The British TV show Downton Abbey is a significant case – with its unprecedented and unexpected worldwide success – in a more general evaluation of the contemporary media environment, and of European TV productions in particular. This article explores the Downton Abbey “phenomenon” through a survey of its fans’ online activities. The first introductory part of this essay focuses on the concept of Cult TV Show and its possible application to this peculiar product. The second part extensively discusses Downton Abbey fans’ online activities, monitored from August to September 2012. This part is focused on five different factors of the series identified as those that mainly raised the interest and approval of the fans. Finally, the last part of this article draws some conclusions about the global nature of Downton Abbey fandom and about the series status as “mainstream cult.”
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THERE’S NOTHING LIKE AN ENGLISH SUMMER, IS THERE? EXCEPT AN ENGLISH
WINTER. DOWNTON ABBEY, A BRITISH CULT TV SERIES AND ITS FANDOM
Lucia Tralli, Università di Bologna




  Abstract
  The British TV show Downton Abbey                                                           -
  expected worldwide success – in a more general evaluation of the contemporary media en-
  vironment, and of European TV productions in particular. This article explores the Downton
  Abbey
  of this essay focuses on the concept of Cult TV Show and its possible application to this pe-
  culiar product. The second part extensively discusses Downton Abbey fans’ online activities,


  the last part of this article draws some conclusions about the global nature of Downton Abbey
  fandom and about the series status as “mainstream cult.”




  The award-winning, critically acclaimed period drama Downton Abbey, created and written by

their many servants, all living in the beautiful countryside estate, Downton Abbey. Set over a time

First World War – encompassing the second season – to the Roaring Twenties in the third season,
the show revolves around upstairs-downstairs dynamics, telling the compelling stories of charac-
ters that face a world that is rapidly and permanently changing. With the third season’s premiere
in the UK collecting an average of 9 million viewers,1 the astonishingly high ratings in the US
giving the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) its highest ratings in years,2 the series’ enormous

acclaimed show on television of 2010, Downton Abbey can easily claim its inclusion in the realm
of cult TV. But what is so compelling about the lives and tragedies of the Crawley family and their
                                                                                         Downton’s
enormous success which exceeded all expectations. We have decided to explore this series from
                                                      3

the fans’ point of view, trying to map their online activities and focusing on features of the series
they seem to appraise as valuable of their time and attention. As a result of this survey, we have
                                          Downton fandom and we will describe in detail the main

CINÉMA & CIE, vol. XII, no. 19, Fall 2012                                                         61
LUCIA TRALLI

ones: the Romance factor, the Dowager factor, the Writing factor, the Historical/Retro Fashion
factor and the Silliness mode.



A British cult TV show

  Before starting to dig into Downton’s
the cult TV show and how it could be relevant to the aims of our investigation.

studies4                                                                                      -
mal” media. We are exploring a scenario in which Downton Abbey has been claimed to be “part of
our culture” and “one of the TV shows that our generation will remember,”5 thus some parameters


starting from its inner characteristics as a text, following the path traced by Umberto Eco’s famous


  [A cult work] must provide a completely furnished world so that its fans can quote characters and
  episodes as if they were aspects of the fan’s private sectarian world, a world about which one can make
  up quizzes and play trivia games so that the adepts of the sect recognize through each other a shared
  expertise. Naturally all these elements […] must have some archetypical appeal.6

  As we will see, the factors that captivate fandom’s interest in Downton Abbey can be connected
to inner aspects of the show as a text, such as characters and plot, or setting and costumes: Down-
ton

                                                                                         Cult Television,7

circuit of communication, that is, texts, production/distribution, and audiences.”8 In their opinion
the visibility of cult programs: “arises from the distinctive practices of cult television fans, which
include the formation of loose interpretative communities and the production of tertiary texts.”9
  As for audience visibility, Downton Abbey has surely engendered quite a vast active fandom.

costume dinners organized by Downtonians for communal viewings of the show,10 the majority
of fan communities are mostly “invisible” and “common” – those will be the core of our focus.
  As for the general context, in the last two years the media hype around Downton has been mas-
                                                                   11
                                                                      – and has attracted more and

anticipation we felt about watching television again.”12 The term “cult” has been widely applied to
                                                                                                  -
enon,” a “must-see TV show” and it has been listed on the British CultBox website alongside
       13                       14

                                      Doctor Who.15
  Moreover, we cannot neglect that part of the series’ success outside the United Kingdom is due

62
                                             THERE’S NOTHING LIKE AN ENGLISH SUMMER, IS THERE?

                                                                                                  -
                                                               16
                                                                    started long before Downton and
                                                                                                  -
                                   Downton
television audiences, although it is certainly not the only successful English TV show now being
praised all over the world. Both longstanding cult show Doctor Who, in its latest “re-incarnation”
                                                                                         Sherlock,
2011-), are at the moment included among the “must-see” TV shows. However, while the majority
                                                       Downton Abbey, as a “classic” period drama,
is indeed a very unsual series to become cult TV.
   PBS has been the American provider of British media from the mid-1970s. Its long running
series Masterpiece, which hosts Downton

costumes, Downton                                                               Masterpiece
has been airing in the US to mixed results. However, not only was Downton’s success unprece-

in almost every country in which it airs.17 Moreover, the series managed to engage a young audi-
                                  18




media: the “niche vs. mainstream issue,”19 with cult TV usually diverging from the latter. As Matt
Hills argues in Mainstream Cult, an essay dedicated to Doctor Who,20 the “mainstream vs. niche”




millions of viewers, which is the case for both Doctor Who and Downton Abbey.
  It is in regards to such a contradiction that it has become challenging to simply address series
such as Doctor Who and Downton Abbey – which attract millions of viewers – as cult TV, for their




Fandom under the lens


period for Downton fandom awaiting – and then commenting about – the third season, which
premiered in the UK on 16 September 2012.
                                                                                   21
                                                                                      that while the
special cases of fan activity are often poignant and understandable outside fandom, it is the more
typical and ordinary fan activities, and their numbers, that can really give us meaningful insights




could use tools for data scraping and collecting that provided us with samples and measurable

                                                                                                 63
LUCIA TRALLI

data.22
posts.23
                                                                                             -
tion regarding Downton fans: with the notable exception of the live-tweet feed that was mostly
composed of UK Twitter fans following the third season’s premiere on TV, most activities could

Downton fandom.
 We tried to map a large range of activities: from the well-established, such as fansites, to the
most recent, such as Tumblr; from the most immediate, such as live-tweet comments during the

results are strictly connected to the moment under observation, such as Twitter feed and blog

intricate scenario of fan reactions and responses to the show we hoped to provide a veritable image

“the new eases of opportunity brought about by digital technologies, broadband internet and the
wider set of technologies and internet uses clustered under the ‘Web 2.0’ umbrella.”24
                                                                                              -

Tumblr to be pivotal for Downton fandom’s activities and decided, during the period mentioned
above, to daily observe the website for collecting data for our survey.
  As for fansites, once one of the most common fan activities on the web, we have retrieved very

                                                                                                  -
portance among the fans. Using tags and descriptions to identify and classify the texts, we sampled
2108 stories (about Downton Abbey). We collected a sample of 837 fanvideos on the videosharing
portal YouTube

on the other hand, we monitored the live twitter feed during the UK third season’s premiere, col-
lecting and analyzing a sample of about 22,000 tweets.25



Everyone goes down the aisle with half the story hidden. The Romance factor


stories between two or more characters. If these love stories are written in the actual text, they are

a “non-canon” pairing. In the world of Downton there are three main canon couples for whom the

the designated heir of the estate; Lady Sybil Crawley, the youngest and rebellious sister, and Tom
Branson, the chauffeur for the family, the interclass and scandalous couple; and Anna Smith, head

  The main concern of fanvideos is without a doubt Mary and Matthew, the most beloved – and
vidded26 – couple, with their classic “will they, won’t they” plot, complicated by patrimonial is-

64
                                             THERE’S NOTHING LIKE AN ENGLISH SUMMER, IS THERE?

sues, severe war injuries and other unfortunate love interests getting in the way. 365 out of 837
videos created by Downton Abbey fans focus on this couple, with an overall counting view of
about 3,000,000 visualizations, followed by Sybil and Branson with 136 videos and Anna and
Bates with 44. Moreover, 40 videos are dedicated to all the three couples together, in montages
that also show scenes of other “minor” pairings. With an overall of 585 videos about couples,
romance is the most addressed topic in Downton’s fanvids.


about Mary and Matthew, 252 about Sybil and Branson and 164 about Anna and Bates). In the
                                                                                                 -
ries, we have also a considerable group of stories about non-canon couples such as Mr. Carson, the

this non-canonical pair, almost as many as those dedicated to Sybil and Branson.
  On Twitter, via fanmade accounts, we can witness some (fan-made) romantic interactions. Usu-
ally the majority of posting activity occurs between episodes: fans love to recount the parts of the




season.27 Their long awaited wedding was one of the main storylines of the premiere and one of
the main topics during the live-tweet (3000 tweets). The high excitement of fandom for this event
                                                                                              28




I’m a woman, I can be as contrary as I choose. The Dowager factor

  One of the most important, and most beloved, assets of Downton Abbey, in the eyes of its fan-

                                                      grandmama of the three Crawley sisters, her

traditions and old-fashion aristocratic life style, but, most of all, her fulminating one-liners that
spare nobody (nor our titles for this essay and its paragraphs) outline a complex character that ap-
parently everyone in the fandom loves to the core. It’s not by chance that the most seen fanvideo
posted on YouTube, with more than 500,000 views, is a montage of her most memorable quotes
from season 1, Downton Abbey: Top 10 Maggie Moments.29
have gathered, are dedicated to this character, but they alone collect over 1 million of views.
                                                                                                    -

Downton’s most beloved inhabitants, one that must be present in the stories told about this world.
  There are multiple fanmade Twitter accounts about the Countess30 and during live-tweets many
users simply re-tweet her lines. During the premiere about 1000 tweets referred directly to her
character, mostly cherishing her return on the screen.




                                                                                                   65
LUCIA TRALLI

You’ll find there’s never a dull moment in this house. The Writing factor

                                                    I love it because it’s a posh soap-opera written by a poet.
                                  It brings together my love for plausible-but-unlikely sentimental scenarios,
                                                                            huge ensembles and great writing.31

  The series’ writing, the storylines, and their portrayal by the actors appear to be an important el-

scripts and the ways in which they develop characters and story lines shows the insistence on lit-
erary values, as does the concern with the devices and techniques of storytelling.”32 These values
are an instrument in the eternal struggle of “real” fans to position themselves against “despicable”
inauthentic commercial media and anti-fans.
   This interest can be located, on one hand, in the story arch of every character, and, on the other,
in the ensemble of events. Much attention is given, for example, to the events of the First World
War that absorb every episode of the second season and affect almost every character. In the gener-
al commentary about the series, both on Tumblr posts and on Twitter, the series’ “great writing” is
usually stressed and endlessly cited by fans. During live-tweets many users praised the quality of
the show and its writing: “Downton Abbey is quality TV!,”33                                          -
isode one of Downton Abbey                                                                          34

In the days after an episode aired, half of the Tumblr posts discussed the faults and credits of the
plots and the authors’ development of the story, criticizing quite harshly any unwanted element.

of interest. Some are recaps of entire episodes or seasons.35 Others focus on general themes of the
                                                                        36
                                                                           Many are tributes to the en-
semble of the cast, but there are also 36 character vids, videos that focus on a single character story.
  Besides the couples and Lady Violet, Downtonians usually show a very broad interest for each
character: although the series has a large cast, all the minor characters have enough screen time

the scheming footman. Aided by his accomplice, O’Brien, Thomas is the only evil character in
the show. The fact that he is portrayed as a closeted homosexual and a “troubled soul” enhance
                                                                                 37
                                                                                    of the only two
videos dedicated to his character has collected about 350,000 views, “classifying” it as the second
most viewed video of all Downton Abbey
especially in the slash categories.



What is a week-end? The Historical/Retro Fashion factor

                               It feels like such a different period drama to any others that have been before,
                                                             kind of more updated. The characters are brilliant,
                                               such amazing storylines. The setting of the house is gorgeous!!!
                                                                                      The costumes, the hair!38
               I wish I was born around the time of Downton Abbey I love all the dresses, houses and cars.39

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                                                THERE’S NOTHING LIKE AN ENGLISH SUMMER, IS THERE?

  We can easily apply to Downton what Andrew Higson asserts are the pleasures of so-called




  visually splendid period reconstructions. The luxurious country-house settings, the picturesque rolling
  green landscapes of southern England, the pleasures of period costume [...] are among the more fre-
                                        40




  A pivotal part in fan fascination in Downton Abbey is without a doubt its historical setting,
                          th
                             century. Through the series, the contemporary audience can witness
a period of disruptive changes and innovations in history, a far away world transforming into
something more similar to the contemporary world, an occurrence audiences can easily empathize
                                                                                          41

audiences, there are recurring pleasures and interests that people display regarding these products.
One is the “value of authenticity,” the accuracy of the historical aspects of the story. In Downton,
fans are clearly fascinated by these aspects, from the First World War, to the rules, manners and
etiquette of the Edwardian society that have such a huge impact on the development of the sto-
rylines. Alongside posts and discussions about these features of the series,42 there are also websites
dedicated to the series’ historical period.43
                                                                     can be epitomized by fans’ en-
                                                  Downton elements such as settings, decor, period


entirely considered a general appraisal for Downton’s visual pleasures, especially the costumes.




dedicated solely to the lamps used in the show with references to actual antiques.44

com and styleatdownton.tumblr.com. On YouTube, there are 44 tutorials made by fans on how

the premiere many tweets were dedicated to Lady Mary’s wedding dress and about 1000 tweets

under-dressed just watching it!”45



Life is a game where one must look ridiculous. The Silliness mode


a “modality” of fan behavior. During the last twenty years of the fan studies debate, presented as
a semiotic resistance to the top-down content imposed by “The Powers That Be”, the other modes
by which fans interact with their object of affection have often tended to be neglected. One is what


                                                                                                        67
LUCIA TRALLI

their favorite show, and their ability to handle its intra-textual and meta-textual elements, can also
be found in more whimsical and spirited activities made just for fun.
  In the case of Downton we have blogs that feature the adventures of puppet-versions of char-
acters as Mr. Bates (everyonelovesavalet.tumblr.com) and Mrs. Hughes (mrshughesadventures.
tumblr.com) pictured “on tour” in different locations.
                                                   Telegrams from Downton, that combine pictures
of Downton characters and sexually explicit text messages, to a long list of blogs that mash-up
Downton with other television series such as Abbey of Thrones, Downton Greendale, Arrested
Downton, and so on.46 The same principle of playfully combining elements can be seen in fan-
videos that mix content from the series with other media text or that play with genre conventions
                                                                Downton Abbey-Mean Girls Trailer,47
and several Downton Abbey horror/suspense videos that build alternate narratives for the show.
                                                        48

  Maybe the most peculiarly bizarre activity of all is the “Free Bates” movement.49 It started at
the end of season 2 when Mr. Bates was convicted for a murder he did not commit. Fans built

merchandise such as signs to be used during marches, mugs and t-shirts with “Free Bates” printed
on them. The campaign rapidly went viral as members of the cast started to wear the “Free Bates”
pins and t-shirts in public events.



Don’t be defeatist, dear, it’s terribly middle class. My fandom is better than yours


Downton from other shows and what peculiar features attract so many viewers to this “normal
classic period drama.” Still, our research did not stumble upon any activity or fan behavior that
might be considered exclusively pertinent to this show and its fandom. Downton’s fans engage in

opposition to other viewers or the so-called “anti-fans,” Downtonians defend the qualities of their
beloved show, its script, its author and its actors with passionate arguments and engage in playful
                                                                                                   -
hanced interest is not limited to Downton’s fandom and is noticeable in most contemporary TV-se-
                                                                                          Downton’s
creators and show runners have managed to build a truly solid product, which has both a fortunate
and carefully crafted intersection of features and pleasures largely due to its “heritage status.”
  So, how can Downton, a superb production yet hardly different than many series airing nowa-

                                                                                                     -

  In the Downton case we have different national broadcasting conditions and timing worldwide.

premiere. However, if we observe Tumblr blogs and posts, this delay did not seem to bother US
fandom which obviously watched the third season by other means (peer-to-peer downloading as


68
                                             THERE’S NOTHING LIKE AN ENGLISH SUMMER, IS THERE?



delay in the spring of 2012, almost a year and a half later, on a minor channel, and virtually not
advertised. The episodes aired together two per evening and in some cases were even shortened.
The ratings were extremely low and the second season has not aired yet. However, even if viewers
should be one season and a half behind, and so far exposed to a censored and mutilated version of
the series, Italy has a particularly active Italian online-fandom. A young Italian woman runs some
of the most viewed and important websites for Downton fandom, such as downtonline.com and

to the series, and many widely viewed fanvideos have been made by Italian vidders.
  This situation is, again, by no means different from other acclaimed series and is a symptom




it comes to the consumption and appreciation of the product, nor does it affect these viewers’
involvement within the fandom.
                          Downton as cult TV-series.
                         Downton fandom proves the series to be a “commercially driven TV

                                                                                50
                                                                                     Hills argues that:

  concepts of “cult” and “mainstream” have started to break down and coalesce into new patterns of



  relationships, have all now begun to revolve around what might otherwise be thought of as “main-
  stream” TV shows.51

   While “elements of ‘cult’ and ‘mainstream’ TV are increasingly being re-articulated,” we can
                                                                                               -
ing shows that would not conventionally have been thought of as ‘cult’.”52 Through this perspec-
tive, we might be able to clarify Downton Abbey’s peculiar positioning in the cult media context
and consider it a good example not only of the progressive fading of boundaries between niche




                                                                    The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Sep-
                                                                                                  -

                                                                                                   The
   Wrap, 23 February 2012, http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/23/idUS106622438720120223.
                                                                                             The
   X Factor […]. ITV does not do period dramas.” See Matt Rudd, “Why Are So Many People Watching
   Downton Abbey       Sunday Times, 17 October 2010, p. 6.

                                                                                                    69
LUCIA TRALLI

                                                                            Fan Cultures, Routledge, Lon-
                                                                             Cult Television, University of
                                                                                Quality Popular Television:
     Cult TV, the Industry and Fans, BFI Publishing, London 2003; Stacey Abbott (ed.), The Cult TV Book.
     Investigating Cult TV Series, I.B.Tauris, London 2010; David Lavery (ed.), The Essential Cult TV Read-
     er


   of-Records-Downton-Abbey-is- most-critically-acclaimed-show-on-television.html.
6  Umberto Eco, Casablanca: Cult Movies and Intertextual Collage, in Id., Travels in Hyperreality, Pica-
   dor, London 1987, p. 198.
                                                  Cult Television, cit.
8 Idem, p. x.
9 Idem, p. xiv.
10 Aimee Lee Ball, “Pass the Tea and the Remote and Put on Your Tiaras,” in New York Times
   2012, p. E1.
11 Its numbers




                              Wall Street Journal, 2 December 2011, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014
     24052970204012004577070653368266084.html.
                                                                                                         -
     gie Smith,” in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
                                 Downton Abbey ‘Phenomenon’,” BBC, 9 September 2012, http://www.bbc.

14 Brian Moylan, “Why everyone in the world would watch Downton Abbey,” Gawker


16 Francesca Coppa, A Brief History of Media Fandom                                                  Fan
   Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet
17 See Neil Midgley, “Downton Abbey                                    The Daily Telegraph, 19 September
   2011, p. 25.
18 “‘Downton Abbey’ is drawing a considerably younger audience than the 2010-2011 Masterpiece season
   average. By midway through the second season [...] the teen audience has grown 88 percent,” PBS An-
   nounces MASTERPIECE CLASSIC Downton Abbey, Season 2 Finale Ratings End on a High Note, PBS
   press release
                                       The Mainstream, Distinction, and Cult TV,
   Roberta E. Pearson (eds.), Cult Television, cit., p. 27.
20 Matt Hills, Mainstream Cult, in Stacey Abbott (ed.), The Cult TV Book, cit., pp. 67-73.
                                                                  Talking with TV, 16 March 2012, http://


                                                                                                          -
   plex.com/.
23 The portal allows to search only by tags and it’s not possible to quantify the number of results nor to
   search blogs by name or topics of interest.
                                                                                                       Par-
   ticipation, vol. 8, no. 2, November 2011, p. 455.
25 We have monitored the discussion from two hours before the airing of the show to the end of the episode.

70
                                                  THERE’S NOTHING LIKE AN ENGLISH SUMMER, IS THERE?

26 That is to say object of fan-made videos.
27 “I must say the south of France is beautiful at this time of year. At least… the view has certainly improved
   since I was last in the country.” Cpt. Matthew Crawley, 18 September 2012, https://twitter.com/Captain-
   Crawley/status/248005678021611520. “Many apologies for the twittergram silence on our honeymoon.
                                                                                                              -




   https://twitter.com/theladygrantham.
31 Excerpt of a statement made by Tumblr user catchingbananas1, answering the question: “Why do you
       Downton Abbey during the “20 Day Downton Abbey Challenge,” 3 September 2012, http://catch-
   ingbananas1.tumblr.com/post/30809884335/downton-abbey-challenge-day-7.
                                   The Mainstream, Distinction and Cult TV, cit., p. 30.

34 Adam Paylor, 16 September 2012, https://twitter.com/AdPaylor/status/247451776301797377.
35 stylomatisch, Downton Abbey (Series 2) – The Perfect Wave                                              -
   CeFVBCPc.
                             Downton Abbey – Beyond Redemption x
   id4XMCE-y5E.
37 AmnotMexiCannot, Thomas ~ Downton Abbey
38 amyvs7, 12 September 2012, http://amyvs7.tumblr.com/post/31414364521/downton-abbey-challenge
39 Danielle, 16 September 2012, https://twitter.com/poisonouslies/status/247441238758932481.
40 Andrew Higson,                                                                      , Oxford University
   Press, Oxford 2003, p. 1.
                                                                         Heritage Film Audiences: Period
   Films and Contemporary Audiences in the UK, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2011.
42 Tumblr users frequently reblog and discuss                  ’s explanations of the etiquette involved in
   each episodes, e.g. http://you-had-me-at-downton.tumblr.com/tagged/Etiquette.
43 E.g. http://edwardianpromenade.com/downton-abbey-portal/.
44 http://downtonabbeylamps.tumblr.com/.
45 Hannah Spowart, 16 September 2012, https://twitter.com/HannahSpowart/status/247426682900869120.
46 http://telegramsfromdownton.tumblr.com; http://abbeyofthrones.tumblr.com; http:// downtongreendale.
   tumblr.com; http://arresteddownton.tumblr.com.

48 E.g. Sparallex, Downton Abbey Horror/Suspense Trailer (Evil!Matthew), http://www.youtube.com/


   mrbateslegal.tumblr.com.
50 Matt Hills, Mainstream Cult, cit., p.73.
51 Idem, pp. 69-70.
52 Idem, p. 73.




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