After 15 years, Downton Abbey is set to come to an end.
It's taken six seasons, 52 episodes and two films - but this week the third film, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, hits cinemas and spells the final chapter for the worldwide phenomenon.
Ahead of the release, three long time cast members, Laura Carmichael, Michelle Dockery and Joanne Froggatt discussed what the end of the series meant to them.
"It's for the fans, it's a beautiful tribute to Maggie - but it really is for the fans out there. And that just felt so good to give that one last story to everybody out there."
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks EDB Downton Abbey fans.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
After fifteen years, the end is nigh. Six seasons, fifty
two episodes, two films to date, but this week the
third film, Downton Abbey, the Grand Finale, hit cinemas and
spells the final chapter for this worldwide phenomenon. Ahead of
the release, I'm excited to talk to three longtime cast
members joining me Lady Edith Pellham, Lady Mary Crawley and
(00:36):
Anna Bates. These wonderful characters played by Laura Carmichael, Michelle
Dockery and Joanne Froggett. Ladies, welcome, Thank you, thanks for
having us. Michelle. Can I start with you, Lady Mary.
Can't afford to be sentimental, but I felt very sentimental
watching this film. I laughed and I cried, and I
thought it was an incredibly fitting ending to an Eraror
(00:58):
how did it feel for you wrapping this film?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
It felt really poigny in this film because we all
knew it was the last one. So I felt like
I really tried to relish every moment, you know, every
scene that we did the last time we were at
High Clear, the last time we were doing scenes together,
it felt like I really wanted to soak up every moment,
(01:20):
and I think Julian did such a brilliant job of
wrapping up every single storyline for every character. And really
it is it's for the fans. You know, it's a
beautiful tribute to Maggie, but it really is, it's for
the fans out there, and that was just just felt
(01:41):
so good to kind of give that one last story
to everybody out there.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
It's interesting you mentioned Meggie, because Laura probably the last
thing I thought just as I was walking into this
to see this film was about day Meggie Smith, and
the film does an incredibly beautiful job of paying tribute
to both her and Violet Crawley. Was her absence missed
on set?
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Yeah? Yeah, I mean we were thinking of her and
talking about her every day. Really. I mean, I've said this,
but I feel like we will spend the rest of
our lives telling brilliant Maggie Smith's stories. So and you
know that was true. Whilst we were filming this film,
we were reminiscing on the funny things she said and
(02:29):
how brilliantly she played that part, and Julian wrote the
script very much with the violet they're looking over us
and yeah, as you've seen the movie, I think it
does do a fitting farewell to all of these characters,
and it was very special for us to.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Have that how formulative heirs down to Abby being for
your career, Joanne.
Speaker 5 (02:58):
Oh, Well, it's hard to say, isn't it, because I
suppose I don't know what would have happened if I
was in Doubton, so but I mean it's certainly not
done it any harm, for sure. No, it's been incredible.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
It's been amazing to be on.
Speaker 5 (03:18):
Such a success and with such an amazing group of people.
I've been working professionally for twelve years before I got
downt In, and then I think Downton came at such
a wonderful time in my career. This sort of show
came in and swept everyone off their feet, and we
were all swept along with it, And it was a
(03:39):
wonderful experience to be a part of something that was
internationally such a big hit, and to get to play
a character I just really love.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
I wanted to.
Speaker 5 (03:50):
I always relished going back to play her every season,
and I felt challenged as an actor, and I felt
joy as an actor to be able to go and
play her every year, and that's just incredible.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Really, What did you love about her?
Speaker 5 (04:07):
I loved that her sense of right and wrong. I
loved her genuine nature. I loved that she was a
good person in the absolute true sense, and that no
one could sway her from that. She was a strong person,
but a good person. I wanted to make her a
(04:27):
strong character because I think you do have to be
strong to be a good person, in some ways, much
stronger than you do to not be a good person.
So I, you know, I felt like often the nice
characters are depicted is a bit weak or you know,
sort of less dynamic in some way, and I didn't
want her to be any of those things, and I
(04:48):
don't think she was, so I'm really proud of her
for that.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Joanne, you mentioned been able to come back to Downton
and things, and you've all been so busy in between
Downton episodes. I've been We've been absolutely loving you in
mob Blend. Is it easy to come and go from
a care when there is so much else hitpening in between?
Speaker 3 (05:10):
I think.
Speaker 5 (05:12):
That first day back on set is always kind of oh, okay,
we're back, We're doing this character again, and you sort
of go with Anna. It was very much I keep
saying this, but I put on Anna's shoes and I'd
be like, oh, there she is, there she is. I've
found her again. I'm very excited to be going back
to do season two of Mobland in a few weeks
we start, and I am so looking forward to it again.
(05:34):
I you know, with that character, I wanted Jan to
be a character that I wanted to go back and play,
and I can't wait to go back and play her.
And for me, it is very much about costume and makeup. Actually,
I think once you've got the costume on, even if
it's a modern costume, you feel different, you know, you
feel different to yourself and you can kind of look
at yourself in the mirror fleetingly walking out of the
makeup trainer and go, okay, right, I've got her, I've
(05:56):
got her.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
She's back. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
So, Michelle and Laura, how much did the costumes and
things play a role? And you finding your characters? I
mean they are it's so leavish, it's so exquisite to
look at.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Yeah, I mean, so many of those costumes really inform
your posture and the way that you move. And you know,
although they've evolved over the you know, fifteen years of
Downton and they've become much more comfortable. We're not in
corsets anymore, it's still you know, kind of gives you
this kind of elegance and the way that you walk
(06:29):
and you hold yourself, and they've just I think they've
just got better and better as each you know, series
went on and the three films, and I really think
that this last one does feel like the finale when
it comes to the costumes. Sure, it's just Anna robins Ow,
brilliantly talented costume designer, just really went for it for
(06:50):
this last one. And they're particularly the ballroom gowns, the
red dress and your beautiful blue and red dress. They
were just so wonderful to wear.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Do you ever feel like you miss out a little bit?
Joanna with your sensible Anna shows.
Speaker 5 (07:06):
Well, I think it was sort of fake, maybe on
because I love fashional clothes, so maybe like at first
I was like because I was like I love that dress,
I still do it. I love that or I love that,
but I do that all the time anyway, I'll literally
stop someone on the tube and say, where did you
get that bag from? But I've I loved Anna's clothes,
Like I say, you want them to be right for
(07:27):
your character. And actually the practicality of Anna's clothes in
the long running series was absolutely dreamy because the ladies
here had to wear, you know, especially early on, lots
of fabrics that were original, very very delicate, had to
go for hours and hours and hours of costume fittings.
(07:48):
I do one fitting for a couple of hours at
the start of series. My costume was made for me,
but in obviously the period style, so it's much more
wearable durable. So I could, you know, low down and
have a cheeky snooze if I had five hours in
between scenes or something and wake up completely priest and
ready to go, whereas the girls would have to get
(08:09):
changed and take a courset off.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
And so it was.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
It was Anna was comfortable, not the corsets, but yeah,
I was comfortable in her clothes.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
And also so much of that was within the story.
So between Anna and Mary, you know, so many of
those scenes were in Mary's bedroom preparing Mary's classess and
you know, and there was always a you know, obviously
a rehearsal between us of what Anna was putting out?
Was it her stocking? She was laying out the the gloves,
(08:42):
what would you put on first? And it was sometimes
I would sit there and just be like, Oh, I
just actually quite envy Joe just in a very simple
black dress.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
There's no fuss, Yeah, Laura, Lady Edith. There's a character
who has evolved a lot over the fifteen years, and
I might not have actually realized how much she hid
until I watched the final film. What have you loved
about playing her?
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (09:10):
I have loved that character revolution really, I think you know,
she started at the beginning of the series, probably the
most traditional of.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
The three girls.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
You know, she would have been very happy to marry
well and live a life like her grandmother's in a
big house, you know, but it didn't go that way
for her, and in that sort of heartbreak and humiliation
of being jilted, that was the kind of catalyst really
(09:42):
for her finding her voice and using it and writing
a letter to the Times and finding that she could
be a writer, which I loved for her, and I
kind of love as this sort of message from Julian
that in those moments that can be the making of you.
And you know how much more exciting a life she's
(10:04):
lived because of those.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Moments, Michelle. In this film, Lady Mary has to navigate
to the social disgrace of divorce in the nineteen thirties.
This is something that Downtown's always done really well, hasn't it.
It doesn't ignore the fact that life is missy and
things don't go brilliantly for everybody, and that's just kind
of life. We can relate to what everyone's going through,
whether they're upstels or downstairs.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Absolutely. I think that's one of the things that people
love about the show is that it's so human and
even though it is a time, you know that we
don't necessarily recognize, it's still the characters still kind of
go through these sort of trials and tribulations, ups and
downs that people can really relate to. And I've always
loved Mary for that. You know, she's sort of been
(10:49):
on this roller coaster throughout the series and the three films,
and even the last movie. There's one last challenge for her,
and that's kind of navigating this attitude towards her being
divorced and pushed out society, and you know it then
kind of shows all of the characters vulnerabilities and flaws
(11:12):
and and I think that's what people love, is that
they love seeing these very human characters. And that's real
credit to Julian.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Thank you all so much. Wonderful. As I said, a
wonderful finale to an amazing erar. It's been just wonderful
to follow you all. Thank you so much for your.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
Time, thank you my pleasure, thank you.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
That was the ladies of Downton Abby.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
There.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
As I mentioned, I've been very lucky to see the
film already. It really is. I loved it. I laughed
and I cried. I think if you're a Downton Abby fan,
you're gonna love it as well. Down to Abby. The
Grand Finale is in cinemas this Thursday.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks it Be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks EDB Downton Abbey fans.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
After fifteen years, the end is nigh. Six seasons, fifty
two episodes, two films to date, but this week the
third film, Downton Abbey, the Grand Finale, hit cinemas and
spells the final chapter for this worldwide phenomenon. Ahead of
the release, I'm excited to talk to three longtime cast
members joining me Lady Edith Pellham, Lady Mary Crawley and
(00:36):
Anna Bates. These wonderful characters played by Laura Carmichael, Michelle
Dockery and Joanne Froggett. Ladies, welcome, Thank you, thanks for
having us. Michelle. Can I start with you, Lady Mary.
Can't afford to be sentimental, but I felt very sentimental
watching this film. I laughed and I cried, and I
thought it was an incredibly fitting ending to an Eraror
(00:58):
how did it feel for you wrapping this film?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
It felt really poigny in this film because we all
knew it was the last one. So I felt like
I really tried to relish every moment, you know, every
scene that we did the last time we were at
High Clear, the last time we were doing scenes together,
it felt like I really wanted to soak up every moment,
(01:20):
and I think Julian did such a brilliant job of
wrapping up every single storyline for every character. And really
it is it's for the fans. You know, it's a
beautiful tribute to Maggie, but it really is, it's for
the fans out there, and that was just just felt
(01:41):
so good to kind of give that one last story
to everybody out there.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
It's interesting you mentioned Meggie, because Laura probably the last
thing I thought just as I was walking into this
to see this film was about day Meggie Smith, and
the film does an incredibly beautiful job of paying tribute
to both her and Violet Crawley. Was her absence missed
on set?
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Yeah? Yeah, I mean we were thinking of her and
talking about her every day. Really. I mean, I've said this,
but I feel like we will spend the rest of
our lives telling brilliant Maggie Smith's stories. So and you
know that was true. Whilst we were filming this film,
we were reminiscing on the funny things she said and
(02:29):
how brilliantly she played that part, and Julian wrote the
script very much with the violet they're looking over us
and yeah, as you've seen the movie, I think it
does do a fitting farewell to all of these characters,
and it was very special for us to.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Have that how formulative heirs down to Abby being for
your career, Joanne.
Speaker 5 (02:58):
Oh, Well, it's hard to say, isn't it, because I
suppose I don't know what would have happened if I
was in Doubton, so but I mean it's certainly not
done it any harm, for sure. No, it's been incredible.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
It's been amazing to be on.
Speaker 5 (03:18):
Such a success and with such an amazing group of people.
I've been working professionally for twelve years before I got
downt In, and then I think Downton came at such
a wonderful time in my career. This sort of show
came in and swept everyone off their feet, and we
were all swept along with it, And it was a
(03:39):
wonderful experience to be a part of something that was
internationally such a big hit, and to get to play
a character I just really love.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
I wanted to.
Speaker 5 (03:50):
I always relished going back to play her every season,
and I felt challenged as an actor, and I felt
joy as an actor to be able to go and
play her every year, and that's just incredible.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Really, What did you love about her?
Speaker 5 (04:07):
I loved that her sense of right and wrong. I
loved her genuine nature. I loved that she was a
good person in the absolute true sense, and that no
one could sway her from that. She was a strong person,
but a good person. I wanted to make her a
(04:27):
strong character because I think you do have to be
strong to be a good person, in some ways, much
stronger than you do to not be a good person.
So I, you know, I felt like often the nice
characters are depicted is a bit weak or you know,
sort of less dynamic in some way, and I didn't
want her to be any of those things, and I
(04:48):
don't think she was, so I'm really proud of her
for that.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Joanne, you mentioned been able to come back to Downton
and things, and you've all been so busy in between
Downton episodes. I've been We've been absolutely loving you in
mob Blend. Is it easy to come and go from
a care when there is so much else hitpening in between?
Speaker 3 (05:10):
I think.
Speaker 5 (05:12):
That first day back on set is always kind of oh, okay,
we're back, We're doing this character again, and you sort
of go with Anna. It was very much I keep
saying this, but I put on Anna's shoes and I'd
be like, oh, there she is, there she is. I've
found her again. I'm very excited to be going back
to do season two of Mobland in a few weeks
we start, and I am so looking forward to it again.
(05:34):
I you know, with that character, I wanted Jan to
be a character that I wanted to go back and play,
and I can't wait to go back and play her.
And for me, it is very much about costume and makeup. Actually,
I think once you've got the costume on, even if
it's a modern costume, you feel different, you know, you
feel different to yourself and you can kind of look
at yourself in the mirror fleetingly walking out of the
makeup trainer and go, okay, right, I've got her, I've
(05:56):
got her.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
She's back. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
So, Michelle and Laura, how much did the costumes and
things play a role? And you finding your characters? I
mean they are it's so leavish, it's so exquisite to
look at.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Yeah, I mean, so many of those costumes really inform
your posture and the way that you move. And you know,
although they've evolved over the you know, fifteen years of
Downton and they've become much more comfortable. We're not in
corsets anymore, it's still you know, kind of gives you
this kind of elegance and the way that you walk
(06:29):
and you hold yourself, and they've just I think they've
just got better and better as each you know, series
went on and the three films, and I really think
that this last one does feel like the finale when
it comes to the costumes. Sure, it's just Anna robins Ow,
brilliantly talented costume designer, just really went for it for
(06:50):
this last one. And they're particularly the ballroom gowns, the
red dress and your beautiful blue and red dress. They
were just so wonderful to wear.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Do you ever feel like you miss out a little bit?
Joanna with your sensible Anna shows.
Speaker 5 (07:06):
Well, I think it was sort of fake, maybe on
because I love fashional clothes, so maybe like at first
I was like because I was like I love that dress,
I still do it. I love that or I love that,
but I do that all the time anyway, I'll literally
stop someone on the tube and say, where did you
get that bag from? But I've I loved Anna's clothes,
Like I say, you want them to be right for
(07:27):
your character. And actually the practicality of Anna's clothes in
the long running series was absolutely dreamy because the ladies
here had to wear, you know, especially early on, lots
of fabrics that were original, very very delicate, had to
go for hours and hours and hours of costume fittings.
(07:48):
I do one fitting for a couple of hours at
the start of series. My costume was made for me,
but in obviously the period style, so it's much more
wearable durable. So I could, you know, low down and
have a cheeky snooze if I had five hours in
between scenes or something and wake up completely priest and
ready to go, whereas the girls would have to get
(08:09):
changed and take a courset off.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
And so it was.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
It was Anna was comfortable, not the corsets, but yeah,
I was comfortable in her clothes.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
And also so much of that was within the story.
So between Anna and Mary, you know, so many of
those scenes were in Mary's bedroom preparing Mary's classess and
you know, and there was always a you know, obviously
a rehearsal between us of what Anna was putting out?
Was it her stocking? She was laying out the the gloves,
(08:42):
what would you put on first? And it was sometimes
I would sit there and just be like, Oh, I
just actually quite envy Joe just in a very simple
black dress.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
There's no fuss, Yeah, Laura, Lady Edith. There's a character
who has evolved a lot over the fifteen years, and
I might not have actually realized how much she hid
until I watched the final film. What have you loved
about playing her?
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (09:10):
I have loved that character revolution really, I think you know,
she started at the beginning of the series, probably the
most traditional of.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
The three girls.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
You know, she would have been very happy to marry
well and live a life like her grandmother's in a
big house, you know, but it didn't go that way
for her, and in that sort of heartbreak and humiliation
of being jilted, that was the kind of catalyst really
(09:42):
for her finding her voice and using it and writing
a letter to the Times and finding that she could
be a writer, which I loved for her, and I
kind of love as this sort of message from Julian
that in those moments that can be the making of you.
And you know how much more exciting a life she's
(10:04):
lived because of those.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Moments, Michelle. In this film, Lady Mary has to navigate
to the social disgrace of divorce in the nineteen thirties.
This is something that Downtown's always done really well, hasn't it.
It doesn't ignore the fact that life is missy and
things don't go brilliantly for everybody, and that's just kind
of life. We can relate to what everyone's going through,
whether they're upstels or downstairs.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Absolutely. I think that's one of the things that people
love about the show is that it's so human and
even though it is a time, you know that we
don't necessarily recognize, it's still the characters still kind of
go through these sort of trials and tribulations, ups and
downs that people can really relate to. And I've always
loved Mary for that. You know, she's sort of been
(10:49):
on this roller coaster throughout the series and the three films,
and even the last movie. There's one last challenge for her,
and that's kind of navigating this attitude towards her being
divorced and pushed out society, and you know it then
kind of shows all of the characters vulnerabilities and flaws
(11:12):
and and I think that's what people love, is that
they love seeing these very human characters. And that's real
credit to Julian.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Thank you all so much. Wonderful. As I said, a
wonderful finale to an amazing erar. It's been just wonderful
to follow you all. Thank you so much for your.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
Time, thank you my pleasure, thank you.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
That was the ladies of Downton Abby.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
There.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
As I mentioned, I've been very lucky to see the
film already. It really is. I loved it. I laughed
and I cried. I think if you're a Downton Abby fan,
you're gonna love it as well. Down to Abby. The
Grand Finale is in cinemas this Thursday.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks it Be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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