22 New Zealand Woman’s Weekly
JIM’S RETURN
What the
butler saw
to Downton
T
his is an image that could
mess with your mind.
Perched on a sofa in
Highclere Castle, the real-life
Fiona, Countess of Carnarvon,
is being served Champagne
by Jim Carter in his role as the
fictional Mr Carson, trusted
butler to Lord and Lady
Grantham of Downton Abbey.
Life is imitating art, as the
Carnarvons have opened
Highclere, where much of
the series was filmed, as a
visitor destination. A ticketedDownton event has now been
held on the grounds – a
celebration of music from
the TV series, hosted by Jim,
wearing Carson’s best white
tie and tails. Just prior to the
event, 12,000 people packed
the grounds for a concert
by Sir Elton John.
“It was the most amazing
evening,” says Lady Carnarvon
(56). “And now we have Jim
following in Elton’s footsteps.”
“Yes!” he says, “Jim
‘Rocketman’ Carter!” Theyboth roar with laughter.
Unsurprisingly, the events
have been sold out – the TV
series was, of course, watched
globally by 280 million people.
Many of those fans will be
queuing up to see the new
Downton film when it’s released
on September 13. It takes up
the story of the Crawleys and
their staff in 1927, a year after
the TV series ended.
The main trigger of the movie
is a visit by King George V and
Queen Mary (played by Simon
Jones and Geraldine James)
and the impact on the Downton
staff. The officious royal butler(David Haig) and his retinue
sweep into the kitchens ahead
of the visit and announce that
the resident staff will not be
needed. Tensions spiral, and
Lady Mary visits Carson in his
retirement and pleads with him
to intervene. “This is treason!”
he harrumphs. “I’ll be there in
the morning, m’lady.”
Did Jim find it strange
returning to his role as part
of a fully fledged movie?
“Well, it was quicker,” he says.
“A series was filmed in one
block from February to August.
The film took about 10 weeks
last autumn. But it felt just theFROM ROYALS TO ROCKETMAN,
THERE’S HIJINKS AT HIGHCLERECELEB UPDATE