Drama drama drama

Last weekend I watched all of series one of Downton Abbey. In fact, I watched in a day, well essentially an afternoon. I started at about 12.00pm and finished by YF. Not bad going eh?! Well it was easy, it's very good. Maggie Smith is her standard self, that is to say she is absolutely fantastic and kills it with her lines. I like Hugh Bonneville too, and the history part is quite interesting, although probably not as good as Mad Men's if I'm honest, but comparing the two isn't fair.

I would say I don't know why I missed it first time round, but I know exactly why. The reasons are two fold.

1. It's on a Sunday night. That's YF time and has been since about 1992.
2. I don't really like costume dramas.

This second one needs further explanation, for a history geek like myself should be all about them. Well, I blame my mother. Now wait, let me explain.

When I was young she had on video Pride and Prejudice and watched it. All. The. Time. And I don't mean the (apparently) cool 1995 Colin Firth one. Oh no! I mean the 1980s one which had Raquel from Only Fools in. (I was giving it the benefit of the doubt there when I said 1980s, I just looked it up, 1980. It's as old as I am. A classic indeed.) They'd all just sit around in bad light with their bonnets on and talk in riddles while eating with an occasional set dance. Well that's how it seemed to me anyway.

You see my problem, it started with adaptations of great books you're supposed to have read. At age seven or eight I hadn't read Pride and Prejudice. What am I talking about? At age 31 I still haven't read Pride and Prejudice. I'm not likely to either. I not fussed on reading, but that's a whole other post. But you see, you're supposed to have a clue about Mr. Darcy or Elizabeth. I don't. I don't know about Bleak House; I don't know about Jane Eyre; I don't know about Tess of the d'Urbervilles. You name a classic book by a literary 'great' and I won't know about it. Well except for A Christmas Carol, but that's because of The Muppets.

Maybe it's because of my English classes at school. In GCSE we did Pygmalion and Animal Farm. Well that's just My Fair Lady and talking animals. The only Shakespeare I ever did in school was in third year (Romeo and Juliet). I've seen Macbeth since, in the theatre, but I only went because I had to, a colleague was in it. Actually now that I've said that I can't be absolutely sure it wasn't Hamlet. See what I mean? I'm just not interested.

The problem is compounded by the fact people go on about them and make them sound so worthy. Not people people, but like the Radio Times falls over itself when there's a new adaptation of something. There's behind the scenes, interviews, comparisons...yawn. Like I said, I don't know how the character was written, I'm not bothered by some new director or producer's take on him. Or how (s)he's more evil/better looking/smarter than  (s)he is in the book.

So it's from all this that I got my aversion to costume dramas. For I discovered it's better to avoid anything remotely in the costume drama genre. You might only become one of those luvvy types.

All that said, if you're like me and haven't seen Downton Abbey and have no apparent interest, please enjoy these spoofs that were shown as part of Comic Relief this year. They make fun of the style of show and are actually a good way in to the story.

If you love Downton Abbey, you'll still enjoy these - even if you've seen them before!