Dissent of the Day

It's always fun when a television show comes along and Divides the Nation. When the first series of Downton Abbey arrived, there seemed to be just sheer gratitude. The lighting, the frocks, the acting. It was such a glorious treat after rehashed cop shows and things which always ended in the morgue. Maggie Smith's eyebrows were enough to justify the entrance fee alone.

Then, with the second series, tiny moments of dissent crept in. I suspect this always happens when characters in a drama have become beloved: the viewers have strong ideas of where the storylines should go; the scriptwriters do not always agree. It's like a genteel family argument. This week, I suddenly realised the point of those endless ad breaks: it is so my cousin can ring up and say things like, 'Oh no, not lovely Lord Grantham and that saucy chambermaid'. We then had a happy discussion about how much we like the Earl of Grantham's pyjamas. (Anything to take one's mind off the collapse of the Euro, quite frankly.)

Anyway, there is quite a funny piece on the whole mare's nest here.