Hugh Bonneville Page 5

After notable appearances in Notting Hill (1999) and Iris (2001), Hugh Bonneville found global stardom as the Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey. And he remains in period mode for the new film Viceroy's House, which dramatises the independence and partition of India in 1947.

Hugh Bonneville stars in 'Viceroy's House'

Of course, while he was filming the role, he couldn't have predicted how relevant the movie would be. "Any project you undertake, you have no idea how it's going to land," Bonneville says, "and then when it does land, what the ripple effect is. But it seems more pertinent than ever that this is a film about strife, division, neighbour turning on neighbour, lack of understanding of different communities within the same country. And those are the key notes that unfortunately chime within so many countries at the moment, not least the huge one across the pond."

Continue reading: Hugh Bonneville Sees Viceroy's House As Relevant Today

Dame Maggie Smith has reportedly signed on to take part in the heavily rumoured ‘Downton Abbey’ film. While a movie version of the series has not yet been confirmed, Smith’s fellow cast member Michael Fox has said that the veteran actress will be taking part in a big screen adaptation.

Is ‘Downton Abbey’ the movie, really happening?

Speaking to MailOnline Fox, who played Andy Parker, said that Smith’s involvement was crucial to the film. “She elevates it to something else, because she is such a legend and a national treasure,” he said.

Continue reading: Has Dame Maggie Smith Signed On For A 'Downton Abbey' Film?

It's been just over two months since 'Downton Abbey' ended for UK viewers, while the US still has the sixth and final series to complete. So what have all the main cast members been up to and where are we going to see them next? Some are sticking to the UK, but others are broadening their horizons.

But what's Maggie Smith up to?

Many of the 'Downton Abbey' stars were already well-established in their own right, but for others the show has been a stepping stone to bigger things. Hugh Bonneville is of the former category, and he's looking pretty busy this year what with the new 'Hollow Crown' series coming up in which he stars as the Duke of Gloucester. He's also finished filming the UK/Indian drama 'Viceroy's House' with Michael Gambon and Gillian Anderson.

Continue reading: What's Next For The Stars Of 'Downton Abbey'?

Yes there’s still a Christmas special to come, but after six series on ITV, ‘Downton Abbey’ ended its run last night, with a surprise wedding and a suicide attempt. But while Lady Mary Crawley got what she wanted (as usual), her younger sister Edith was denied her own happy ending, leaving some viewers furious.

After six seasons ‘Downton Abbey’ has ended on ITV.

During the episode unlucky in love Edith had her chances of happiness stolen, when sister Mary ruined her relationship by revealing details of her secret love child to fiancé the Marquess of Hexham, Bertie Pelham. But while Edith faced a lifetime of loneliness, all was okay for Mary, as she wed Henry Talbot.

Continue reading: 'Downton Abbey's' Final Season Ends, But Not Everyone Got Their Happy Ever After

Are the Crawley’s about to transfer to the big screen? Well it could happen, one day, as in a interview with Britain's Daily Mirror actress Raquel Cassidy revealed that a 'Downton Abbey' movie is “definitely a possibility”.

Can you imagine the Dowager Countess on the big screen?

"There have been talks and there is definitely a possibility of a Downton film,” the actress who plays housemaid Phyllis Baxter told the newspaper. “There is real hope. It’s been mentioned more than once and there’s a lot of commercial and artistic interest. Stranger things have happened, so watch this space,” Cassidy added.

Continue reading: Could A 'Downton Abbey' Movie Be On The Way?

It’s the moment fans of Downton Abbey and well, George Clooney have been waiting for! Yes Hollywood’s favourite silver fox will be making a trip to Britain’s most famous luxury home later this month a part of special charity short. But fans desperate for an early glimpse of gorgeous George have been given an early treat, with a brief teaser clip released by ITV.

Exclusive preview pictures from our #DowntonAbbey #Textsanta sketch special. http://t.co/1cHW2s4428 #TextSanta24 1/2 pic.twitter.com/D8F1BTn3L9

— Text Santa (@ITVTextSanta) December 1, 2014

Continue reading: George Clooney's 'Downton Abbey' Appearance Teased In New Clip

The culture secretary Sajid Javid has described US takeover of UK production companies as "no bad thing" and a "massive vote of confidence" for the creative economy. The producers behind Downton Abbey, Masterchef and The Voice have all been gobbled up by stateside firms though Javid described the trend as "a great British success story."

The producer behind Downton Abbey was snaffled up

The culture secretary also used his first major speech on broadcasting to say the BBC "can and must" make more efficiency savings as well as taking issue with Channel 4's chief executive David Abraham who used his recent MacTaggart Lecture to warn against the takeover of the British TV industry by US media and tech firms.

Continue reading: Culture Secretary Embraces US Takeover Of UK Production Companies

We’re preeetty sure they didn’t have plastic bottles back in the 1920s, but a recent Downton Abbey promo shot would beg to differ. With Downton’s third season premiere coming up in September in the UK and January in the US a new promotional photo was released on instagram, featuring, among other things a plastic bottle in the background.

Michelle Dockery and Allen Leech, featuring no plastic bottles.

This left some fans amused and many more questioning the historical accuracy of the Crawleys’ drawing room. While the humble plastic bottle first came into commercial use in 1047 (still a few decades after the events of Downton’s fifth season), it didn’t come into wider use until the 1960s.

Continue reading: Downton Abbey Promo Shot Blasted By The Historical Accuracy Police Online

Downton Abbey will return to PBS for a fourth season this Sunday, 5 January, and anticipation for the quintessentially English period drama couldn't be higher in the United States. The early 20th century-set story of British aristocracy couldn't be further from the days spent by the modern Americans who will sit down in their droves to check out the new season, but can the escapist piece move America once again?

The big bad boys of Downton will be back

The Americanisation of the show, it's preoccupation with popular culture intertwined with the prevalent and glaring theme of British social history, is what has made it such a success on both sides of the Atlantic, and this American distinction will only increase in season four. In particular, one of the integral story lines of the season involves the Earl of Downton's niece and her courting of an African-American man, one that obviously hold higher implications not just because he is American.

Continue reading: Downton's Back, Alright! Downton Abbey Returns To US Screens

Downton Abbey is moving through the years with gusto, and already we're seeing some of the effects of time play havoc with the lives of some of the landed gentry trying to keep up with the break neck pace of the Roarin' Twenties. In the latest episode there were taboos of yesteryear broken at every turn. We look back at episode six of the current (fourth) season and try and keep up with the changing face of the 20th century along with the cast. The rest of this article contains spoilers.

I say sir!

One thing that did become clear early on in the episode was that, with the season hitting the half way mark, plot devices were being shoved in here there and everywhere to gear up the season for its final episode, which will air around Christmas time. The first little glimpse of the season closer came when the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) received a letter from Uncle Harold in America, stating that he had gotten himself into “a proper fix” over oil leases. The letter will make Paul Giamatti's entrance into the series at Christmas just that little less surprising now, but chances are you've already heard about his special guest spot by now anyway.

Continue reading: 'Downton Abbey' Recap: Season Four, Episode Six

Downton Abbey has finally returned to television for a fourth season meaning Sunday nights are once again sorted for fans of the meaty period drama. The ITV1 show failed to scoop any awards, apart from 'Outstanding Music Composition,' at last night's Emmy Awards but this didn't prevent record viewing ratings - 10.5m viewers - tuning back into the trials, tribulations, romances, deaths and dramas of the fictional estate.

Michelle Dockery Excels In Her Portrayal Of A Widow.

The new season's first episode picks up in 1922, six months after the last left off; Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) is still very much in mourning for her husband, Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) who was killed in a car crash. Britain's post-war boom has receded to government cuts and widespread unemployment. Though the inhabitants of Downton Abbey may be less affected by the harsh reality of the economy compared to the public, the first episode serves to only highlight the class differences between the servants and their masters at the time.

Continue reading: 'Downton Abbey' Consoles Emmy Loss With 10.5m Tune-In To New Series

In 2013, cable is dominating traditional broadcast giants and unexpected cult hits like Downton Abbey are where it’s at. By “it” we of course mean huge rating boosts. While ratings at the major networks plateau (and that’s considered a good thing,) PBS’s numbers have gone up 5% in prime time – and that’s just overall, with Sundays (aka Downton night) seeing a staggering 26% boost, no doubt due to PBS’s biggest hit in decades.

Creator Julian Fellowes has teased a tension-filled season full of high profile departures.

"We are living in a golden era of drama in television," Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS commented for USA Today. "There is some very rich content and we have found that Sunday night on public television has become a great night for drama." Some criticisms have arisen from American Downton fans over the show’s airdates stateside. The fourth season won’t even begin airing in the US, until it is well and truly over across the Pond, which means that audiences are not only getting frustrated, but also run the risk of spoilers.

Continue reading: Downton Abbey's Surprise Success Means Huge Ratings Boost For PBS

Paul Giamatti will become the next American actor to appear in the hugely successful British period drama Downton Abbey, with the American Splendour actor set to appear as a maverick American playboy during the upcoming fourth season of the show.

Giamatti will appear in the Christmas special airing this December, which will follow on directly from the upcoming fourth season of the hit costume drama. He will play Harold, the life-loving brother of Elizabeth McGovern's Cora, and the son of Shirley Maclaine's Martha. MacLaine will also be reprising her role for the Christmas special.

See more images of Paul as Rhino in the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man 2

Continue reading: Paul Giamatti Continues American Invasion Of Downton Abbey With Season Four Appearance

After the surprise ending of series three, many were left wondering whether or not the hugely successful period drama Downton Abbey would be come back at all, but there's good news to all you Downton fans out there because a fourth series is imminent, and it will be back on PBS on 5 January 2014.

Downton executive producer Rebecca Eaton revealed the good news today in an official statement, revealing the airing date of the new series and adding that it will run for eight weeks. She also added the most of the show's original cast will be back too, including Shirley MacLaine, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter, Joanne Froggatt and Brendan Coyle, adding that there will be a number of new actors joining the established cast too.

Hugh Bonneville, Sophie McShera, Phyllis Logan, Julian Fellowes, Lily James and co. of the established Downton order

Continue reading: Downton Abbey Will Return To PBS In January 2014

Downton Abbey is going to get a whole lot more complicated and interesting, with the addition of a host of cast members, including Gary Carr. Carr will play the period drama’s first black character, the charismatic jazz singer Jack Ross. The rest of the new cast-members’ names were also an exciting announcement, since the list includes stars like Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Tom Cullen, Julian Ovenden, Nigel Harman, Joanna David and Dame Harriet Walter, all joining the show for its fourth season.

Carnival Films’ Managing Director, Gareth Neame, said the following about the character of Jack Ross: “We are delighted to introduce another fantastic, dynamic character to Downton Abbey. His addition will bring interesting twists to the drama which we can’t wait for viewers to see in Series Four”.

We’re sure the viewers are excited as well, but we’ll all have to wait a while longer for the series to return with its next eight episodes later this year, as well as the highly anticipated Christmas special, of course. The new cast members will be joining Downton veterans Shirley McLaine Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery and Jim Carter. It’ll probably enhance the show’s dynamic, of course, but we can’t help asking… how are we supposed to memorise every tidbit of intrigue between so many characters?

Continue reading: Gary Carr Joining The Downton Abbey Cast As The Show's First Black Character

There’s a strange kind of dichotomy in soap land; Downton Abbey is considered a highbrow, period drama, aired on ITV – not everyone’s idea of premium television, while Eastenders remains the jewell in the crown of The BBC – Britain’s most respected sitcom.

And there’s a further caveat; most of the people who love a bit of East-end drama, are lapping up Downton Abbey. They take the rough with the smooth; the gritty with the glitzy; the real and the ridiculous. Hugh Bonneville – lauded for his role in Downton – used to star in Eastenders, and wouldn’t write them off if they offered him a return to the square. “I might go back. I am a jobbing actor and I will take whatever comes along, thank you very much. I would never say never,” he told The Mirror in an interview. “The actors who work in soaps are the hardest working actors. The amount of material they have to learn is so much. It’s phenomenal."

Hugh and his Downton Abbey buddies

Continue reading: Downton Abbey Actor Hugh Bonneville Would Welcome A Part In Eastenders

Downton Abbey is about to return to PBS’s Masterpiece Classic, in what is shaping up to be a defining season opener for the show.

The last season left many more than a little disappointed with the increasingly ridiculous and at times soapy plotlines and, in order for American audiences to stay enamored with the period drama, this third season has to offer something new and exciting. And, from the reviews so far (due to PBS’s scheduling strategy, Downton airs in the US about half a season behind the UK), it looks like this season certainly won’t disappoint.

There’s no question that part of the appeal of this show comes from the costumes, the settings, the stuffy manners… the fact that everybody has to be impeccably dressed for dinner, etc. But there’s more to Downtown this season. The war is over. And yet nothing is settled, because the characters still have to face issues like class struggle, gender politics, uncertain investments, in short, things that all or most of us are facing today, almost a century after the events of Downton are set. Add to that some really phenomenal acting and all of those beautiful costumes, and it’s no wonder that the unlikely period drama has managed to capture the imaginations of about six million viewers since it began airing in the US.

It's not all that rare to find a British television show nominated at the Golden Globes, both The Tudors and Cranford enjoyed their days in the sun in 2008 and 2009, but Americans really do love a British period drama, so this year sees Downton Abbey receiving three nominations, for Best Drama, Best Actress (Michelle Dockery) and Best Supporting Actress (Dame Maggie Smith), which really is an extraordinary achievement. 

Some of the cast members joined the BBC to speak about their delight regarding the nomination. Joanne Froggat, better known as Anna Bates 'nee Smith', expressed her gratitude to the Globes, saying that "to have that kind of recognition from our American peers is wonderful... it's exciting!" 

"We've now joined  high table," said Hugh Bonneville, who plays Lord Grantham, the head of Downton Abbey, "and we're now being considered alongside these great other dramas that have excited the nation and we're thrilled that us from over seas have managed to fit in." Adding, "It's wonderful because when we're filming in Highclere castle... on a freezing February day in the mud, it's nice to know that sometimes it's worth it."

Continue reading: Downton Abbey's Cast Enjoys Golden Globe Nominations

Olivia Colman has been nominated twice in the same category for the upcoming British Comedy Awards. The 39-year-old, perhaps best known for playing Sophie on Peep Show, is up for Best Actress for two BBC shows, Rev and Twenty Twelve.

The decision has left some comedy fans bemused, though the general consensus is that Colman has put in two excellent performances and therefore has every right to be nominated twice. She played Hugh Bonneville's character's long-suffering assistant Sally Owen in the London Olympics comedy and plays Tom Hollander's wife Alex Smallbone on religious comedy Rev. Though having two chances to win the award, Colman still faces stiff competition to land the gong, with Twenty Twelve co-star Jessica Hynes also nominated. The Thick Of It's Rebecca Front, who plays the MP Nicola Murray, is also up for Best Actress. Colman - now considered one of the UK's top actresses - has already had a superb year, winning a slew of awards for playing an abused charity shop worker in Paddy Considine's gritty drama Tyrannosaur. 

Elsewhere at the comedy awards, The Thick Of It is one of five shows to receive three nominations, along with The Graham Norton Show, Rev, Cardinal Burns and Harry Hill's TV Burp. Steve Coogan picked up a couple of nominations for Alan Partridge: Welcome To Places In My Life. This year's King or Queen of Comedy will be contested by Alan Carr, David Mitchell, Graham Norton, Jack Whitehall, Lee Mack and Sarah Millican. The award winners will be announced live on Channel 4 on Wednesday 12 December.

Continue reading: Farce, Or Fair Enough? Olivia Colman To Battle Herself At British Comedy Awards

ITV's flagship period Drama, Dowton Abbey, aired it's season finale last night, and was viewed by a massive 10.7m people, making it easily the highest rated drama of the year, reports The Daily Mail.

Sunday night at 9pm has become a no fly zone for anything other than 'watching Downton' in the U.K. It has captured Britain's hearts, and in doing so, has become one of the most popular dramas of all time. Last night saw the last episode of season 3, which was watched by a mammoth 10.7m people, but it's not single episode figures that excite the channels, rather a consistent viewing average, and Downton can boast that for sure; actors like Dame Maggie Smith and Hugh Bonneville help to pull in a very respectable 9.7 million viewers throughout the series. Compare that to the BBC's Call The Midwife and Sherlock, and Downton outperforms them by 2m and 2.7m respectively.

While the show's success knows no bounds, one key aspect is starting to get noticed: the homogenous level of white Caucasian characters. Many historical purists might point to inaccuracies of including a multicultural cast, but it's something that creator Julian Fellowes has considered. Talking in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, he said "Oh I think that's rather a good idea. You have to work it in in a way that is historically believable, but I am sure we could do that. The show certainly ought to have an Indian character from that period."

Continue reading: Downton Abbey Series 3 Finale Pulls In Record Viewing Figures

Julian Fellowes wishes to write a prequel on the main characters in his hit ITV1 show ‘Downton Abbey’ after the last series is aired.

The Oscar winning screenwriter, who also wrote the recent ‘Titanic’ mini-series, ‘The Tourist’ and ‘Gosford Park’, wants to recreate the story of when characters Robert and Cora Crawley, the Earl and Countess of Grantham, met and the ‘trouble courtship’ that ensued on to screen. ‘She was in love with him before they married, as we know, and he married her entirely for her money’, Fellowes said at the BAFTA Screenwriters’ Lecture Series. ‘I sort of feel there's something quite nice in there because he's a decent cove, and so he feels rather guilty about this which has affected their marriage beyond that.’

Fellowes was also adamant that the show be aired after ‘Downton Abbey’ had finished. ‘I don't think you can continue a narrative in more than one area at once’, he said. ‘I never really liked those Coronation Street Christmas specials where they all go to Haiti, and you don't have to watch it. Somehow it doesn't feel very organic.’ The show is currently on series three and stars Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith and Michelle Dockery.