Read Behind the Scenes at Downton Abbey Online
Authors: Emma Rowley
Behind the Scenes at Downton Abbey (14 page)
‘When I first joined the show my scenes were only with Laura Carmichael. We have a little, separate London-based storyline and in a way it doesn’t feel much like
Downton
. It feels like an affair, which is what it is.’
Charles Edwards
MICHAEL GREGSON
City Chic
Inside his London flat, Michael Gregson can relax in what is more like a studio space than a conventional sitting room.
Filmed on location in London’s Notting Hill and on a set at Ealing, the pale walls and modern sculpture reinforce the distance between his world and Downton’s more traditional surroundings.
‘That was a fantastic set to dress,’ says Gina Cromwell. ‘It was really interesting because he wasn’t one of the Crawleys, he was a character who had come into the show. We don’t quite know what his background is, but he appears to be an intellectually active and educated man. He’s obviously wealthy, probably self-made, and has a great, eclectic interest in many things.’
In marked contrast to the Crawleys’ heirloom oils and miniatures, Gregson has stocked his own walls. His large grey geometric painting was created by the art department. Cromwell explains that it was inspired by modernist work of the time, from the Vorticism movement.
Using London’s Legacies
As with the Criterion, there is little point recreating a set when the real thing is stunningly beautiful – and available for filming.
The iconic façade of St Pancras station in London appears in series four. Part of the relevant sequence – showing Edith disembarking from a period train – was actually shot at the Bluebell Railway, but seamless editing makes it appear as if the scene took place entirely in the capital.
Filming around this busy London transport hub required careful coordination by the crew – not least having to time their presence for early on a Sunday morning to avoid the crowds.
Laura Carmichael, a veteran of shooting at Highclere, relished the change of scene. ‘It’s so much fun,’ she says. ‘It feels like another job. It’s so different from filming at Highclere, where there are eight or nine characters in a scene. All of a sudden you’re at St Pancras with 200 extras and barriers up, just for a scene with me and Charlie [Edwards, who plays Gregson]. You feel incredibly grand.’
ROMANCE AT THE RAILWAY STATION
For Charles Edwards, the station scenes felt like the continuance of a silver-screen tradition: ‘It was exactly the way I wanted it to be – waiting for my lover in a trilby and long coat. It’s
Brief Encounter
!’ Laura Carmichael also enjoys this illicit romance. ‘It is not an easy relationship,’ she says. ‘Gregson is not a plain-sailing man, but there’s passion there. It’s a sexier, more passionate affair than with Strallan.’
PARKING PROBLEMS
Just as with any other set, a London exterior is dressed with period cars, street vendors and supporting artists in accurate costume. Impressive as it looks, shooting in the capital brings challenges for a film crew. ‘It can cost up to £5,000 just to park everything,’ says John Prendergast. ‘That includes the crew cars and all of the trailers we need parked as close as possible to the location.’
