As season four of Downton Abbey kicks off Sunday January 5 on PBS’s Masterpiece, Parade offers an obsessive tour of the blockbuster show’s beloved characters, customs, and costumes—from A (American Heiresses) to Z (some of the best Zingers from Maggie Smith’s Dowager Countess Violet).
Here is just a sampling of the more surprising facts included on the list:
F is for FOOD: Downton’s dinner table has hosted many pivotal scenes. Because the dishes must hold up under hot lights, anything sugar- or cream-based is out, as is fish (which the cast discovered the hard way, Parade reports).
K is for KING TUTANKHAMUN: The Egyptian ruler has a connection to Highclere Castle, owned by the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, where the show is filmed. His tomb was discovered in 1922 by the fifth Earl of Carnarvon and a colleague, and Highclere houses replicas of items found there. Although this history won’t intersect with Downton’s story line, “everybody [on set] talks about the house being haunted,” says Shirley MacLaine, who plays Lady Cora’s mother.
Y is for YORK PRISON: Bates spent much of season three here after being falsely convicted of murdering his first wife. Those scenes were filmed at Lincoln Castle in Lincoln, used as the city’s court and prison for 900 years and home to one of only four surviving copies of the Magna Carta.
For 23 more fascinating Downton facts, including the direction co-creator Julian Fellowes took with season four’s finale, go to Parade.com: http://bit.ly/1eYgAuy or check out Sunday’s Parade.
The latest Downton Abbey merchandise … from wine to roses
Downton Abbey, Inc.
At first, fans could only buy DVDs, calendars, and the like. But now Downton merchandising, which last year generated revenues of about $24 million worldwide, is expected to leap to a minimum of $250 million globally in 2014. The items will range from fabrics to tea bags, but Parade highlights a few of particular interest:
· Beauty products — Including lotions, lip gloss, and nail polish packaged with quotations such as Lady Mary’s “Now stop talking & kiss me, before I get cross.”
· Wines — Wines that Rock is offering a Downton Abbey Claret and Blanc, retailing for $17 (take a sip every time bad news arrives via the post).
· Roses — New varieties of roses to rival Violet’s best blooms will be sold in garden centers.