Well kids, we’ve made it to the halfway point in our trip around the Sun! Less than six months till Downton Abbey Season 6 premieres! How have you been spending the off-season? Of course, as much as we miss spending Sunday nights haunting the halls of Downton, it’s not like there’s nothing but a vast cultural wasteland out there, at least not Sunday nights on THIRTEEN. There is a full schedule of fabulosity this summer including Last Tango in Halifax, The Crimson Field and that hunka, hunka burnin’ Red Coat luv, Poldark, who, I am convinced, is the real reason Paul Revere was so excited that the British were coming! Amiright? And that brings me to this…
Hot Child in the City: I’m really not a shallow person but, can we all begin this assembly by opening our hymnals to page Poldark and shouting, (in unison), AMEN?! That scene last week between Ross and Demelza, when he was standing behind her whispering in her ear, was not just hot, it was HAWT! Seriously hawt. The New York City Department of Sanitation reported a 22% drop in water pressure at 10PM as Poldark ended and viewers turned on their water taps to take cold showers. OK, maybe I made that last part up, but the point is, Aidan Turner manages to make a tricorn hat look sexy, and that ain’t easy. In fact, he may actually be the first to have accomplished this feat of daring do. And not for nothing, but doesn’t this make-up woman have a tough job? Seriously, how can she stand it? It’s really a shame how he’s let himself go, but other than that, Poldark is a fine, fun show (not that I’m shallow). Sunday nights at 9pm on THIRTEEN. Enter THIRTEEN’s Poldark giveaway for your chance to win the series on DVD. Contest ends Sunday, August 9.
It’s Julian, Lord Fellowes if You’re Nazi: At the press preview event for Season 4, Julian Fellowes was in attendance and during the meet & greet we had some time to chat. One of the things we discussed was the infamous Mitford Sisters, and other Nazi sympathizers in the British upper class. Asked if, given how current events and vintage celebrities tend to turn up on Downton’s doorstep, might we see them depicted on the show, he exclaimed, “Nazis at Downton Abbey? I don’t think so!” So I wasn’t surprised to read this article in which Lord Fellowes says that one of the reasons he decided to end the show before the characters moved into the 1930’s was because he didn’t want to have to deal with them. Can’t say I blame him.
To binge or not to binge, that is the question: A great way to relieve the summer heat is to spend some of it (virtually, at least) in a much cooler clime…like an ancient English country manor house! If you have pledged for a Downton Abbey DVD set, summer is the perfect time to kick back, relax and watch it again. And whether you binge watch or pace yourself, The Downton Abbey Dish, my cheeky episode recaps make a great companion to the series (if I must say so myself – and I must). They are all still posted here on THIRTEEN’s website, so as you binge watch, pause for a breather in-between episodes to ponder what you’ve just witnessed. I started recapping with Season 2, so there is no Season 1. These links, to the first episode of each season, will get you started, then you just click forward to the next at the bottom of each:
Season 2, Episode #1
Season 3, Episode #1
Season 4, Episode #1:
Season 5, Episode #1
And here are the Season Wrap-ups:
Season #3 Wrap-Up
Season #4 Wrap-Up
Season #5 Wrap-Up
King Tut: The boy king may not have a condo made of stone-ah, but one of the men who discovered his tomb did, Highclere Castle (AKA Downton Abbey). Now the story of archeologist Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon, and their search for the lost tomb of Tutankhamun is being made into a four-part TV drama for ITV. And with a script written by Guy Burt (of The Bletchley Circle), this has PBS written all over! Will the treasures of Tutankhamun wash up on these shores? One hopes!
The Goodbye Girl: Thursday July 9, a date that will live in infamy, was the last day for Downton Abbey Season 6 filming at Highclere Castle (meaning, as you know, the last ever). There are still a few weeks of filming in other locations, but this was it for the Big House. That’s all she wrote. On social media, some in the cast and crew posted pictures, including this wistful Tweet from Elizabeth McGovern as she made her graceful exit. Sigh. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Yeah, we should start stocking up on Kleenex early.
Crimson in Clover: If you missed my interview with The Crimson Field’s creator and writer, Sarah Phelps, you can find it here. Sarah is an amazing scriptwriter, who has worked on numerous TV series, including EastEnders, but The Crimson Field was her own creation. Read what she had to say about her extensive research and the true stories the series is based upon.
Tweet, tweet!: Are you on Twitter? If so, I hope you’ll follow Thirteen @ThirteenWNET, WLIW @WLIW21, and me @E20Launderette.
Till next time, Downtonians, stay cool and enjoy the Jersey Tomatoes!
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