Andorra

OMG I watched "In Fear"!

Allen blew me away in it. Seriously, he's amazing and certainly NO Tom Branson!

Here's quick clip from BTS. Al is singing (but beware the lyrics )
I’m not able to upload everything, but here’s the... - Tom Branson land agent

ajblondie17

A part of me (not so) secretly wants Tom and Isobel to get together in the show. Maybe, like Jimmy, Tom has a soft spot for cougars.

puffball7

You said on your Tumblr Andorra that you wanted some help with the subject matter that AL was singing about! I'm not sure how to explain it politely and not break a whole load of fanforum rules! Whilst I know far more dodgy songs than this, it's certainly not one to be sung in front of small children! LOL.
It's basically about bestiality involving hamsters and gerbils (the mind boggles LOL!) and incest, I liked the line, "that's why the whole town turns around when you call the family name".

I apologise if anyone's offended, but you have to hand it to AL, he's got a decent singing voice!

HarshBench

I wish we could hear him and EMG sing on the show. They both sing. So far all we've heard is that S2 concert with Mary and Matthew. Michelle sings but I don't think Dan does?

It would be nice to hear the other multi-talented cast members. I wonder if Lily sings too? I wouldn't be surprised.

L i N d $ @ y

Thanks for this.

Dan does (thus the theater background). I reckon most of them sing and most British actors can sing which is cool in my book.

HarshBench

True, maybe Dan can sing.

I had heard the ones who sing are Michelle, EMG, Allen and maybe Hugh?

But Hugh and Dan both went to Cambridge I think and people who went to those schools are more likely to have some vocal training. Especially the theater people.

Andorra

EMG said quite a lot of people on the cast can sing well. She said they should do their own "Downton Choir" .

She mentioned Allen and Michelle especially and said that Allen "serenaded" her

puffball7

It's not unusual for British actors to be proficient singers as well, theatre/stage school gives them training in singing as well as drama acting, so they're usually good all rounders.

Sophie McShera has been in West End musicals in the past I believe, as well as Michelle Dockery and Julian Ovenden is a brilliant singer, he's done BBC Proms in the past, I remember watching it that evening and being impressed, I recommend googling it and watching it on youtube, he really is very good.

They should do Downton Abbey the Musical!

HarshBench

Oh yes, Ovenden is a wonderful classical singer. Highly trained and polished. His father was the Choirmaster to the Queen or something like that.

L i N d $ @ y

Ditto on Sophie who also does theater. Penelope, Hugh, Brendan, Joanne (just to name a few) does some theater as well. I can say perhaps 80% of the cast can sing.

baileycat

They cast a new little girl for Sybbie. While I'll miss Ava, this new girl, named Fifi, looks a tad older and probably means they'll give her lines because she'll be more mature to handle them. Getting close to school age. I fully expect them to discuss her education, assuming they didn't have nursery school back then. And with Sarah as the local school teacher it seems obvious they will. Can't wait, because there's no way Tom would have her privately tutored like the Crawley family were.





Laura and Allen on a video encouraging fans to enter a contest to win a chance to visit the set.

L i N d $ @ y

Downton Abeey star Allen Leech launches sudden death charity run / Sunday World

puffball7

Just out of interest, because it comes up as a topic of conversation sometimes where Sybbie is concerned, the 1870 Education Act made the school starting age in Britain 5 years old and this was still the case in the 1920s.

Sybbie was born the summer of 1920, so presumably will start school in 1925.

baileycat

Thanks! So Sybbie will start school next year then. Fifi is 4 now and will be right on track to play her as a new school girl next year.

Everyone okay with me starting a new thread? Since its time for one.

Hope so because here it is.

Tried to make sure it wasn't spoilery.

HarshBench

S5 starts in 1924 (Spring I think) and ends in 1925. So Sybbie will be turning 4 during S5 and presumably turn 5 near the end of it, if it goes to June or so 1925. Which means she would probably start school at the very end of S5 or in the CS.

That is assuming she goes to the public school. The small-town and rural schools were really not great at the time. They learned by rote and didn't have great facilities. The teacher/child ratio was high. Teaching was not individualized and subjects were not as extensive.

Private tutors would be able to get her better prepared for a more rigorous middle/grammar school that would then prepare her for university. And I know Tom would want her to go to university and be as well-prepared as possible.

So I am not convinced she would go to public school. Whatever is best for her long-term educational prospects is what he'll do.