Its the end of an era as the curtain closes on Carnival Films Emmy and Golden Globe award winning drama when DOWNTON ABBEY SERIES 6 and the complete box set collection DOWNTON ABBEY SERIES 1-6 comes to Blu-ray and DVD on 16 November, courtesy of Universal Pictures (UK). Nominated for a total of 59 Primetime Emmy® Awards Downton Abbey is written and created by Julian Fellowes. In the sixth and final series we return to the much loved sumptuous setting, the multi-award winning series follows all our favourite characters as they strive to find happiness once and for all. Will Mary choose the right path? Will her sister Edith finally get a break? Will Carson and Mrs Hughes actually make it up the aisle? And will Anna and Bates overcome the many hurdles that have been set before them? As we say goodbye to the characters we know and love; re-live the magic of the final series as DOWNTON ABBEY SERIES 6 is released on Blu-RayTM and DVD from 16 November 2015 from Universal Pictures (UK). Plus, immerse yourself in the entire programme as DOWNTON ABBEY SERIES 1-6 comes to Blu-RayTM and DVD from 16 November 2015 from Universal Pictures (UK). To celebrate the release we are giving away 3 copies of Downton Abbey Season 6 on Blu-ray, as well offering readers the opportunity to read Q&As from two of the most loved stars of the show; Jim Carter (Mr Carson) and Phyllis Logan (Mrs Hughes).
Jim Carter
Jim Carters film credits include Top Secret!, The Madness of King George, Richard III, Brassed Off, Shakespeare in Love, Ella Enchanted The Golden Compass and Alice in Wonderland, among many others. He featured in the National Theatres ground-breaking production of Guys and Dolls where he met his wife, actress Imelda Staunton and in the popular BBC miniseries Cranford. In Downton Abbey he plays the distinguished butler, Mr Carson Q: Butlers are on the rise, it says in the press pack A: Butlers are on the rise? Yes, theyre getting employment in China. Maybe theres a spin- off there Carsons Butler Academy. My God, I could get a Butlers school going out there, maybe. Q: How much did you enjoy the kiss with Phyllis Logan? It was such a rewarding momentfor fans A: Thats a question for Phyllis, I think! Im sure it rocked her world (laughs)! We got together like two old tortoises, crawling down the beach over six years. At the end of Series 4 we held hands and we paddled, at the end of Series 5 I proposed. The people Ive met over the years have asked, When are Carson and Mrs Hughes going to get together? People have been willing us to get together and it looks like we will. So that kiss was a nice moment. Ive had some lovely moments across the series like consoling Lady Mary when she was in tears, and things like that. Those heightened emotional moments are quite rare for buttoned-up servants. Of course, theyre a treat to do. And since the kiss, Phyllis has never been quite the same woman (laughs)! Q: Is there anything else youd have liked to see in the show? A: I sometimes think that wouldnt it be nice to see what the servants got up to on their one day off. Carson hasnt got any friends and Mrs Hughes is the only person he can relate to because of status. So did they have hobbies? Id imagine Molesley had an interior life with reading books. Id probably just be checking the wine cellar. Q: Have you ever caught yourself behaving like your character in real life? A: I hope not! My wife would say, Never! The service at home is terrible. She would say, Can you open this for me, love? No, I dont think so! (laughs) No, we tend to take the character off with the costume and leave it at Ealing Studios, I hope. Q: How have you enjoyed your relationship with Mr. Molesley (Kevin Doyle), and the upperhand that Carson enjoys in that dynamic? A: That has been good fun to do. We have a few scenes in the final season, with me being very patronising towards him. Thats good. We spend a lot of time on duty and you could be a stuffed figure, really, for all that you do when youre standing around a dinner table. So when you get the personal stuff and the glimmers of humour, its good to hang onto those and enjoy those. Q: How do you think the series will be remembered and how do you think youll rememberit? A: I hope it will be remembered with a lot of affection. We certainly get a lot of affection coming towards us. People seem to receive the show in that way. I hope itll be looked back on fondly. It is a soap opera really. Its not 100 per cent realistic; its a romantic look at life at the time. Its unfurled slowly over a period of time and its done with a great deal of care. Hopefully, people will look back with nostalgia. Its hard to quantify how Ill feel. As an actor, Ive always worked and am very used to the lifestyle where you make friendships very quickly, which are quite intense but then you go on. Thats the rhythm of my life and I like it that way. It is the first time I have done a recurring series, so that was new. Some of thats good and some of its not. Im not that keen on the routine it entails. For the last six years its dictated my life, from February until August. Part of me is looking forward to the freedom of doing other things, and part of me wonders what Ill do without it. So I have mixed feelings. Q: If there were a Downton Abbey movie, would you want to come back for that? A: The movie exists more in the media and fans imaginations than in reality. It has been talked about but theres been no concrete move. The way these things work is that wed need to be shown a script and its only when the ink is dry on a contract that I believe itll happen. If it happened and it was a good story, fine. But if it were just a cynical, money making exercise then that wouldnt be fine. And itd have to be a one-off tale. You couldnt presume any existing knowledge. Itd have to be a tremendous story and I think itd just have to be about Carson (laughs)! Click 'Next' to to read a Q&A with Phyllis Logan and enter the competition...
