The fifth series of the British historical drama television series Downton Abbey broadcast from 21 September 2014 to 9 November 2014, comprising a total of eight episodes and one Christmas Special episode broadcast on 25 December 2014. The series was broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom and on PBS in the United States, which supported the production as part of its Masterpiece Classic anthology.
Series overview
In 1924, a Russian exile, Prince Kuragin, wishes to renew his past affections for the Dowager Countess. The Countess instead locates his wife in Hong Kong and reunites the prince and his estranged wife. Scotland Yard and the local police investigate Mr Green's death. Violet learns that Marigold is Edith's daughter. Meanwhile, Mrs Drewe, not knowing Marigold's true parentage, resents Edith's constant visits. To increase his chances with Mary, Charles Blake plots to reunite Gillingham with his ex-fiancée, Mabel. After Edith inherits Michael Gregson's publishing company, she removes Marigold from the Drewes. Simon Bricker, an art expert interested in one of Downton's paintings, shows his true intentions toward Cora and is thrown out by Robert, causing a temporary rift between the couple.
Mrs Patmore's decision to invest her inheritance in property inspires Carson to do the same. He suggests that head housekeeper Mrs Hughes invest with him; she confesses she has no money due to supporting a mentally incapacitated sister. The Crawleys' cousin, Lady Rose, daughter of Lord and Lady Flintshire, becomes engaged to Atticus Aldridge, son of Lord and Lady Sinderby. Lord Sinderby strongly objects to Atticus marrying outside the Jewish faith. Lord Merton proposes to Isobel Crawley (Matthew's mother). She accepts, but later ends the engagement due to Lord Merton's sons' disparaging comments over her status as a commoner. Lady Flintshire employs underhanded schemes to derail Rose and Atticus's engagement, including announcing to everyone at the wedding that she and her husband are divorcing, intending to cause a scandal to stop Rose's marriage to Atticus; they are married anyway.
When Anna is arrested on suspicion of Mr Green's murder, Bates writes a false confession before fleeing to Ireland. Baxter and footman Molesley are able to prove that Bates was in York at the time of the murder. This new information allows Anna to be released. Cora eventually learns the truth about Marigold and wants her raised at Downton; Marigold is presented as Edith's ward, but Robert and Tom eventually discern the truth: only Mary is still unaware. When a war memorial is unveiled in the village, Robert arranges for a separate plaque to honour the cook Mrs Patmore's late nephew, who was shot for cowardice and excluded from his own village's memorial.
The Crawleys are invited to Brancaster Castle, which Lord and Lady Sinderby have rented for a shooting party. While there, Lady Rose, with help from the Crawleys, defuses a personal near-disaster for Lord Sinderby, earning his gratitude and securing his approval of Rose. A second footman, Andy, is hired on Barrow's recommendation. During the Downton Abbey Christmas celebration, Tom Branson announces he is moving to the U.S. to work for his cousin, taking daughter Sybil with him. Carson proposes marriage to Mrs Hughes and she accepts.
Cast and characters
Main cast
Upstairs
Downstairs
- Jim Carter as Mr Charles Carson, the Butler
- Phyllis Logan as Mrs Elsie Hughes, the Housekeeper
- Brendan Coyle as Mr John Bates, Lord Grantham's valet
- Joanne Froggatt as Mrs Anna Bates, Lady Mary's maid
- Robert James-Collier as Mr Thomas Barrow, the Under-Butler
- Kevin Doyle as Mr Joseph Molesley, Second Footman; later First Footman
- Raquel Cassidy as Miss Phyllis Baxter, Lady Grantham's maid
- Ed Speleers as Mr James "Jimmy" Kent, First Footman
- Lesley Nicol as Mrs Beryl Patmore, the Cook
- Sophie McShera as Mrs Daisy Mason, the Assistant Cook
Recurring and guest cast
- Samantha Bond as Lady Rosamund Painswick, Lord Grantham's sister (Recurring)
- Paul Copley as Mr Albert Mason, William Mason's father (Recurring)
- Harriet Walter as Prudence, Dowager Lady Shackleton, Lady Violet's close friend (Guest)
- Jeremy Swift as Mr Septimus Spratt, Lady Violet's butler (Recurring)
- Sue Johnston as Miss Gladys Denker, Lady Violet's maid (Recurring)
- Jonathan Coy as Mr George Murray, Lord Grantham's lawyer (Guest)
- Michael Fox as Mr Andrew Parker, temporary footman; later Second Footman (Recurring)
- Daisy Lewis as Sarah Bunting, a teacher (Recurring)
- Douglas Reith as Richard Grey, Lord Merton, Lady Mary's godfather and Isobel's fiancé (Recurring)
- Matthew Goode as Mr Henry Talbot, Mr Rogers's close friend (Guest)
- Harry Hadden-Paton as Mr Bertie Pelham, manager of Brancaster Castle (Guest)
- Sebastian Dunn as Mr Charlie Rogers, Lord Sinderby's guest (Guest)
- Andrew Scarborough as Timothy Drewe, a farmer (Recurring)
- Emma Lowndes as Margie Drewe, wife of Tim Drewe (Recurring)
- Matt Barber as The Hon. Atticus Aldridge, Lady Rose's fiancé (Recurring)
- Helen Sheals as Mrs Wigan, the Postmistress (Recurring)
- Fifi Hart as Miss Sybbie Branson, Lady Sybil and Tom's daughter (Recurring)
- Oliver and Zac Barker as Master George Crawley, Lady Mary and Matthew's son (Recurring)
- Eva and Karina Samms as Marigold, Lady Edith and Michael's illegitimate daughter (Recurring)
- Peter Egan as Hugh "Shrimpie" MacClare, Marquess of Flintshire, Lady Rose's father (Recurring)
- Phoebe Nicholls as Susan, Marchioness of Flintshire, Lady Rose's mother, Lady Violet's niece, and Lord Grantham's cousin (Guest)
- Penny Downie as Rachel Aldridge, Lady Sinderby, Atticus's mother (Recurring)
- James Faulkner as Daniel Aldridge, Lord Sinderby, Atticus's father (Recurring)
- Richard E. Grant as Simon Bricker, an art historian (Recurring)
- Rade Sherbedgia as Prince Igor Kuragin (Recurring)
- Jane Lapotaire as Princess Irina Kuragin, Prince Kuragin's wife (Guest)
- Catherine Steadman as The Hon. Mabel Lane Fox; later Mabel Foyle, Viscountess Gillingham; Lord Gillingham's fiancée (Recurring)
- Anna Chancellor as the Dowager Lady Anstruther, Jimmy Kent's former employer (Guest)
- Christopher Rozycki as Count Nikolai Rostov, a refugee from Russia (Recurring)
- Howard Ward as Sergeant Willis, a policeman (Recurring)
- Louis Hilyer as Inspector Vyner, inspector from Scotland Yard (Recurring)
- Charlie Anson as The Hon. Larry Grey, Lord Merton's elder son (Guest)
- Ed Cooper Clarke as The Hon. Timothy Grey, Lord Merton's younger son (Guest)
- Alun Armstrong as Mr Stowell, Lord Sinderby's butler (Guest)
- Alice Patten as Diana Clark, Lord Sinderby's mistress (Guest)
- Patrick Brennan as Mr Dawes, headmaster of Downton Village School (Guest)
- Sarah Crowden as Lady Manville, one of the local gentry near Downton (Guest)
- Louise Calf as Kitty Colthurst, Crawley family's friend (Guest)
- Darren Machin as Basil Shute, owner of the Velvet Violin Club (Guest)
- Naomi Radcliffe as Mrs Elcot, local villager and widowed by the War (Guest)
- Jon Glover as the voice of King George V (Guest)
Episodes
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References
External links