America, land of the free is in thrall to Downton Abbey toffery

Season three of Downton Abbey aired in the US last night with viewing parties across the land and guests in period costume
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David Usborne7 January 2013

A Manhattan acquaintance asked me recently which side would win in a war between the United States and Britain. He seemed to be serious and I didn’t know how to respond. In matters military, I offered, the Brits would be slightly outgunned. I should have added: but we do have the Granthams.

If we are to speak about a “special relationship”, a degree of balance has to be restored. America is our superior in matters of fire power, economic might and cultural reach. Even when a Brit plays the lead role of a hit television show — Homeland, for example — American viewers see each episode weeks before we do.

But Downton Abbey is our secret weapon. America craves it and we are sparing in our willingness to supply. Not only have British viewers seen all of season three already (did I mention Sybil?), but they have also imbibed a two-hour Christmas special (did I mention Matthew?). British TV critics may have gone a little sour on the costume drama of late, but the point is this: we made America wait.

Season three began in the US last night. The exact number of Americans who tuned into PBS, the public television channel, for the opener isn’t yet known. But we can be certain the ratings will be stellar, not least because of the guest appearance by Shirley MacLaine. Season two had more than 17 million US viewers. No show in the history of the PBS Masterpiece Theatre, a Sunday night fixture for 40 years, has ever garnered such an audience.

Yesterday was a national television event with viewing parties across the land, some guests arriving in period costume. Even I held one, though the dress code was casual-contemporary.

Better still, the central joke of last night was on the Americans. MacLaine spent most of the two-hour episode sparring with Violet (Maggie “what’s-a-weekend?” Smith) about the difference between the Brits and the Yanks. MacLaine’s argument went something like this: we in America have moved on.

We have no nostalgia for all this upstairs-downstairs nonsense or all this class and social station kerfuffle. Oh yeah?

In 1920 that might have been so, but in 2013 they are lapping it up.

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