Julian Fellowes yet to start work on second season of Downton Abbey
Oscar-winning writer Julian Fellowes has admitted he hasn’t started work on the scripts for the second season of Downton Abbey.
Oscar-winning writer Julian Fellowes has admitted he hasn’t started work on the scripts for the second season of Downton Abbey. The Edwardian drama came to the conclusion of its first season last night on ITV1 with the outbreak of World War One. Downton Abbey has been the most successful costume drama for ITV since the Granada adaptation of Brideshead Revisited in the early 1980s. Ratings for Downton Abbey have topped 8 million viewers with the opening episode seen by a combined audience of 12 million viewers.
Critics have heaped praise on the drama and its all-star cast, the likes of Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville and Penelope Wilton, have all been praised for their performances. However, while ITV has commissioned a second eight-part series with filming due to start in February writer Julian Fellowes has yet to actually write the new episodes.
“People always say is there more pressure because the first series is a hit. What would be better? To have no pressure because there’s no hit or to have pressure because it is a hit” – Julian Fellowes in The Daily Telegraph
With Downton Abbey reaching the break-out of war in Europe in 1914 the second series will almost certainly cover the impact of the ‘Great War’ on the Crawley family and their servants. The fourth series of LWT’s critically acclaimed Upstairs, Downstairs won praise and awards for its portrayal of the war and the devastating impact it had on families and the country. However, Julian Fellowes has insisted that the action during the next season will stayed focused on Downton.
“I’m not a big believer in series that wander around. If it’s called Downton Abbey it’s going to stay at Downton” – Julian Fellowes in The Daily Telegraph
Later this year Upstairs, Downstairs will return to television screens for the first time in over 30 years for a new three-part series on BBC One. BBC bosses will be hoping the revived drama, this time set in the 1930s, will be as successful as Downton Abbey has been for ITV. Last night’s season finale of Downton Abbey topped 9 million viewers, read more here >>