Downton Abbey

I absolutely loved all six seasons. Was sad to see it end. Would love to see a 7th season or at the very least a movie.

I have to say I loved Downton Abbey, and thought it was one of the better programmes airing this year along with Luther, Sherlock and the stunning Channel 4 drama Mo. Downton Abbey was beautifully produced, well cast and interesting, when it was first advertised it looked as though ITV had a hit and from the first episode I think Downton Abbey lived up to that expectation.

I for one loved how elegant Downton Abbey was. The photography was beautiful and skillful, while the scenery was breathtaking and the costumes were exquisite. The scoring was also very good, often very hypnotic and beautiful. The direction was controlled, the episodes were well paced and for me the characters were believable my favourites being Violet and Robert.

The writing in general was another strength. It was witty in a subtle way, is often funny and could be heart warming and poignant too, the best coming from Violet and Mrs Hughes I felt. The only bit of dialogue that rang false, and this is such a minor criticism, is Robert's "Downton is my third parent and my fourth child" which came across as somewhat cheesy. And the stories were well written and as believable as the characters, not to mention pretty original.

And of course the acting was excellent. Maggie Smith was perfect as Violet. She plays this sort of character well, and she had such good timing and dialogue. Plus I love her in costume. Hugh Bonneville was dashing, and I cannot get over how beautiful Michelle Dockery was here. Jessica Brown-Findlay was also fine as another of my favourite characters Lady Sybil, and Phyllis Logan was always good value though I would love to see more of her if and when the series returns.

In conclusion, Downton Abbey was a wonderful series thanks to the great cast and production values especially and I cannot wait to see more. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I was hooked after the first five minutes and come heaven, hell or high water, I was going to see Downton Abbey twice, the second time to pick up the points which I knew would be too fast, and possibly convoluted, to follow the first time round. I have watched Masterpiece since the inaugural with Alistair Cooke, and I can't remember anything as engaging and entertaining as this. As a cousin of an English family with deep affection for the monarchy and respect for the aristocracy, my perspective is an odd mix of Democratic ideals, old-time Republican values and curiosity about and appreciation of the social structure which prevailed so long in England. Downton Abbey appears to present a very balanced depiction of the social, political, economic and historical forces which drove the lives and fortunes of the classes and produced strange and almost incomprehensible behavior to comply with an unwritten, all-pervasive code. I am completely fascinated by the events and reactions and what would appear to be almost puppet-like behavior on occasion. I pray for a sequel.

First off i am definitely not the demographics this show was trying to capture. I am a United States Marine and I really don't think the writers had a guy like me in mind. All I can say is I'm so glad I took the time to watch this show. I absolutely loved it and have now watched the series twice. Its not action packed or anything like that. It is all about the writing and the characters. Just brilliant from start to finish and is a show the entire family can watch together. Maggie Smith if you ever read these comments just know you played my favorite character out of any series I've ever watched. You made this show absolutely perfect! If you are debating on whether or not to give this show a try take it from me, you wont want the show to ever end...

I can't hold this back. I enjoyed every moment Maggie Smith was on scene. I was a bit sceptical in the beginning, but her performance is simply stellar. I laughed out loud alone at home watching her unique moments in the show. This is simply not comparable to anything I saw before in any other shows or movies. She is a treasure.