked to explain why audiences keep coming back to the franchise. His wise reply: “They go to switch off”. Yep, forget all your troubles, forget all your cares. And go Downton.
If you haven’t seen the TV series – or the 2019 spin-off, Downton Abbey: The Movie – the lumpy plot won’t make a lick of sense. Actually, even if you’re up to speed with all the characters, you’ll struggle to see the logic in most of the toing and froing.
