The cast continued their characters just as you would expect, no one forced any dramatic changes, there were no desperate attempts to stand out. Introducing several new characters could also have been a risk however they all fit seamlessly into the world of Downton. Understandably it would take something quite special to dethrone the old favourites and for me (as well as many others i’m sure) Maggie Smith, stole the show as Violet Crawley with her sarcastic and hilarious one liners but was still given the opportunity to show why she is one of Britain’s all time greats with her precise choices and unique ability to draw every audience member into feeling like family. I particularly enjoyed a few fleeting moments of vulnerability from her character of which we don’t see many.

Do you need to have watched the series to enjoy the movie? Absolutely not, of course it’s nice to know the back stories and to understand some of the little quirks but any of the key information is masterfully included in the brilliantly written dialogue, helped of course by the fact that the writer is Julian Fellowes who also wrote the TV series.

This film wasn’t created for the critics, it was made for it’s audience, the majority of whom know and love the characters from the TV series. It wasn’t made to be an artistic masterpiece, simply an effortlessly elegant, romantic story. It is what it says on the tin, not everyones cup of tea but you know just from looking at the poster whether you’ll enjoy it or not. Take it for what it is, enjoy the romance, humour, loyalty and family.