People of Color May be Joining the Downton Abbey Cast
Downton Abbey is a very popular TV series set in a British-American period. This drama began airing in the UK in September of 2010 on ITC. By January of the following year, it was airing in the US on PBS’s Masterpiece Classic collection.
What is Downton Abbey?
Downton Abbey has been described as tragic, funny, dramatic and clever. Yet, there’s one term that’s never been used to describe it, and that’s “diverse.” The series is based on the fictional aristocratic lives of the Crawley family. does have a handful of Americans and one Turkish diplomat, this is as diverse as it gets. There are no other characters on this show from other races, including people of color.
However, Downton Abbey creator, Julian Fellowes, said in a The Telegraph interview that it would be nice to be able to open things up a bit, ethnically. Here’s a quote from the Jezebel post by Dodai Stewart entitled “People of Color Might Join the Cast of Downton Abbey”:
“Oh I think that’s rather a good idea. You have to work it in in a way that is historically believable, but I am sure we could do that. [The show] certainly ought to have an Indian character from that period.”
People of Color Did Exist During That Period
It is so very true! When you look back at historical facts, there are only a few various totally true possibilities: In the early 19th century the Chinese began migrating to Liverpool and London; they were employee by British shipping companies during the time of the Napoleonic Wars. During the Victorian Era there were only a limited few profitable black Britons in London. Somewhere in the population of 70,000 Indians in Briton in the beginning of the 20th Century, so to see a show with an Indian Britain would make sense.
However, to make another season the they would have to notice the first show: In the UK the third season just ended and has not yet made its debut in the United States, and they have not yet announced a fourth season. There is still hope for Fellowes:
“[ITV] are always pretty close to their chest in terms of an actual commission. But it would be surprising, if there was not a fourth season.”
How beautiful it would be to imagine seeing the forced interaction of the Dowager Countess with a person of color.
People of Color Could Bring More Viewers
If Downton Abbey does make the bold move to include people of color in the show’s cast, this could bring uproar to its BBC rival, Upstairs Downstairs. This BBS show is set in a house of grand elegance where Mr. Amanjit, a Sikh secretary, is played by Art Malik. Echoing their choice to feature a man of color in the cast could create a whole new viewing audience for Downton Abbey.
Midsomer Murders, a popular ITV program, said it would be featuring an Asian family on its show for the first time. The recent announcement by creator and producer Brian True-May came one year after he stated that missing ethnic minorities on the show made it “the last bastion of Englishness.” He has since stepped down from the show.
