Downton Abbey
Series 4
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes8 + 1 Christmas special
Release
Original networkITV
Original release22 September (2013-09-22) –
10 November 2013 (2013-11-10)
Series chronology
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Series 3
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Series 5
List of episodes

The fourth series of the British historical drama television series Downton Abbey broadcast from 22 September 2013 to 10 November 2013, comprising a total of eight episodes and one Christmas Special episode broadcast on 25 December 2013. The series was broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom and on PBS in the United States, which supported the production as part of its Masterpiece Classic anthology.

Series overview

Cora hires Edna Braithwaite to replace O'Brien, who has resigned. Things though do not work out and Braithwaite is replaced by Phyllis Baxter.

Lady Mary mourns Matthew's death. Matthew's newly-found letter states Mary is to be his sole heir and thus gives her management over his share of the estate until their son, George, comes of age. Mary assumes a more active role in running Downton. Two new suitors—Lord Gillingham and Charles Blake—arrive at Downton, though Mary, still grieving, appears not to be interested. Lady Edith, who has begun writing a weekly newspaper column and Michael Gregson, a magazine editor, fall in love. Due to English law, he is unable to divorce his wife, who is mentally ill and in an asylum. Gregson travels to Germany to seek citizenship there, enabling him to divorce, but is killed by Hitler's Brownshirts during riots. Edith is pregnant and secretly gives birth to a daughter whilst in Switzerland. She places the baby with a couple there, but later reclaims her daughter after arranging for a family on the Downton estate (Mr and Mrs Drewe of Yew Tree Farm), to foster her.

Anna is raped by Lord Gillingham's valet, Mr Green, which Mr Bates later discovers. Subsequently, Mr Green is killed in a London street accident. A local school teacher, Sarah Bunting, and Tom begin a friendship. Sampson, a card sharp and previous guest at Downton, steals a letter written by the Prince of Wales to his mistress, Rose's friend Freda Dudley Ward, which, if made public, would create a scandal; the Crawley family connives to retrieve it.

Cast and characters

Main cast

Upstairs

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [1]
261"Episode One"David EvansJulian Fellowes22 September 2013 (2013-09-22)11.96[nb 1]
February 1922. Lady Mary deeply mourns Matthew, feeling little motherly love for baby George. Lord Grantham and Branson dispute the estate's management and struggle to pay death duties. Miss O'Brien suddenly leaves Downton to serve Lady Flintshire. Needing a maid, Cora hires former servant Edna, who has trained as a lady's maid. Cora fires Nanny West when she overhears her disparaging remarks about baby Sybil. Mr Molesley has lost his job following Matthew's death; the Dowager Countess tries helping him by letting him serve at a luncheon. The servants are excited by Valentine's Day; Mrs Patmore struggles to deal with an electric whisk. Carson consoles Mary to bring her out of mourning. She initially resents it, accusing him of impertinence, but later apologises and has a good cry in his arms.
272"Episode Two"David EvansJulian Fellowes29 September 2013 (2013-09-29)12.10[nb 2]
March 1922. A letter is found from Matthew, appointing Mary his sole heir; Lord Grantham is displeased and prefers that Mary not be involved in managing the estate. Violet secretly supports Mary, and urges her to learn the business from Tom. Discovering that Molesley has fallen on hard times, is working as a labourer, and has debts, Bates gets money from the Dowager Countess, and pretends to repay him an earlier debt. Lady Rose and Anna attend a tea dance in York held for servants. Lord Grantham's solicitor confirms that Matthew's letter is as good as a will. Everyone urges him to include Mary in running the estate.
283"Episode Three"Catherine MorsheadJulian Fellowes6 October 2013 (2013-10-06)11.86[nb 3]
April 1922. A house party is held at Downton. Lady Mary renews an acquaintance with the suave Lord Gillingham, who flirts with her. A card sharp fleeces the gentlemen and is fleeced in turn. During Nellie Melba's (Kiri Te Kanawa) performance, Lord Gillingham's valet, Mr Green, violently assaults and rapes Anna. Tom feels uncomfortable amongst all the guests; Edna takes advantage by getting him drunk and sneaking into his bedroom afterwards. Anna makes Mrs Hughes promise to tell no one about the rape, especially Bates, for fear he will kill Green and be hanged for it.
294"Episode Four"Catherine MorsheadJulian Fellowes13 October 2013 (2013-10-13)11.75[nb 4]
April 1922. Edna claims she could be pregnant and wants Tom to marry her. Mrs Hughes confronts her and Edna leaves Downton. Lady Rose accompanies Mary and Tom to London where they stay with Lady Rosamund, who has sneakily invited Lord Gillingham and Bullock to join them. They go to a jazz club where Jack Ross, the club's black singer, dances with Rose, to others' discomfort. Anna, feeling unworthy of Bates, grows distant and moves back into the main house. Michael Gregson is about to depart for Germany; if he becomes a German citizen, he may be able to divorce his insane wife. Lady Rosamund discovers that Edith spent the night with Gregson, and warns her about damaging her reputation. Lord Gillingham proposes to Mary but she refuses, saying she is still grieving Matthew's death.
305"Episode Five"Philip JohnJulian Fellowes20 October 2013 (2013-10-20)11.39[nb 5]
May 1922. Carson considers re-hiring Mr Molesley if Alfred leaves to attend a chef training programme, but Molesley, unhappy at being demoted to a footman, dithers too long over the offer, and loses the opportunity. Thomas puts pressure on Cora's new lady's maid, Baxter, to spy on everyone for him. Cora has to persuade a nervous Mrs Patmore to exchange their ice-box for a refrigerator. Edith visits a London doctor. Tom considers moving to America. Bates continues to pressure Anna to explain her behaviour. Mrs Hughes tells him that a stranger broke into the servants' hall and raped Anna. Bates and Anna reconcile, but he suspects Green committed the crime.
316"Episode Six"Philip JohnJulian Fellowes27 October 2013 (2013-10-27)11.54
June 1922. Alfred leaves for the Ritz chef training programme, and Carson is not keen for Molesley to replace him. Edith learns that she is pregnant. Bates and Anna go to dinner at a posh hotel where a snobbish maître d'hôtel tries to bar them; fortunately, Cora is there, and ensures they are admitted. Rose arranges for the jazz club band to play at Robert's birthday. Carson is scandalised to see Jack, the black singer, at Downton Abbey. After the party, Mary sees Rose and Jack kissing in the servants' hall. Government inspectors arrive to survey the financial viability of the landed estates in Yorkshire: Mr Napier, an old friend of Lady Mary, and Mr Blake, an acerbic liberal who politely clashes with her.
327"Episode Seven"Edward HallJulian Fellowes3 November 2013 (2013-11-03)11.93
July 1922. Robert leaves for America to bail Cora's playboy brother out of trouble. Mary, told by Mrs Hughes about what happened to Anna, persuades Robert to take Thomas with him as his valet instead of Bates. The Dowager Countess falls ill with bronchitis, and is nursed by Isobel. Tom attends a council meeting and meets a chirpy young woman, Sarah Bunting. Edith and Rose go to London, where Rose continues to pursue her romantic relationship with Jack. Edith decides to have an abortion, but backs out at the last minute. Lord Gillingham and his valet, Green, arrive at Downton, and Mrs Hughes tells Green that she knows what he did and warns him to stay clear of Anna whilst there. During the servants' dinner, Green reveals that he went to the servants' hall during Dame Nellie's recital.
338"Episode Eight"Edward HallJulian Fellowes10 November 2013 (2013-11-10)12.16
August 1922. Edith wants a tenant farmer and his wife to care for her baby, but Lady Rosamund suggests she go to Switzerland and give up the baby there. Alfred proposes to Ivy, but begins appreciating Daisy's loyalty after Ivy refuses him. Daisy is confused over her feelings, but gives Alfred up, and he leaves for good. Lord Gillingham, who is ending his engagement, visits briefly, still pursuing Mary; she has learned about Green's crime and wants Gillingham to dismiss the valet, which he agrees to do. The church bazaar is held, organised by Cora; during it, Lord Grantham arrives unexpectedly, as does Lord Gillingham, to tell Mary that Green was killed in a road accident in Piccadilly. Anna realizes that Bates had the same day off, supposedly to go to York, and he will not say what he was doing there.
Special
34–"The London Season"Jon EastJulian Fellowes25 December 2013 (2013-12-25)9.4[nb 6]
Summer 1923: The Granthams move to their London residence for Rose's debutante ball and presentation at Court. They are joined by Cora's brother, Harold, and mother, Martha, from the United States. Lord Gillingham and Mr Blake attend. Tom and Thomas initially remain at Downton. Tom unexpectedly meets with Sarah Bunting, who asks for a tour of Downton Abbey. At a party, Rose's indiscretion leads to card-sharp, Mr Sampson, stealing a letter from the Prince of Wales to his mistress, Freda Dudley Ward, from her handbag. Rose tells Lord Grantham, who invites Sampson to a poker party while Mary, Rose, and Charles Blake search Sampson's flat, but they are unable to find the letter. As the players leave, Bates assists Sampson with his coat and picks his pocket to retrieve the letter. Mrs Hughes finds a train ticket in Bates's coat for York to London on the day Green died. She tells Mary, and they agree to keep quiet. At the ball, Gillingham surprises Mary by revealing Mr Blake is actually cousin and heir to a very wealthy baronet with a large estate. Edith has given birth to a girl, and arranges the baby girl's placement with a tenant farmer at Downton, keeping the girl's illegitimacy a secret. Lady Grantham asks Carson to arrange an outing for the staff; Mrs Hughes persuades him to arrange a day at the seaside. Mrs Hughes entices Carson to go wading in the surf, holding her hand for support.

Notes

  1. ^ 10.124 million on ITV,[2] 1.344m on ITV HD,[3] 484,000 on ITV +1.[4]
  2. ^ 10.256 million on ITV,[5] 1.295m on ITV HD,[6] 548,000 on ITV +1.[7]
  3. ^ 9.891 million on ITV,[8] 1.396m on ITV HD,[9] 576,000 on ITV +1.[10]
  4. ^ 9.922 million on ITV,[11] 1.219m on ITV HD,[12] 608,000 on ITV +1.[13]
  5. ^ 9.659 million on ITV,[14] 1.204m on ITV HD,[15] 529,000 on ITV +1.[16]
  6. ^ 7.752 million on ITV,[17] 1.201m on ITV HD,[18] 454,000 on ITV +1.[19]

References

  1. ^ Weekly Top 10 Programmes Broadcasters' Audience Research Board
  2. ^ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes: ITV w/e 22 September 2013". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  3. ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV HD w/e 22 September 2013". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  4. ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV+1 w/e 22 September 2013". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  5. ^ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes: ITV w/e 29 September 2013". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  6. ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV HD w/e 29 September 2013". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  7. ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV+1 w/e 29 September 2013". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  8. ^ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes: ITV w/e 6 October 2013". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  9. ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV HD w/e 6 October 2013". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  10. ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV+1 w/e 6 October 2013". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  11. ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV w/e 13 October 2013". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  12. ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV HD w/e 13 October 2013". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  13. ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV+1 w/e 13 October 2013". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  14. ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV w/e 20 October 2013". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  15. ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV HD w/e 20 October 2013". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  16. ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV+1 w/e 20 October 2013". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  17. ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV w/e 29 December 2013". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  18. ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV HD w/e 29 December 2013". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  19. ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV+1 w/e 29 December 2013". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2014.

External links

Downton Abbey
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