Season four of the series — which chronicles the post-World War I lives and loves of the aristocratic Crawley family and its staff — was the show's most watched, and its premiere was the highest-rated for a PBS drama. It also has made Emmy history as the most lauded non-U.S. show, with 39 nominations and 10 wins.
FULL STORY: On the Set of 'Downton Abbey' as Hollywood Reporter Gets Exclusive Look at Season 5
"Playing Wink Murder — that helps at dining room table scenes," says Dockery (right, with her onscreen sister Carmichael) with a laugh, citing the popular English whodunit parlor game as just one of the methods used by the cast to pass the time during 11-hour days on set. "There's also the movie game. Someone names a film and you name an actor in that film, and it passes on. It's great fun when we're all here together." About a third of the series is filmed at Highclere, while the "downstairs" and bedroom scenes are shot at London's Ealing Studios. Filming a season's batch of nine episodes takes about six months, with two episodes filmed at the same time over a period of five weeks.
"How Julian effortlessly juggles all these different balls at the same time is quite something," says exec producer Neame (left, with Carter, Fellowes and Dockery). "Most shows have a regular cast of about six. If you divide six by 42 minutes, you can work out why that ratio works. We have to get 20 characters with meaningful stories into that same length of time in each episode."
"He's the constant who's always there, trying to keep things on an even keel," says Emmy nominee Jim Carter of his lovably stiff butler, Charles Carson, a loyal Downton employee who savors little in life beyond serving the Crawley family. Carter admits his character's professional obsession means he doesn't see as much excitement or plot-driven action as other castmembers do. "It's mainly just me trying to get food and drink into these people," he laughs.
Working off of an idea from executive producer Gareth Neame, creator Julian Fellowes (the Oscar-winning scribe of Robert Altman's similarly themed Gosford Park) has written each of Downton's 40 or so episodes. "It was perfect for the zeitgeist," says Fellowes of Downton's grasp on viewers. "The Western world's financial picture has been so worrying that there was need to believe that the world was once a simpler place, when lunch- and dinnertime were sacred."
Fellowes chats with the actor during a break in filming as Carter and Naeme stroll on set.
From left: Footmen Kevin Doyle and Rob James-Collier and butler Jim Carter have arguably the longest hours of the cast, appearing in scenes upstairs with the Crawleys and downstairs with the staff. "At the moment, it's just me here because my staff, Mrs. Hughes [Phyllis Logan], Mrs. Patmore [Lesley Nicol], Anna [Joanne Froggatt] and Daisy [Sophie McShera] all have days off," jokes Carter.
Fellowes takes a stroll on Highclere's lush 5,000-acre property. Since 1679, the castle has been home to the Carnarvon family and sits on the site of an earlier house, which was built on the foundations of a medieval palace. Fellowes, Neame and series producer Liz Trubridge are the primary custodians of Downton, which is a co-production of Masterpiece and Neame's Carnival Films. "Nobody sees the scripts until we're happy with them," Fellowes says. He admits to being amused by press speculation about plotlines. "They've killed off Maggie [Smith]'s character about 50 times," says Fellowes, whose wife, Emma — herself from a noble family (she's the niece of the third Earl Kitchener) — often advises him on scripts.
"I only signed up for three episodes," admits actor Leech (right, with Bonnevile). His character, Tom Branson, has had one of the most interesting story arcs, joining as the family chauffeur but later marrying Sybil Crawley and effectively becoming part of the estate. "When I finished the job, I wondered whether he'd be brought back. But he grew in season two and again in season three, because of Sybil's death."
The actress takes a break from filming.
The actress plays Lady Rose MacClare on the drama series.
The cast and crew just before cameras start rolling.
Bonneville jokes around as Carmichael watches, amused.
Downton crewmembers prep for another take in the Highclere dining room, as Bonneville (holding the napkin) has a laugh with co-stars Smith (center) and Carmichael (right). Smith plays Lord Grantham's acerbic but quippy mother, the Dowager Countess Violet Crawley, a performance that has netted the two-time Oscar winner three consecutive Emmy nominations and one win. Two-time Emmy nominee Bonneville was a busy film actor before Downton (Iris, Notting Hill) and recently appeared opposite George Clooney and Matt Damon in Monuments Men. Most of the cast and crew are based in London, but if the series is filming for a week at Highclere, they'll stay in the area.
Wilton, who plays Isobel Crawley, readies for a scene. Highclere's drawing room, dining room, main hall and library are the only interiors used for filming, but almost all of the furniture and decor are the estate's originals. With the show skipping through several years across a period of significant change for fashion, particularly women's, the costume department is continuously making more and more outfits.
Dockery, who plays Lady Mary Crawley, has been subject to endless media chatter about her leaving Downton, with numerous predicted exits having come and gone. "It amuses me more than anything, because it's all speculation, and I think it's down to fact the show has such a popularity," she says. "But no, I'm here till the end, whenever that may be."
"When I was coming on board the show, Dame Maggie [Smith] was already attached to it, but it wasn't certain it was really going to happen, that she'd be coming back to British TV," says James-Collier (right, with McGovern, and Bonneville in the background), who plays gay first footman Thomas Barrow. "Then there I was, sitting opposite her at the read-through, and I thought, 'My God, how did I do that?' "
The actresses share a laugh on the Highclere Castle set.