For the past ten years, we’ve been saying goodbye to the Crawley family. The first farewell came in 2015, when the beloved ITV series ended after six seasons, and was followed by the first feature film in 2019 and its 2022 sequel, Downton Abbey: A New Era, which felt like a natural end to the franchise with the climactic passing of the formidable Dowager Countess Violet Crawley, played by Dame Maggie Smith, who died in September last year.
But while the Crawleys and their staff have come in and out of our lives for 15 years now, the third outing of Julian Fellowes’ long-running family saga really does feel final – and what a beautiful send-off it was.
When we return to the world of Downton, it’s 1930 and Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) has joined her parents, the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) and the Countess of Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern), for a grand party in London. But the festivities are short-lived as Lady Mary is very quickly ushered out of the function after news of her divorce from her second husband, Henry Talbot (Matthew Goode), gets out. After all, host Lady Petersfield (Joely Richardson) couldn’t possibly have a divorced woman in attendance with the royal family on the guest list!
Elsewhere, Lady Grantham’s mother has passed away, and she’s relying on her inheritance to help rescue Downton from its recent financial woes, prompting the arrival of her brother Harold (a returning Paul Giamatti) and his shifty but charismatic financial advisor Gus (Alessandro Nivola), who catches the eye of Lady Mary.
It’s clear that change is well and truly coming to Downton, despite resistance from Lord Grantham, who is not coping very well with the prospect of downsizing from his London townhouse to a *gulp* flat, and with handing the reins over to Mary as the new head of the Downton estate. Meanwhile, Lady Merton (Penelope Wilton) is hellbent on modernising the County Fair, head cook Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nicol) is preparing for retirement, and former footman Barrow (Robert James-Collier) calls in, accompanied by his secret lover, actor Guy Dexter (Dominic West), and playwright Noël Coward (Arty Froushan).
A brilliant and beautiful farewell to the well-loved saga
© FOCUS FEATURES / Rory MulveyThe film is a brilliant and beautiful farewell to the well-loved saga and delivers everything Downton fans want and love: a blend of humour, drama and a tinge of sadness with stunning cinematography and heartwarming moments between beloved characters. For me, the stand-out performer was newcomer Arty Froushan’s excellent portrayal of playwright Noël Coward, who brings star power to Downton following Lady Mary’s public scandal.
© Focus FeaturesAlthough fans, myself included, would happily see its continuation for another 15 years, in the words of the Earl of Grantham near the end of the film, “It’s time to move on.”.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is in cinemas from 12 September.
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