Downton Abbey! Are You Hooked???

Oh my! I hope the title of this blog post has caught your attention. If you are not a Downton Abbey fan then I must beg you to be come one! If you like English History, costume dramas, well rounded characters and Maggie Smith (she's just not Professor McGonagall after all!) this is for you!

I have long been a fan of British television. It doesn't really matter what the show is...if it is British then I like it. My obsession started as a kid as my parents and I gathered around the television to watch PBS Mystery. Inspector Morse was the one I remember liking the most, and the series has continued on with his partner Inspector Lewis. I have about five of Inspector Lewis on the DVR right now!  

From there my tastes progressed: Keeping Up Appearances, Ab Fab, The Vicar of Dibley. Classics.

Then came along BBC America and You Tube where you can watch about any show you want. There were many many new ones to add to the list: The Office, East Enders, Coupling, and Monarch of the Glen.

Monarch of the Glen was a particular favorite. Set in the Highlands of Scotland what happens to a family when a man rejects his hereditary tittle of laird (lord) and would rather live in London and run a restaurant?

One of the characters of Monarch of the Glen was Lord Kilwillie - who was played by Julian Fellowes. Hmmm, does the name sound familiar. Not only a fantastic actor, Julian Fellowes is a writer that has brought us Gosford Park and you guessed it - Downton Abbey!

I am so excited that Downton Abbey has caught on in America. It is a beautiful piece of work that I look forward to every Sunday. Every morning when I switch on my computer I am amazed and delighted to see all the articles floating around out there about my favorite show.

In fact waiting for the second season to premiere here in the US has been torture. So much so I was afraid I was going to read some of those articles floating around out there and stumble across some spoilers.

Downton was every where. And I wanted it to be every where while I didn't want it to be every where!

Finally it was season two premiere day. I could hardly wait. I was dying. And  then I pulled into my local grocery store parking lot and saw this:

A Downton Abbey billboard! In fact there are pictures of Downton Abbey all over the city. Not just billboards, but at bus stops and on the side of buses.

Silly I know, but I loved it!

So are you a Downton Abbey fan? Are you cheering for Anna and Mr. Bates? Who do you hate more? O'Brien or Thomas? And does Edith drive (literally) you bonkers?

How about a British television fan? What is your favorite?

If you like Gosford Park and Downton Abbey I highly recommend Julian Fellowes novel Snobs. A delightful read!