The great philosopher Fred Rogers once said, ‘There is no normal life that is free of pain. It is the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for growth.’ Unfortunately for some of our friends at Downton…

T-minus one week and counting to the January 5 Downton Abbey Season 4 premiere! Yes, almost here! I have to say that at this point I have already seen episode one but I am sworn to secrecy. All I will…

This past week New York City played host to a Downton Abbey-a-palooza, with the cast (and a gazillion cuppas of tea) taking the city by storm. Hugh Bonneville (Lord Grantham), Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith), Rob James-Collier (Thomas), Allen Leech (Tom…

In my last Dispatch I said I was going to try to spend the weekend getting ready for Season 4 by having my own marathon of Seasons 1, 2 and 3. Well, it was a valiant effort but I only…

The Downton Abbey juggernaut just keeps moving and is now steaming across the Atlantic on its way to its big January premiere. So now is the time to hit the refresh button and catch up on past episodes before we…

This week it’s a video clip fest! As we approach the January 5th premier of Season 4, Masterpiece continues to serve up some tantalizing video hors d’oeuvres for our viewing pleasure. So, here’s a mini-film festival Thirteen-style… Preview of Coming…

Can’t you can feel the anticipation in the air as the fourth season of Masterpiece Classic’s Downton Abbey fast approaches? I’ve heard that some Downtonians are already planning viewing parties for the new season. Are you? If you are, please…

I hope you have all been enjoying this streak of glorious weather we have been having lately! This is the kind of weather when it would be lovely to take a book outside and sit on that bench, under the…

Summertime has come and gone. Have you enjoyed watching the reruns of Seasons 1 & 2 of Upstairs Downstairs? I have, and it’s made me wish the BBC had ordered a Season 3 as well. I want to know what happened to everyone…

Recently, at work, I met a British man who was visiting New York and we started chatting (I don’t know about you, but whenever I meet a Brit, I try to keep them talking just so I can listen to…

Greetings Downtonians, We are at the midway point in our annual trip around the sun; the point in our orbit at which we are the farthest from Downton Abbey—smack dab in-between the end of last season and the beginning of…

Dispatch from the Downton Abbey Diaspora is written for THIRTEEN by Deborah Gilbert, a British television maven and editor of the E20 Chronicles, a free, weekly EastEnders e-newsletter, and an EastEnders column in the Union Jack Newspaper. Check back for…

Dispatch from the Downton Abbey Diaspora is written for THIRTEEN by Deborah Gilbert, a British television maven and editor of the E20 Chronicles, a free, weekly EastEnders e-newsletter, and an EastEnders column in the Union Jack Newspaper. Check back for…

Dispatch from the Downton Abbey Diaspora is written for Inside THIRTEEN by Deborah Gilbert, a British television maven and editor of the E20 Chronicles, a free, weekly Eastenders e-newsletter, and an Eastenders column in the Union Jack Newspaper. Check back…

Dispatch from the Downton Abbey Diaspora is written for Inside THIRTEEN by Deborah Gilbert, a British television maven and editor of the E20 Chronicles, a free, weekly Eastenders e-newsletter, and an Eastenders column in the Union Jack Newspaper. Check back…