Downton Abbey

[Sue Sue Applegate]

King, you are definitely on target with your inappropriate language comment. It was a bit too early for the psychobabble of the 70's to illuminate some of the insights of the upper crust. But I do get the feeling that Isabel was a much more "hands on" mum for Matthew, and that's why he turned out so well.

[JackFavell]

[Sue Sue Applegate]

Please, folks. If you love this wonderful series, help support Mary in her struggle to save Downtrodden Abbey for future generations so touring Americans can be snubbed at a discount afternoon tea with the second-best silver service, and day-old crumpets!!!!!

[Vienna]

Love all the comment about Downton. Maggie Smith is so wonderful. I've been a fan of hers for a long time. Has anyone seen her latest film QUARTET? She plays a retired opera singer coming to live in a home for retired musicians. Directed by Dustin Hoffman, it's terrific. Costars include Billy Connolly, Tom Courtney and Pauline Collins.
It's nice to see Maggie in modern dress in this.
I'll never forget seeing Maggie in the play PRIVATE LIVES in London in the 1970s. Her costar was her husband, Robert Stephens and now, in 2013, Maggie's son, Toby Stephens will play the part his father played all these years ago.

Back to Downton, I read Tom Ellis has auditioned for a new role in season 4. I know Tom from my favorite Tv comedy show just now, MIRANDA. He would fit in very well .

[feaito]

We'll see what happens in Season 4. My two sisters and my wife where flabbergasted by Matt's death. I was prepared, so it wasn't so terrible; but what can a scripwriter do when an actor wants to leave a particular series? Replace him with other actor or kill him. I bet most viewers wouldn't have accepted a different actor for the role of Matthew. I remember in the early 1980s all the fuss when Al Corley was replaced by another actor to play the son of Blake and Alexis Carrington....Girls in general were not very pleased. And Corley began a short singing career?....I recall "Square Rooms", which fared well in Chile.

Another subject: Since I'm not a native English speaker and sometimes I get confused by pronounciation issues, I noticed that everybody in the series pronounces "Hughes" (Mrs. Hughes) without pronouncing the g" as "Hues" and I seem to remember that in American series o movies when "Howard Hughes" is talked about, for instance, people pronounce the "g"...Any feedback would be appreciated.

[JackFavell]

Hughes is pronounced Hues always, I've never heard it pronounced with a G sound.

[feaito]

My mistake then Wendy. Some odd déjà vu or old age ....I could have sweared I had always heard HuGhes....maybe I'm confusing it with the way to pronounce the name Hugh....Thank you very much for the clarification.

[JackFavell]

No problem... if anyone has heard differently, please speak up. I just know in my experience there's never a g sound in Hugh or Hughes.

[feaito]

No problem... if anyone has heard differently, please speak up. I just know in my experience there's never a g sound in Hugh or Hughes.

Thanks for the further clarification WEN.

[feaito]

An article in today's paper noted that Downton Abbey was watched by more people Sunday night than any show on NBC, ABC, or Fox. The highest ratings for a PBS show since 1990 and Ken Burns' The Civil War.

Today I read on the newspaper that BBC/HBO had produced "Parade's End" a serial which is a sort of competition for DA, but whose storyline and language is more complex. Anyone seen it?

[charliechaplinfan]

I didn't see Parade's End, I don't think the book or the series was uplifting but from what I heard it was a faithful adaptation of the book.

I've never heard Hughes pronounced in any other way.

[feaito]

Thanks for your feedback Alison.

Pronounciation has always been an issue. I was educated at a British School in Santiago de Chile, thus most teachers where from Commonwealth nations and when they pronounced the words "girl" and "world", for example, they didn't pronounced the "r", whereas people from America in general do. Other issues Re. the English language: theatre (in UK) theater in (USA); colour-color; apartment-flat; lift-elevator et al. All of this was very confusing as ayoungster learning the English language, because I was also in touch with people from the USA.

[ChiO]

theatre (in UK) theater in (USA)

There seems to be a trend in the U.S. (or am I hallucinating again?) to use "theatre" in reference to stage productions and ensembles that perform on the stage, and to use "theater" in reference to the building where movies are shown and "theatre" is performed.

Just to make it more confusing.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

I agree, Chio. And great news about DA's popularity, king!

feaito, remember that English has absolutely wacky pronunciation rules!

If you followed all of our rules, then GHOTI would spell the word FISH.

The GH would sound like an F as in laugh.
The O would sound like the I sound in women.
The TI would sound like the SH sound in nation.