Downton Abbey trailer: Violet Crawley has a date with royalty

We left the Crawley family in 2015, after five years of plot twists, petticoats and melo(period)drama kept viewers hooked to Julian Fellowes’ ITV series.

In the upcoming Downton Abbey film, due to be released on September 13, the year is 1927 – and the times are rapidly changing. Household funds are dwindling and there aren’t as many servants as there once were (meaning fewer apron-clad extras). The decadent way of life, to which the Crawley family became accustomed, is in jeopardy.

But the inevitable decline of the English upper-classes couldn’t have come at a worse time for Lord and Lady Grantham. They’re expecting a royal visit.

Fictionalised versions of King George V and Queen Mary (the current Queen’s grandparents) are going to feature in the upcoming Downton Abbey film.

The new trailer begins with the show’s familiar soundtrack, and a characteristically dry line from the Dowager Countess, Violet Crawley, played by Maggie Smith. She is joined by other veteran cast members including Laura Carmichael, playing Lady Edith, and Hugh Bonneville, playing the Earl of Grantham.

We hear the housekeeper, Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan) declare, “I want every surface in this house to gleam and sparkle.” Tensions mount as news of the royal luncheon spreads, with the household cook Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nicol) fretting, “I’m going to have to sit down.”

We meet the royal butler, played by David Haig, who is already shaping up to be a loathsome antagonist to the Downton staff.

There are several new cast members starring in the film, including Imelda Staunton, Geraldine James, Tuppence Middleton, Simon Jones, Kate Phillips, and Stephen Campbell Moore.

Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Harry Hadden-Paton, Rob James-Collier, Sophie McShera, Lesley Nicol and Penelope Wilton will all be reprising their roles, but Lily James will not return as Lady Rose.

Carter’s return is significant, given that his character Mr Carson was compelled to retire at the end of the series. Carson is asked to return to the stately home and, a stickler for tradition and high standards, he doesn’t refuse.

Alongside this rousing return is a potential departure: Lady Mary, played by Michelle Dockery contemplates leaving the estate forever.

Anna Bates (Joanne Froggatt), Mary’s loyal maid, tries to convince her ladyship – and perhaps audiences – of the supreme importance of Downton. “Downton Abbey’s the heart of this community,” she says, “and you’re keeping it beating.”

Lady Sybil’s widow, Tom Branson (Allen Leech), looks as if he’s gearing up for a new romance, and Mr and Mrs Bates hatch a plan to “defend Downton’s honour.”

There are several surprises yet to come. The King and Queen, or rather, the actors playing them, are not revealed in the trailer, which only shows the reaction to the arrival of the royal couple. Lady Grantham ( Elizabeth McGovern) fawns, “Your majesties, welcome to Downton Abbey.”

The last line of the trailer, unsurprisingly, goes to Maggie Smith’s Violet. She jokes, “I may never rise again”, a believable quip given that 15 years have supposedly passed since the first series of Downton, meaning that Smith’s character must, logically, be on her very last legs.