News about Julian Fellowes

A Downton Abbey star looked unrecognisable as they filmed their new TV show The Talamasca in Liverpool on Monday. The actress, 63, looked worlds away from her polished self on the period drama as they shot tense scenes.  She was pictured alongside Nicholas Denton in a scene set in New York's Central Park but actually filmed in Sefton Park in Liverpool. 

When architect-turned-novelist Thomas Hardy (inset) completed his dream home in the heart of Wessex, it was far from the madding crowd. But the 1885 mansion (left) is now set to be enveloped by 'ungainly and unnecessary urban sprawl' thanks to plans by the Duchy of Cornwall to build 107 houses. The Duchy, covering 130,000 acres of land, was headed by the now-King Charles when the scheme was hatched, until it was passed to the current Prince of Wales, William. The King himself has attacked 'uncontrolled urban sprawl', saying before taking the throne it was one of Britain's greatest challenges. But critics say the Duchy's 'purely financial greed' - it brought in £24million in profits last year - is going to 'destroy' the rural setting of Hardy's Grade I-listed house, Max Gate, in Stinsford, near Dorchester, Dorset. Among the many official objectors is the Thomas Hardy Society, which has as its president Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes (pictured with his wife right).

Public speaking for any would-be MP during an election campaign could be nerve-racking, but Oscar Reaney's trembling hands when he stood (unsuccessfully) as the Conservative candidate in Bethnal Green and Stepney in London this year were nothing to do with this. 'People think I must be really nervous when I shake but I have to explain that I'm actually a confident public speaker and that I just shake for no apparent reason,' he says. 'It happens all the time but it's more noticeable in social situations - receptions where I have to hold a glass steady or shake hands with lots of people can be difficult.'

The release date for the third Downton Abbey film has been revealed as filming continues in Yorkshire. The new movie will be released worldwide on September 12, 2025, with Universal Pictures UK confirming the news on Instagram. The caption read: 'A new motion picture event. The third film in the beloved #DowntonAbbey franchise will be released only in cinemas September 12, 2025.'

Hannah Uzor, a mother of three who paints from her home in St Albans says she wanted to capture the Princess of Wales' 'dignity, elegance and grace' - and her bravery in the face of cancer. But the Daily Telegraph's chief art critic Alastair Sooke called the portrait 'egregiously, intolerably, jaw-hits-the-floor bad'. Others said it was a GSCE standard painting because it bears little resemblance to Kate. Speaking at her Hertfordshire home this afternoon, the British-Zambian artist said she was not aware of the debate her royal portrait had stoked up. But she added: 'It is a fantastic story - and they [critics] can do what they want.' Hannah had just three weeks to complete the commission for the magazine but told Tatler she was unfazed because 'once I start painting, it will only take me two or three days.' She says proudly that the aim of her work is to 'challenge assumptions'. But her painting of Kate is not her first royal portrait because in 2020 she was praised for her depiction of Sarah Forbes Bonetta - the former slave African princess who became Queen Victoria 's goddaughter. Hannah says she was particularly inspired by Kate's Windsor video where she revealed her cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy. And Ms Uzor, who is married to a software engineer, also says despite never meeting her, there is a connection between them because both women love motherhood.

The other day I was faffing about with my Netflix channel, pressed the wrong button and landed on a television station. I know. Radical. Some sort of lifestyle programme was airing, on a channel whose name I'd never come across before. I flicked the remote to another station, then another, realising I had hundreds of TV channels that I have never got around to watching. Ever. My first thought - well actually it was my second, my first thought was that I better get on to Virgin and change my ludicrous, hundreds-of-channels-I-never-watch package - was, who watches this stuff?

A huge star will be reportedly 'be missing' from the upcoming Downton Abbey film as the period drama undergoes a cast shake-up. According to a new report, the star won't feature in the third and final instalment due to other commitments. The upcoming sequel is said to be beginning filming in summer, set for an international release in 2025.

'Have you any detailed plans to commit suicide?' Madame is the kind psychiatric nurse in the University College Hospital, London. It's the third Tuesday in January, and the mental illness that has engulfed me since the start of November has stifled. I've awakened the deepest mood I've ever had, as well as the knowledge that I won't live through the day. I'm not sure I want to do it. My GP's bitter cup of antidepressants and sedatives isn't working. As I have started to identify my illness and tormentor, I can't cope with another 12 hours of life by side with 'It.' I called Sarah to tell her that I do not want to go on. I'm curious if I'd thrown myself down the stairs, but I'm worried about getting a paraplegic. I'm sure I won't be able to hang myself because I adore the feeling of choking.

The ITV drama series debuted in 2010 and ran until 2015, with the first of the two films being released in 2019. However, just weeks after it was revealed that there would be a seventh series of the show after eight years, The Sun has announced that filming on a third film is also scheduled to begin. The same cast and behind-scenes crew are expected to return to Highclere Castle, Hampshire, where the new film will begin from where the second ended - in the late 1920s. The film, produced by Carnival Films, will see the complete cast revival, which is something that had been a logistical challenge due to its size.

Following Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston's nuptials, a touching video of the late Queen dressed in a stunning pink suit has resurfaced outside St George's Chapel in 2019. Buckingham Palace revealed Mr Kingston's untimely death at the age of 45 on Tuesday evening. (Pictured: The late Queen Elizabeth waving off Lady Gabriella and Mr Kingston in 2019)

Last night, it was revealed that Prince and Princess Michael of Kent's uncle-in-law, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent's uncle, died mysteriously at a Gloucestershire property on Sunday. The two wore matching royal blue to the occasion on February 14 (left), which honored England's best writer and took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel. Queen Camilla was also on hand. The Royal Family and friends have been left in a state of deep shock after Prince and Princess Michael of Kent's sudden death.

The financier, a 'extraordinary man' who survived a suicide bombing in Baghdad and negotiated with bloodthirsty militias for the release of hostages in Iraq, saving hundreds of lives. On Sunday evening, he was discovered dead at an address in Gloucestershire, prompting emergency services to the scene shortly after 6 p.m. During his time in Baghdad, Reverend White, who presided over the country's sole Anglican cathedral, worked closely with Kingston.

The Royal Family and friends are left in a state of utter shock after Prince and Princess Michael of Kent's son-in-law's sudden death. On Sunday evening, the financier and former hostage negotiator was discovered dead at an address in Gloucestershire, and emergency services were dispatched shortly after 6 p.m. An inquest will be held, but there are no suspicious events and no other parties involved. Mr Kingston is survived by his father, Martin Kingston KC, his mother Jill Mary Kingston, and his sisters, Joanna Connolly and Emma Murray. Lady Gabriella, 42, who is 56th in line to the throne, and Mr Kingston have been married for almost five years, having tied the knot at St George's Chapel in Windsor in May 2019. One friend who spoke to the couple at a party last Wednesday at the National Gallery in London said, 'They seemed happy and hopeful as ever.' Ella was particularly 'poety.' 'It's utterly shocking,' another close friend, who attended the couple's stunning wedding, added, "It's completely shocking." None of us expected it. I have no idea what it is like.'

Prince and Princess Michael of Kent's 45-year-old son-in-law was discovered dead at an address in Gloucestershire on Sunday evening, prompting emergency services to the scene shortly after 6 p.m. An inquest will be held, but there are no suspicious circumstances and no other parties interested. Mr Kingston is survived by his father, Martin Kingston KC, his mother Jill Mary Kingston, and his siblings, Joanna Connolly and Emma Murray. 'It's completely shocking,' a close friend who attended the couple's stunning wedding reception at St George's Chapel in 2019. None of us expected it. 'I can't comprehend it.' They seemed jolly and positive as ever at a party at the National Gallery in London last Wednesday,' according to another friend.' Ella was particularly vocal about her conversations.' Lady Gabriella - the 56th in line to the throne - and Mr Kingston, a financier and former hostage negotiator, were last seen together on Valentine's Day at an event to commemorate Shakespeare's First Folio attended by Queen Camilla.

Lady Gabriella Kingston, Mr Martin, and Mrs Jill Kingston, received a letter from Lady Gabriella Kingston, her husband, son, and brother.' 'Tom was a remarkable man who lit up the lives of those who knew him.' His death has brought a huge shock to the entire family, and we ask you to protect our privacy as we mourn his loss.' On Sunday evening, Mr Kingston, 45, was discovered dead at an address in Gloucestershire. After 6 p.m., ambulance services were dispatched to the scene. An inquest will be held to determine the cause of death, but there are no suspicious circumstances and no other parties involved. Lady Kingston and Mr Kingston's families have been sent their'most heartfelt thoughts and prayers'.

A dramatic mixture of tension, passion, and intrigue can be obtained during period dramas. But with so many options across so many streaming services, where should you start? Well, our reporters have done the hard work for you by sifting through copies to bring you an unbeatable selection of 30 options that will take you back to the excitement and passion of long-past eras.

Julian Fellowes, the designer of Downton Abbey, has speculated at a show return. When asked about the future of the series, it ran from 2010 to 2015 before finding its way on the big screen in 2019 and 2022 with two movie adaptations. Julian spoke about Downton's future as he prepares to launch Belgravia: The Next Chapter on Amazon Prime, the sequel to his ITV Belgravia series, in 2020.

Peter Roberts, the headmaster, said Ampleforth College, who has 222 years old, would do everything possible to reduce the costs of the party's decision to charge 20% VAT on tuition. If elected, Labour will also scrap the 80% exemption from the college known as the 'Catholic Eton' and other private schools will be paid on business rates. Many families may face costly tuition if schools opt for the higher prices, which Labour would introduce in its first year in office. But Mr Roberts, 61, said: "If there is a VAT thing, we will not pass it on to the parents." We'll just do everything we can to make sure we make it through, as we always do.' Last September, Labour retaliated after a threat to withdraw the charitable status of private schools, but is going forward with the tax reforms. According to the party, citing a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank, these could amount to £1.5 billion a year to be invested back into state schools.

With the network restoring The Gilded Age of Season 3, HBO is set to return to 1880s New York City. On December 17, the critically acclaimed series concluded its Season 2 finale, with the Thursday revival arriving just four days later. Marian (Louisa Jacobson), a young woman who moves in with her wealthy aunts in the Russell family, is the subject of the series.

The newly wealthy tycoon families founded The Metropolitan Opera after being refused from New York society's highest echelons by old money families. The Academy of Music, the old favorite, was defunct within three years. It was the start of the opera season, but the building was demolished. The Opera Wars are on HBO in the second season of The Gilded Age, and although the plot is rooted in history and a conflict that rocked high society as the wealthy New York families of old, including Astors, Livingstons and Schermerhorns, battled to keep the Vanderbilts' names out of their cloistered cliques.

Cynthia Nixon has had a string of doomed love affairs on film. First and foremost, there was her love with Che in And Just Like That, which caused her to offend Sex And The City franchisees and to come to an end. And now comes another unexpected entanglement, this time in Downton Abbey's second series of Sky Atlantic drama The Gilded Age, written by Julian Fellowes. The actress, 57, portrays Ada, the downtrodden, 'kind but not clever' younger sister of Agnes, who married well and is worth a fortune in the show, which takes place in New York in the 1880s.

The Daily Mail's Weekend magazine has reached yet another magnificent milestone - this month we turn 30! We asked you to share our top ten TV shows so we could compile our definitive list of the 100 Greatest TV Shows voted for by you.

In 1880s New York, season two of HBO's hit period drama, The Gilded Age, depicts a tug-of-war between old and new money. As the latter is refusing to attend the illustrious Academy of Music, the competition between Caroline Astor and Bertha Russell (a fictionalized version of Alva Vanderbilt) hits fever pitch. Vanderbilt leads the construction of a new opera house that surpasses the old Academy in importance and grandeur based on true events. The Metropolitan Opera opened in 1883 and is still a fixture of New York City today.

It could be obvious that the Royal Family's children, as well as other aristocrats, attend one or two of the country's most prestigious schools. However, royal children did not go to school and were educated, rather, by private tutors and governesses until relatively recent times. For example, Princesse Elizabeth and Margaret Rose were among the cases when they were not well known. Princess Margaret is said to have expressed regret for being denied a fuller education later in life. So the decision to send a teenage Prince Charles to Hill House junior school in Kensington and Knightsbridge was a radical move for its time. Since then, it has been quite normal for the children of royalty to attend school, rubbing shoulders with other children. There is increasing rumors that nine-year-old Prince George will eventually return to Eton. But where did they go - and what was the result?