Downton Abbey (2010)

The series is set in the fictional Downton Abbey, the Yorkshire country house of the Earl and Countess of Grantham, and follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the reign of King George V. The first series spans two years before the Great War, beginning with news of the sinking of the Titanic, which sets the story in motion. The second series covers the years 1916 to 1919 and the 2011 Christmas Special December 1919 to January 1920.

Highclere Castle in Hampshire was used for exterior shots of Downton Abbey and most of the interior filming. The servants' living areas were constructed and filmed at Ealing Studios.

The village of Bampton in Oxfordshire was used for filming outdoor scenes, most notably St Mary's Church and the library, which serves as the entrance to the cottage hospital. The North Yorkshire towns of Malton, Thirsk, Easingwold, Kirkby, Kirkbymoorside, Middlesbrough, Ripon and Richmond have been mentioned by characters in the series.

The first series cost an estimated £1 million per episode, and is the most successful British period drama since Brideshead Revisited, with ratings exceeding 10 million viewers. The series was well received in the United States, averaging more than six million viewers per episode.