These are some new photos of Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary!) out last night in London. Isn’t she adorable? Whenever I see her out of her Downton Abbey costumes, I just think she looks so adorable and cute. Anyway, now that everyone knows how Downton Abbey’s Season 3 ended (SPOILER: Matthew Crawley is no longer alive), people are discussing the possibilities for Season 4, which is already in production. Just hours after the finale premiered on PBS in America, Julian Fellowes was already teasing the new season, not even giving us Yanks a chance to grieve for poor Mr. Crawley. Apparently, in Season 4, widowed single mum Lady Mary gets a new love interest!
When viewers saw Dan Stevens’ Matthew Crawley pass away at the end of Downton Abbey’s third series, heartfelt concern went out to his widow. However, Lady Mary, played by Michelle Dockery, is going to have a smile brought back to her face thanks to a new love interest.
The distressed single mother will be courted by a new man in the form of Miranda heartthrob Tom Ellis. The 34-year-old actor, who is married to Tamzin Outhwaite, had to audition for a role on the show but left producers very impressed with his portrayal of the new love interest.
According to the Daily Mirror, a source at ITV said that Tom’s legion of female admirers twinned with his acting ability is what won him the part. The source said: ‘He really showed his versatility, and he’s also incredibly popular with the female viewers.’
Welsh born Ellis is best known for his role as Gary Preston in BBC comedy Miranda, but this move to Downton could launch his career in the US. He will be hoping his character doesn’t face as grizzly an end as Dan Stevens’ did after he asked to released from the series for professional reasons. Downton creator Julian Fellowes hinted that Lady Mary and her newborn daughter will not be alone for long.
When speaking to the New York Times, Fellowes said: ‘We begin Series 4 six months later. We don’t have to do funerals and all that stuff. That’s all in the past by then.’
I tend to think that Fellowes is probably quite miffed with Dan Stevens for leaving the show in such a lurch, and maybe the payback will be that Lady Mary moves on from Mr. Crawley with relative ease. It just occurred to me – Lady Mary is sort of a Black Widow, isn’t she? Her first fiancé (her cousin) died on the Titanic, and then her first husband died in a car crash less than two years into the marriage. She’s cursed!!!
CB wanted me to talk about poor Lady Edith, who was horribly dumped at the altar in Season 3. Edith has become something of a fan-favorite, hasn’t she? First she became very useful during the war, then she stridently went after an older gentleman (only to be dumped at the altar), and now she’s a rising journalist/editorial writer, seemingly about to embark on an affair with a married man (whose wife is in some kind of asylum, which all sounds very Jane Eyre to me). I want Edith to find someone with potential, someone she could marry and start a family with. I want her personal life to have an upswing while Lady Mary’s personal life falters.
Oh, here’s Mary’s new love interest, the actor Tom Ellis. He’s sort-of attractive, but his eyes are weird, right?
Photos courtesy of WENN and Manuil Yamalyan/WENN.com.
That’s odd that they referred to the child as a daughter.
I’m not too impressed with this guy’s looks in the picture, but maybe he’ll look better in action, and I hope he’ll be written well.
I’ve seen him in a really crappy and short lived BBC series, called The Fades. He was hot and good in it, rest assured.
May it is just me but from a certain angle she reminds me of Keira Knightly. I love her coat.
I hated Edith during the second season but after watching her go through an exaggerated version of Janitis (middle sister issues) I have come to actually enjoy her a lot. She does not need to sleep with her editor; I don’t see that relationship ending well at all because I do not believe he is telling the truth.
Even if he is telling the truth-it can’t end well. He can’t divorce her-so he can never marry Edith-and she’ll never have her own family.
He could kill her though, with Edith as accomplice or accused accomplice. That would be a doozy.
Edith’s very own Mr. Rochester. Nooo! Poor Edith.
I have to say that Michelle Dockery annoyed me a lot on DA until I found that she played Susan, the granddaughter of Death, in the movie version of Terry Pratchett’s “Hogfather”–then I finally realized that it was just the character of Mary that bugs me. Sort of like Jennifer Morrison’s character on “House”–I thought I just didn’t like the actress until I saw her in “Once Upon a Time.”
She reminds me of Keira, too!
Yes, and poor Lady Edith! She is treated pretty terribly by her family.
They need to skip forward ahead to WWI with the half orphaned cousins (Sybil and Mary/Matthew’s son) about to take over Downtown.
Or at least skip forward to the 30’s. The season taking place in the 20’s (other than sybil’s death) has been boring, and I don’t think Rose is enough to make it interesting.
I agree. I hope they don’t try to start centering things on Rose, the dance-mad flapper. She just isn’t all that.
Yes-she’s so frenetic it borders on annoying.
Absolutely!
She seemed to have as much depth as a puddle. Her mother Shrimpie, though, was a great character. I’ve never seen such an invariably miserable expression on a human face.
@Annelise, I just read that the actress who plays Rose’s miserable mom is Tom Sturridge’s actual mom, married to his director dad. I didn’t realize he had a theater/acting family background.
As for Rose, I get distracted whenever she’s onscreen…I think her smile looks exactly like the Wallace & Grommit characters’.
I believe shrimpy was the youngest in original Brideshead
OMG! It’s Phoebe Nicholls who played little sister Cordelia in “Brideshead.” She looked so familiar on Downton and I just couldn’t place her. Her husband Charles Sturridge directed most of Brideshead, it was a masterpiece.
I didn’t care for Rose either.
I think he is nice looking. I’d go out with him.
I’m tired of the Lady Mary storyline.
I’m rooting for Edith. I just want her to be happy, dammit!
Me too. I don’t want to see another love interest for Lady Mary. She was supposed to be with her true love Matthew for ever and ever! What a crap! Hate that they killed him off. Aren’t there any other ways to get a person out of the series!?
I agree with the writers. Mary and Matthew were supposed to have such a strong love that they would never willingly be apart.
Kaiser, any idea who made Michelle’s purse?
I believe it’s Burberry
Not to mention her first lover who died in the sack with her!
Lady Mary, Biscuit of Doom!
Yes, I was going to mention that she killed her first lover with her vagina.
Word is it wasn’t her vagina, LOL!!
lol… and she had to go to the doctor to get it adjusted to keep it from offing Matthew’s swimmers.
Good call!! Her first fiance died, her first lover died (while on top of her) and her first husband died. Damn. Lady Mary really IS a black widow.
Those are bad photos. He’s super cute in Miranda.
Lady Mary and Matthew had a son (not a daughter)!
Which means that we will be speared the arrivial of another long lost heir…and Lady Mary will in effect be charge until her son (the heir) comes of age.
I really don’t think Robert is going to kick the bucket any time soon. As long as the actor doesn’t leave, that character will probably live past Master Crawley’s 18th birthday with plenty of time to spare.
Yeah, I don’t think Robert will kick the bucket anytime soon either. I’m just glad they were able to write in the birth of Mary and Matthew’s son, before he left the show.
Technically no. Matthew was Robert’s heir, just because he had a son doesn’t mean the succession is secure – in real life anyway. For Mary’s son to inherit, Robert and Matthew would have had to have died in that car crash together.
Either the writers will ignore the actual law of this era and let their son be the heir, or they won’t, which would make it even more interesting, IMO.
*sigh* My girl crush!
Meh. Not impressed, maybe he’s better in action.
A lot of people like Edith, I think, because they like to root for the middle child underdog, The Jan Brady. I like writer/editor Edith but jumping on married dudes Edith gets no sympathy from me.
I also think it’s so out of character for her.
I don’t think so, remember the farmer? Married Bone Jumper Edith.
@Reece
Very true! I had to go back and read the plot summary of that episode. I assumed that I had to be mistaken in thinking that the farmer was married, and that the woman at the farm was his sister or something. I couldn’t believe that not only would he kiss Edith openly, but that she would seem so happy about it! But no, he was married!
I was so mad at Edith when she got with the married farmer that I kind of hated her and thought she deserved all the derision. I thought she changed, but if she does get with the married editor guy I will write her off permanently. Marriage is for better or for worse. I would never ditch my husband if he became ill.
The farmer whose married bones Edith jumped was the same farmer who had Dropsy and was saved by Isabel.
yeah not impressed but i suppose he is those types that look good in costume drama
I enjoy seeing the British version of “going out clothes” compared to some of our trashtastic Americans (except that one British p0rny looking girl with the bajillion gay husbands and thigh tattoo).
Did anyone notice that the guy who played the dead diplomat in Mary’s bed in Season 1 is starring in some new cop show on CBS? Too bad he can’t play Mary’s new love- he’s way better looking than this guy! Reincarnation anyone?
A twin! He comes to Downton to find out what really happened to his brother.
Mr Pamuk is very handsome in real life!
Yes! It took me a while to realize why he looked so familiar whenever I saw one of those previews and when I finally did I was like “holy crap, it’s Mr. Pamuk!” Looks like quite a different role, and a starring one at that.
He is good looking to me. I want them to deal with the roaring 20’s more and then the great depression. The 20’s was quite the era from what I’ve read so yeah let’s get to it.
Not in the UK though-the roaring 20’s was a primarily US phenomenon, UK was still trying to dig out from the shell of the first WWI
The ‘pretty young things’ society that rose is trying to plug into is very 1930’s England. Which is why I think they just need to skip ahead.
I guess two days is the limit on not spoiling the season finale in the headline? Luckily I watched it already or I’d be miffed. 😉
As for this guy, I think he is good looking. They all look better in the tuxes and suits besides.
Honestly, I would have liked to have enjoyed Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley just for ONE season more (at least).. it was such a climb for them to get together and to have it all disappear .. well.. THANKS A LOT Dan Stevens!!!
I kind of agree but Matthew was getting to be a bit of wet blanket. The whole “it’s my money and we’ll use it however I say we do” wasn’t very familial. I do also agree that the suits in charge must not have been too pleased with Stevens decision to leave. I think the new guy looks like he’s got some spirit in him and wonder what his back story will be? Nice to see Anna a little happier too.
My feelings exactly–Dan Stevens is making a very bad career move! Not only is he throwing away a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but his departure could damage a truly great production that’s beloved by people all over the world.
But Julian Fellowes is so brilliant, maybe he can make it all work without Matthew.
Dan who?
Oooo weee! This new guy is cute! I sure wouldn’t kick him out of bed.
I think a Mary/Tom Branson romance would be hot. I’m glad they had him continue to mourn Sybil and not be seduced by the Overly Aggressive Maid. I think it’d be cute if Mary could be a stand-in mommy for her niece. Plus Tom’s yummy as hell.
Me too! I would love that story line.
Meh. I think Tom/Rose is way more likely.
Oh please, no. She’s so obnoxiously characterized as “young girl obsessed with having fun,” it doesn’t seem like she’d be at all interested in becoming a stepmom. Tom can kick it solo for a while.
I’m so glad overly aggressive maid wasn’t successful. It was bad enough enduring that weird fling Robert had in a prior season with that widow/maid.
I think that’s gross… my sister’s long-term boyfriend was like a brother to me. When they broke up he tried to hit on me and it was just WRONG. Mary treated him like a brother and tried to accept him into the family early on. I do think Tom is SO good looking, and I don’t want his manliness wasted on someone too young like Rose. Someone intellectually his equal, sure.
I don’t know HOW they could make Mary turn around and get a new love without it being thoroughly out of character… It took her so long to warm up to Matthew in the first place.
As for Edith, I understand that the show is all about moving on and kind of forgetting what happened before but really… I can never feel much sympathy for Edith after she betrayed her sister in such a vile way. Whatever she does now is still tainted for me by her repulsive, selfish behaviour in the first season. Also, she is just so whiny and plaintive all the time… I feel like in the 3rd season we have seen quite enough of her sniffly, pity-poor-me look. Ugh. And can we say hypocrisy ? She dragged her sister through the mud when Pamuk raped her, but being all flirty with married men is completely fine by her. She really seems to have a type (older, preferably married men).
I like Downton, but there are so many details that grate sometimes XD I have no clue how they are going to fix the mess they created at the end of the 3rd season. It feels almost like there are more babies than remaining adults now. Oh well. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.
Pamuk didn’t rape Mary.
It’s true, though, that Edith’s revenge was fairly awful.
Pamuk had bum-sex with Mary, so that she was still technically a virgin for her husband!!!
Can you imagine if THAT detail had come out?
We don’t know that that’s exactly what happened.
I can’t seem to warm to Edith’s character either. I also found it weird that she scolded her current interest practically five minutes after she met him for leading her astray, because they went to lunch or something.
Anyway, one awesome thing to come from the Edit side of things:
http://edithwithgooglyeyes.tumblr.com/
I absolutely loathe Mary’s constant frowning, fake smiles, and terrible slouch, and just ughh overall demeanor, i can’t figure out how she’s the catch (before the scandal) of the Crawley family.
Seeing Michelle Dockery appear so genuinely happy here, softens my heart just a bit. And makes me think she’s terrible at pretending to be happy.
+1. I cannot understand why she is quite the catch, the heroine, bla bla bla… She is the worst of all sister and useless too. Oh, no she got married and saved the family, :).
It’s time to give Edith some happiness, a handsome and successful young man, and her career! Who knows? maybe she will have a chance to become good friend’s with her sister in this time of sadness.
Didn’t Edith asked if they would ever get along and b*tchy Lady Mary said “probably not”? I would like to see Lady Mary to be humble just once and apologize for being so mean all these years.
ps: I also think Lady Edith’s revengeful letter was beyond awful.
This new guy is handsome but I’m sorry he’s nowhere near as hot as Thomas Barrow.
I just love Rob James-Collier despite his character’s sexual orientation and his past misdeeds…sigh.
Ooooh!,i love Thomas ,but iam Ga ga abt rob james collier,he is such a funny person in real life ,some of his interviews are a total riot
I think you meant “since nature twisted him into something foul” lol.
Have loved him ever since he was Liam on Coronation Street. I love him on Downton, as evil as he can be, I think he’s been a bit humbled lately. Maybe that guy from season one can come back and have another little roll in the hay with him.
I was so irritated with how bitchy Mary was with her constant shrewish, belittling comments, but Matthew said he knew the true Mary who was so much softer with him. And Edith was mean in the past, but she seems to be a better person now, and can’t catch a break. The crazy wife who is shut away seemed like too much of a cliché to me. Jane Eyre anyone? Love the Bates, and the Dowager Duchess and her killer statements. Love her!
Ha! Hadn’t read your post when I posted the same in response to another post. Edith IS Jane IN Downton Abbey.
For all of you Downton fans, if you watch Breaking Bad also, you will love this hilarious video from Stephen Colbert’s show. It is the new season of Breaking Bad as performed by the actors from Downton. Talk about unexpected!
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/422221/december-13-2012/uncensored—breaking-abbey
Thanks for the hyperlink. That was hysterical!
I love her. I also think that the new love will be awesome, but I wish they were using colin firth 😀
Meh… He isn’t really my type… Would Tom Hardy be considered “stunt casting”? He’s HAWT and he did Wuthering Heights!
I am still so crushed that they killed Matthew. I mean, why not RECAST him? Why kill of the character? That’s just short sighted!
He wanted off, the writers didn’t just kill him!
I had hoped it was going to be some distraction tactic or something. I mean, wasn’t there talk pre-season 3 about writing Maggie Smith out of the show because she didn’t like the way the storyline was going?
Well, thanks. Haven’t watched it yet and was trying to avoid knowing what happened.
That was aired on Colbert’s show before Xmas and is EXCELLENT! I loved it. Other than Life on Mars (UK), Breaking Bad has been my all-time favorite show.
This was meant as a reply to Dimebox’s link of “Breaking Downton”but I’m not sure if it posted as such. If not, likely my bad.
If you Google him, there are tons of photos of him wearing sunglasses (looks better) and showing off his bod in a tight green sweater. He’ll probably look hotter in period clothing on the show.
This season only just started airing in Australia, so I feel bad for any aus readers who were trying to avoid spoilers!
Am I the only one getting tired of the constant progression of deaths? They can’t come up with a decent story line that doesn’t result in somebody dying at the end. Seems like a cheap substitution for decent writing.
This is a funny take
http://www.happyplace.com/21258/downton-abbey-facebook-recap-season-3-episode-6
Thanks for that… It made my day
They missed an opportunity to put Brendan Fraser to work. It would have done everybody good and he’s been around English castles. Give the man a break and infuse a little Americanism.
Hey that’s a good idea but he needs to get in shape first…
It’s grisly. Not grizzly. That’s a bear.
Yeh, I too thought that Mary would fall for Branson.
Googly-eye Edith forever!!!!!!!!!!
I just saw the googly eye tumblr, why googly eyes? Is it because she falls in love so quickly?
Spolier Alert! The ending could’ve been much better. I wish Lord Granthum or someone from the hunting party would’ve accidently shot Matthew while Mary was giving birth. Maybe the editor guy. Then Mary would have a good reason for hating him. Car accident was weak.
When will Thomas Barrow get a love interest. I think it would be interesting to see how it is handled and how the other characters would respond.