The past catches up with Downton Abbey cast

With Downton Abbey drawing to a close after the next series, Mr S suspects that, in the interest of historical accuracy, it may be for the best that it bows out sooner rather than later.

After it initially began in 1912, the show has raced through the years at such pace that it has now spanned over a decade since the first series was broadcast in 2010. As a result, the cast are having a difficult time keeping up. Maggie Smith recently went so far as to suggest that her character, the Dowager Countess, would be lucky to be alive in real life:

‘I mean, I certainly can’t keep going… To my knowledge I must be 110 by now. We’re into the late 1920s.’

A similar problem seems to have arisen for Joanne Froggatt, who plays the housemaid Anna Bates in the series. She revealed to Mr S at the annual St. Regis International Cup at Cowdray Park that:

‘If Maggie’s too old then we are all way too old. I think the show spans over 12 years and actually it’s more than that now, it might be 18 years. I would be about 45 and I’m not.’

Still, Froggatt, who is a mere 34 years old herself, is happy to accept compliments on behalf of her character’s youthful looks. ‘I don’t do any socialising as a maid, that’s why I look so good,’ she joshes.