The 'funny and heartbreaking' period drama that follows a 'masterpiece' TV series

Fans of a very popular television series have commented on a big-screen offering which continues the story of the period drama. Downton Abbey finished filming in 2015 and has built up a cult following amongst fans who are now offering their opinion of a two hour, five minute movie production called Downton Abbey: A new era.

Three years after the first Downton Abbey movie, when King George V was a guest, Julian Fellowes couldn't resist crafting a sequel - and Brits couldn't resist watching it. Downton Abbey: A New Era picks up right where the first film left off, as the Crawleys usher in the 1930s. This motion picture was released in 2022 and is gaining popular appeal on sites such as Rotten Tomatoes, where it has a whopping 86% approval rating and some very positive feedback.

This time, there are two main storylines: a delightful farce bordering on self-parody at home, and a soap opera mystery on the French Riviera. At Downton, Michelle Dockery's Lady Mary persuades Hugh Bonneville's Lord Grantham that their grand estate needs some serious renovations after finding leaks in the roof.

And what better way to finance these plans than by inviting a silent film crew to shoot a movie, taking Fellowes' narrative to a whole new level. With the Hollywood glamour comes new characters like Hugh Dancy's charming director who's interested in starting a fling with Lady Mary, Dominic West's Clark Gable-esque leading man (who's quite friendly with Branson the Butler), and Laura Haddock's Hollywood starlet whose career is threatened as Talkies become popular.

The beloved Downstairs characters quickly get involved with the film production, particularly Kevin Doyle's Mr Molesley who delivers some of the film's biggest laughs, just as he did in the previous movie when he dared to speak out of turn to the King.

In the upcoming soap opera, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Maggie Smith's character, the Dowager, has unexpectedly inherited a villa from an old admirer. This prompts Lord Grantham and a small group of servants to journey to the south of France for investigation.

Once there, they encounter startling revelations that cast doubt on his birthright, all while Fellowes cleverly engages the audience through the antics of characters like Jim Carter's grumpy retired servant, Mr Carson.

Upon reaching the villa, Lord Grantham notes that he brought his former butler along for some undisclosed reason, possibly known only to the audience as a way to involve familiar characters in the storyline.

The humorously snooty Carson grumbles his way around France in the heat, stubbornly clinging to his three-piece tweed suit. In a humorous twist, he is mistaken for Lady Bagshaw's husband, played by his real-life spouse, Imelda Staunton.

Given the large ensemble cast, both Upstairs and Downstairs favorites each have their moments in the spotlight, which is a marked improvement from the first film where not all characters had significant roles.

Fans have adored this instalment coming after the TV programme, with one writing on Rotten Tomatoes: "Where the first film was a grand, glittering return to form, A New Era offers something deeper: a moving meditation on time, change, and letting go. It's funny, romantic, and-at times-genuinely heartbreaking. Michelle Dockery is radiant once again as Lady Mary, now the steadfast center of the estate. As a film crew descends upon Downton, Mary is tasked with holding tradition in one hand and modernity in the other-a metaphor she wears well."

Another watcher wrote: "I only recently got on the Downton Abbey bandwagon after avoiding it like the plague for years as a period drama snob. How wrong I was. The series is a genuine television masterpiece and the films take the story and characters in new directions while providing 2 hours of escapist fun. Shut out the world and imagine your a 1920s aristocrat, you'll feel better for it."