Behind The Scenes At Downton Abbey - Plot & Excerpts
‘We decided not to get the people above stairs speaking as they did in the 1920s, because they spoke in a very particular way,’ says Alastair Bruce, historical advisor. ‘It would have been much more pronounced. So we’ve tried to make sure that those who live above stairs sound like they might live above stairs in a big house today, and that those below stairs should retain their regional accents.’ For Jim Carter (Mr Carson) it is a case of building on his natural northern accent. ‘I just have to make sure it’s proper and well enunciated,’ he says. ‘I use my own voice and posh it up above stairs.’ Rob James-Collier does something similar with Thomas. ‘I do a “telephone voice” – when anybody picks up the telephone, you’ll notice the diction becomes smoother. Above stairs, you see him doing that and then below stairs he slips a bit. He’s putting on a show.’ MOVEMENT Manners and Social Mores How people carry themselves has changed greatly since the early twentieth century.
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