The new series of Downton Abbey aired here in the UK on Sunday. I’m a pretty big fan of the show and was so excited for it to return to our screens. If you’ve not seen episode one of series 5 I suggest you look away now.

As with the first episode of all shows they were mostly setting up story lines for the rest new series. Some of them I’m looking forward to (Daisy learning how to run the farm and Edith stealing back her baby as I can only assume she will), others not so much (Robert doesn’t like change, blaaaaaaahhhh).

I’m so annoyed at myself for calling Sarah Bunting, Braithwaite in the video. In my defence, just before filming this I’d been listening to the Up Yours, Downstairs podcast where they had recapped the episode in which  Braithwaite becomes Cora’s lady’s maid. If you don’t know about Up Yours, Downstairs already you are missing out. Up Yours, Downstairs is a podcast run by husband and wife team, Kelly Anneken and Tom Schneider. Each week they recap Downton Abbey with a generous dose of snark and rate Maggie Smith on the only scale Maggie Smith can be judged on, the Maggie Smith scale of Maggie Smiths. When Downton isn’t on air they discuss Mr Selfridge and other Edwardian dramas. I’m hopelessly addicted.

I won’t get to see Sunday’s episode as it airs as I’ll be on a train home from a weekend in Manchester. I always prefer to watch live for the twitter banter but I suppose seeing Maxine Peake in Hamlet is better than twitter. Hopefully it won’t take me too long to post my thoughts on episode two next week.

(Cross posted from Wordpress 27th September 2014)