Downton Abbey stars Michelle Dockery, Dame Maggie Smith and new cast addition Hugh Dancy feature on the cover of this week’s Radio Times magazine, celebrating their appearance in the new film, Downton Abbey: A New Era.
Speaking with Emma Cox, Dockery explains how lovely it is to be back in a role she has now inhabited for 12 years: “It’s really rare that you get back into the shoes of a character that you’ve played for so many years. It’s been three years since the last [Downton Abbey] film and we’ve all been doing work in between. It’s great to come back to something that is so familiar.”
Meanwhile Hugh Dancy reveals how he’d never seen Downton before his starring role in the film: “I’ve got two kids, and I’ve got 4,000 TV shows backed up in the library ready to watch, so I’ve only seen snippets of Downton. I was reading the script and about three times per page I’d have to dip into the fan pages online and look up Mr Carson or whatever and get the entire back story. It took me four hours to read the script that way!”
Downton creator, writer and executive producer Julian Fellowes chats about his plans for Downton’s next era, and reveals why he believes: “Nobody is more snobbish than the entertainment industry!”
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/04/radiotimescover-f9fb01d.jpg?quality=90&resize=310%2C413" "\"\"")
Also in the magazine this week:
- Lucy Worsley calls for more attention to be given to history’s women who murdered
- DI Ray star Parminder Nagra and creator Maya Sondhi discuss their new drama and the everyday racism they’ve faced in real-life
- Jack Davenport talks 10 percent and his thoughts on the backlash shown towards the This Life reunion: “The show was very of its time.”
If you’re looking for more to watch check out our TV Guide.
The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.