The proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the eating.Which means, if I can get on my soapbox for a minute, that in order to judge something, one ought to experience it first hand. One can't know how the pudding has turned out until one actually tastes it.
I was asked last week--while I was on vacation with my wife--for an interview by a journalist from The Daily Mail, who got in touch to talk to me about PBS' upcoming launch of ITV's period drama Downton Abbey, which stars Hugh Bonneville, Dame Maggie Smith, Dan Stevens, Elizabeth McGovern, and a host of others. (It launches on Sunday evening as part of PBS' Masterpiece Classic; my advance review of the first season can be read here, while my interview with Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes and stars Dan Stevens and Hugh Bonneville can be read here.)
Normally, I would have refused, just based on the fact that I was traveling and wasn't working, but I love Downton Abbey and am so enchanted with the project and the work done by creator Julian Fellowes and the series' cast and crew that I relented after several email exchanges.
The journalist in question--that would be Chris Hastings--wanted to talk about Downton's journey across the pond and specifically the cuts that had taken place along the way. When ITV aired Downton Abbey, it did so as seven episodes of varying length, while PBS was airing it as four 90-minute episodes. Which brings us to the main point of this post: despite the fact that I spelled out for Hastings that barely any cuts had been made to Downton Abbey, he wrote a now much-publicized piece for The Daily Mail in which he alleges, according to the hyperbolic lede, that "Downton downsized... by two hours because American TV executives fear its intricate plot will baffle U.S. viewers."
To put it bluntly: it's simply not true.
While I would be incensed about the article to begin with--given that Hastings took up my time on vacation, interrupted me incessantly while I was answering his questions, refused to listen to me, clearly had an agenda of his own, and then had the temerity to quote my review without proper attribution--I'm most angry about the fact that I actually did the math for Hastings during the interview, demonstrating in no uncertain terms that there weren't two hours missing from the US broadcast of the series.
The only thing missing here are, in fact, the commercials themselves.
Let's take a closer look. PBS is airing Downton Abbey as four 90-minute episodes, bringing it to a run-time of roughly 6 hours. Removing the ad breaks, ITV's run of Downton Abbey ran for--wait for it--roughly six hours. (Two episodes ran as 60 minute installments, while five ran for 45 minutes excluding the commercials, of course.)
I pointed this out to Hastings, who countered by saying that the two episodes were 90 minutes. Yes, I said, with commercials. And I countered again by saying that ITV received complaints after the first episode that there were too many ad breaks. The numbers that Hastings was using to make his case about widespread cuts failed to take into account the commercials, which don't air on PBS, even though he himself admits this in his piece.
But Hastings clearly already had an agenda and he clearly wanted to make a point about "simple" Americans "in the land of the notoriously short attention span."
Furthermore, comments made by executive producer Rebecca Eaton of WGBH Boston, which co-produced Downton Abbey, were taken out of context and misunderstood.
In reorganizing Downton into four installments, editors altered the episodes' structures in order to accommodate the altered timeslot. When Eaton said that heir Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) came into the storyline in the first episode rather than the second, she's speaking truthfully. He does now appear in the longer-running first 90-minute episode, but it's not that the first hour has been excised from the show. Rather, he appears in the last 30 minutes, which does, yes, quicken the pace of the entail/inheritance storyline by dint of his appearance in Episode One.
Small changes were made in order to get Downton to fit precisely into the running time allotted by PBS. Hastings goes so far as to admit this ("Ms Eaton insisted that any changes were minor and did not affect the quality of the programme."), even though it seems to be at odds with his thesis. And the internet comments that he quotes--again, unattributed--were in fact addressed to me over Twitter and I reassured those involved that it wasn't the case.
He even repeated Eaton's comments about having only made small cuts of dialogue to me on the phone.
Hastings went on to discuss the fact that Masterpiece host Laura Linney explains matters of the entail and of the Buccaneers (American heiresses who married into the British aristocracy during the Gilded Age), using it once again to attempt to slap U.S. viewers. Hastings writes, "PBS also believes its audiences will need an American to outline the key themes of the show."
First, Masterpiece's hosts typically do explore the historical and social contexts for the series. This would include the matter of the entail (which Hastings admits was confusing for British audiences as well) and Lady Cora's role as one of those Buccaneers. Nothing new there as Linney is performing the same role that all of Masterpiece's hosts ably step into before each episode of a program. Second, Linney might be American but her fellow hosts--among them, past and present, David Tennant, Alan Cumming, Matthew Goode, etc.--are not. So I'm not sure what to make of the "Americans need Americans to explain things to them" comment, which just comes across as ill-informed and mean-spirited.
But that seems to be the point of Hastings' piece as a whole, really. His insistence that "two hours" have been cut from the runtime run counter to our interview and mathematics as well. His attempts to get both me and Lord Fellowes to come up with a predicted audience number for Downton in the US failed as neither of us would offer him a guess as to how many people would be tuning in.
It's safe to say, however, that Hastings' wrong-headed article could actually cut that number, as readers of the Daily Mail piece have been up in arms about the (false) loss of two hours of material and the perceived brazenness of PBS executives for altering the show. (Again, untrue.)
But Hastings may have wanted to do the maths for himself, confirm his findings, or actually sit down to watch the imported version of Downton Abbey before writing his article.
His messy article is, in some ways, awfully similar to Mrs. Patmore's salty meringue, and just as unappetizing.
Downton Abbey launches Sunday evening at 9 pm ET/PT on PBS' Masterpiece Classic. Check your local listings for details.
Comments
I ask this because PBS does trim programs from England to fit into it's designated slots - heaven forbid they run the show from 9-10:35 instead of 10:30 sharp.
I would like you to ask Ms. Eaton next time you speak to her as to why she does this. To my mind, who is she to determine the edits don't affect the program? If you are going to run the show, then run the whole show - every word, every pause, every pronoun, everything.
This happened with Sherlock which apparently had bits and pieces removed as well.
BBCAmerica has finally learned it's lesson and is running programs without edits. Why is this concept so difficult?
Sorry to be so grumpy, but this is a big gripe that I have had for a long time. And I really don't need someone to "introduce" programs to me - really I don't.
I am looking forward to watching, and I have to wonder if it was equally upsetting to the writer from the Daily Mail that Jungle Book was written here in the US while Rudyard Kipling lived in Vermont and that he married an American? Sorry to digress there, but I watched the replay of "My Boy Jack" last night.
Once again, thanks!
Amie
But no, insinuating that Yanks are incapable of comprehending what is, in essence, a soap opera - albeit beautifully dressed and acted - is far more entertaining than actually publishing the facts!
Nevermind that we've been watching complex period dramas for decades: Upstairs Downstairs, the Jane Austen catalog, dramatizations of Dickens, etc. No, of course we're unable to understand an entailment!
My eyes are rolling SO hard!
We may not need a host to introduce the programs to us, but the format is over 40 years old (a little shy of that if we count the 4 years it aired unhosted); it's tradition, and I, for one, love that tradition and hope it continues.
The introductions sound very interesting and would be useful for UK audiences too.
Not pedantic at all. You would be right. It was a typo on my part that's now been fixed. Thanks!
Enjoy Downton when it comes on, I didn't as it's not my type of viewing but my wife assures me it was the best TV program she watched all year.
They use the sneering journalism to decide on the story and than tweak all 'facts' to fit. Alas, you were just unfortunate to be preyed upon as an expert source they can (mis)quote to suit their end.
As a Brit, I feel compelled to apologise for the shoddy journalist standards in that rag (not that I have any responsibility, but I am very English** about bad manners! (** White, middle class, not a conservative, would cheerfully punch a Blackshirt in the face should the occasion arise)
To my American cousins, please enjoy Downton Abbey in whatever format is should be presented to you. Oh, and if you get the chance, try and catch the new Upstairs Downstairs that just showed over here. It's also rather good!
And if the Daily Mail could get the Blimp-ish chip off its shoulder for two minutes, it should be reminded that such landmarks of "heritage" British television as the 1995 Pride and Prejudice and Simon Schama's fifteen hour 'A History of Britain' simply couldn't have been made without co-production finance from America (A&E and The History Channel respectively). If you dirty Yanks are trying to dumb down and demean English culture, you're sucking at it.
"It's absolutely true, because I read it in the Daily Mail."
http://www.pcc.org.uk/cop/practice.html
Self regulation; ain't it great!
If it were not for this controversy I might not have known about this fascinating new program, Downton Abbey, that is to air on Masterpiece Theatre on PBS. We love to watch Masterpiece here in the US. It often affords us the opportunity to enjoy British TV series or educational programs that might otherwise go unwatched. Before DVD's and the Internet PBS and Masterpiece brought something to people of all economic backgrounds and did it as a public service (especially for those in rural areas or low income areas who could not afford cable). I grew up with this channel as a kid knowing the value of public television and the world it could open up for people through their programming, so when I watch this Hastings prostitute himself and his profession merely to appease his target audience I am reminded of another quote, “The most perfidious way of harming a cause consists of defending it deliberately with faulty arguments.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche.
I am pleased to see this article here, "In Defense of Downton Abbey." I am even more pleased to see the overwhelming response by the British citizens toward the US citizens. I so often hear (in the news) of British angst toward Americans (or pretty much everyone against Americans), so it is nice to see that is not actually the case. "Don't Believe Everything You Read"...or hear, I guess.
Just for the record: From the opening montage until "It was her idea" and the fadeout, the episode ran 80 minutes. Okay, 80 minutes and about 12 seconds. Which yields a run-time of about 5 hours and 20 minutes. A very rough six hours.
I run an historical website which touches an a potentially controversial aspect of the Second World War, and received a call from a Daily Mail journalist to discuss "issues that had been raised". Despite the fact that the site had been running without complaint for some eight years and my general distrust of tabloid journalists in particular, I agreed to speak to him.
The resulting article had little resemblance to the topics that were discussed in the interview; he might well as not spoken to me at all, as it was clear from the off that there was an agenda. I am now doubly wary of such individuals, and were I to sonsent to a similar interview I would take care to record it in full.
I have never watched Downton Abbey, by the way!
Sincerely Yours,
A Dumb American
The PBS on-air version is still an enjoyable experience (and lovely in High Definition), but to really enjoy this great series, buy the DVD!! (Even the DVD that PBS is selling is the uncut UK version, which makes you wonder why PBS didn't just the air the entire thing int he first place.) The uncut UK version is so much richer, and the characters and storylines so beautifully filled out with marvelously intricate, and beautifully incredible, detail. Julian Fellowes is a master storyteller, and the full version really gives him the opportunity to fully use his come palette of dramatic colors and textures.
Having seen the entire UK version in its entirety, it will be interesting to see what additional edits and cuts PBS makes in the upcoming episodes on "Masterpiece."
It leaves me with one lingering question, though . . . PBS spends so much of it time running and rerunning repeats from the past, it is hard to understand why they would not have opted to show this fine series in its full and original form. I think American audiences deserve that, and it sort of boggles the mind to speculate why they didn't just run the entire thing, rather than go to the expense of whittling almost 2 hours off of the original series.
Oh well. Still a wonderful series. But the DVD is the complete story.
I really don't understand why the show can't be aired in its entirety here in the US, and feel cheated by PBS.
To be clear, this has been done in the past, and not just with programs aired on Masterpiece.
Personally, I'm hoping Bates will smash Thomas in the teeth. Perhaps that will happen to that blighter of a 'reviewer' from the Daily Mail...
Cheers!
People wonder why newspapers are disappearing.... It's because readers can't trust 20 percent of what's printed.
I hope Rebecca Eaton realizes for round 2 that her audience can't get enough of this. She needs to join a twitter party!
Frankly, MPT lost its way when it made that decision in 1990, and it has never reallly recovered. Note to begin with that we now watch a truncated "Masterpiece" rather than "Masterpiece Theatre." Further note the other programs have been chopped down such as the remake of The Forsyth Saga in only a few episodes compared to the original. I hate to think what they would do with a remake of the original 8 episodes of Cousin Bette -- maybe a 30 minute version about a meddling relative who puts her nose where it doesn't belong.
By the way, we did notice at the time that episode 2 of Downton Abbey was disjointed, and we also thought that Northanger Abbey was the Cliff Notes version. The comments here have clarified this for us.
The two plot lines that intrigue me are the ones with irretrievable consequences. O'Brien's tantrum with the soap! How will she ever manage her conscience. ... Edith's jealousy tantrum -- OMG. Would jealousy really cause one to deliver such a letter about one's sister? She can't take it back. And now Mary has gotten her revenge in spades. I can't help but feel sorry for Edith, but what she did was despicable. ... Along with Anna, I too am in love with Mr. Bates. What is it about him that makes him so appealing? Must be our propensity for the strong silent type.
I anxiously await delivery of the DVD.
accuracy and the only reason to read it is just for laughs, due to all the errors in spelling, contradictory "facts" in a single article, and pumping or demolishing celebrities according to DM whims (or maybe bribes from publicists?). The ONLY thing the DM HAS is hysterical hyperbole and the facts be damned, on Downton Abbey or any other subject.
That's how it was worded on iTunes, and that's what I believed to be true. This is very strange.
It's just perfect the atmosphere of the time and classes cohabit in it. And then you come to mind the equally wonderful "Upstairs, Downstairs", although old, is still a benchmark.
It's a series for lovers of vintage series, craftsmanship and drama students in our country.
What is the difference between the US and UK broadcasts of Downton Abbey?
There are a few minor differences, which are only found between the UK version and the US televised version. The DVD version in the US is the original 7 episodes, as shown in the UK.
The US televised version loses about 30-40 minutes of the show, with a couple of minor subplots missing or cut down significantly. Some scenes have also been re-arranged, as the US televised version was shown in 4, longer episodes and the UK version in 7 shorter episodes. There are also a couple of short extra scenes that are shown in the US televised version and the UK version.
Whilst these few differences are quite minor, if you have the chance, it is well worth seeing the DVD version, which is the original UK 7 episodes.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1606375/faq#.2.1.1
As an American anglophile who has just discovered "Downton Abbey," I'm disheartened to read that some people behind the curtain believe that I'm either incapable of understanding so-called complex story lines (get over yourselves- it's a soap opera) or that I will become irrevocably pressed with ennui upon witnessing the finer points of English culture or history (how kind of you to consider my emotional wellbeing).
If anyone is challenged in this equation, it would be the people who choose to marr such an excellent production for whatever reason.
I am a wee bit confused about the different versions that might not or might not be out there. I look on Amazon and there is a PBS version for sale along with a Original UK Unedited version of Downton Abbey for sale. I would very much with to buy an uncut version of this series. I am not sure if the uncut UK unedited versions will run on the U.S blue rays/dvd machine.
I watched Series 3 on ITV's website this fall, and I'll be interested to see what cuts were made in the US version this time around. Hopefully PBS has realized that American audiences want to watch the whole program.