ITV’s big Christmas Day drama feast is blockbuster hit Downton Abbey.
Millions of people will sit down, stuffed with turkey, to follow the fortunes of the Crawley family.
But, though cook Mrs Patmore can always be relied on to feed the lords and ladies in the show, the actor who plays her Lesley Nicol has admitted that her own culinary efforts have been a festive flop.
“My worst one was when I was in my first home with my then-boyfriend, in the 1980s I suppose,” confesses Lesley. “We were in panto and we both had flu. I cooked a Christmas lunch after his mother had given us the biggest turkey you had ever seen in your life, just for the two of us. We had the tiniest oven. It went in about 9 o’clock in the morning and about three in the afternoon it was still pink and cold. I don’t think I put it on. It was misery and I felt dreadful.
“I’m really good at pretending I like cooking in the show I’ve convinced myself I’m quite good. But anybody who knows me knows I won’t be the cook. My husband does the cooking and I do the front-of-house talking.”
The Christmas special sees the family decant to Northumberland. Newly-wed Lady Rose’s father-in-law Lord Sinderby has rented out Brancaster Castle and invited the Crawleys to a grouse shooting party. The scenes were actually shot at Alnwick Castle, the setting for Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films.
The Lord’s butler Stowell has an axe to grind and a scandalous secret threatens to undermine the holiday. Stowell is played by former New Tricks star Alun Armstrong, and getting big-name guest stars is no problem. Such is the global status of the show that even George Clooney was happy to take part in the Text Santa episode.
Lesley, who now lives in the US, is well aware of the show’s esteem.
“Some of the cast went to the White House and Hillary Clinton came across the room and almost elbowed people out of the way to speak to Hugh Bonneville,” laughs Lesley. “And Michelle Obama was similar. I went to see Bette Midler in her one-woman show and was invited back afterwards to a room that she might pop into.
“I adore her but I wasn’t feeling very hopeful about her coming and also not at all sure she would know who I was. She did come and her assistant told me that Bette watched the show and announced that Mrs Patmore was in the room.
“The next thing Bette came across and flung her arms around me. I nearly died and went to heaven.”
Downton fans will be desperate to know what’s happened to maid Anna, who was led off by police at the end of the last series over the death of her rapist valet Mr Green. Husband Bates resorts to drastic measures in a bid to clear her name.
Downton Abbey ITV, 9pm, Christmas Day
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