Downton Abbey The Movie (2019)

The movie got its premiere on New Year's Day on ITV and though they've moved on in years nothing much else has changed.  All the characters are the same and there are plots reminiscent of the series.  This time round King V (Simon Jones) and Queen Mary (Geraldine James) are visiting Highclare House though one really has to wonder why aside from the high drama! 

Potential to set up stories for future films, such as Branson (Allen Leech) who meets a new love in the form of Lucy (Tuppence Middleton) the maid of Lady Maud Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton) whose father was the Earl's (Hugh Bonneville) great uncle .  But she's not really the maid, or companion as she's going to be known as later on, but her daughter.  A secret discovered by Isobel (Penelope Wilton).  She's the heir to the estate that the family were hoping the Earl would inherit as a male heir and distant cousin.  As the Dowager (Maggie Smith) was determined to have it out with her once and for all.  Changing her mind when she finds out the truth.  Again saying she would've understood as she's not that set in her ways.  Edith (Laura Carmichael) pushing for Branson and Lucy to get together just to keep the fortune in the family.  Under the guise of wanting something better for Branson.

Mary (Michelle Dockery) worries over whether Downton can sustain itself and comments on finding herself putting out the chairs for the village in the pouring rain. Anna (Joanne Froggatt) tells her to think of the staff and people all over the county who rely on the estate.  Also Mary conveying this concern to the Dowager who has her own secret to confide in with Mary.  That the doctor hasn't given her much time and Mary will really miss her "granny."  The General Strike of 1926 is alluded to only just in passing. 

Carson (Jim Carter) is brought out of retirement and can no longer tend to his weeds as Mary wants him at Downton when the Royals arrive.  Barrow (Rob Collier-Smith) doesn't want to polish the silver and wants to leave it up to the Royal's own staff/servants.  Of course he's perturbed by this and walks out.  The Earl won't be firing him as he's amazed by Barrow's sudden discovery of principles.  Barrow too finds his own potential love interest in Richard Ellis (Max Brown) the King's valet/dresser and they agree to meet in York for a drink.  Barrow gets taken in by someone else at the pub and they end up in a secret location for gay men.  Finally there's a raid and he's arrested and ? gets him out of jail by using the Royal status on his calling card.  

The staff are in uproar as they won't be able to wait on royalty or prepare food for them.  Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nicol) even goes out to buy food when she doesn't need to.  With the pompousness of the Royal staff party and specifically the attitude of the Back Stairs butler Mr Wilson (David Haig) and the French chef, Courbet (Philippe Spall) the Downtown staff stage a mutiny.  Deciding to have the royal staff taken away by the pretext of being needed in London and locking up Wilson in his room.  With Anna giving the Courbet a sleeping draft, double does.  Moseley (Kevin Doyle) is particularly thrilled as he gets to wait on Royalty and puts his foot in it by impertinently replying to Queen Mary.  Shocks all around then.  As Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) has to apologize on his behalf.

A sub-plot with the Irish situation is added for extra interest for Branson to get involved with.  As he's approached by a suspicious man, he thinks is spying on him, regarding his feelings towards the Irish and the royals.  But Branson's been subdued by the Crawley family in his feelings.  He gets to catch said bloke at the parade as he tries to assassinate the King.  Mary had to get in on the act too of course.   Later the ball the King reveals he knows exactly who Branson is and what he did.  

The opening follows the letter informing of the arrival of the Royals arrival at Downton from a train, to the mail van, a postman on a motorbike, until it's safely delivered to the Castle.  Until the familiar bells of the house ring out to the servants.  So you know you're in familiar territory.  You'd think the staff's actions would've got a sterner reprimand for their actions, however it's just casually laughed off except for the Earl taking exception at Moseley's actions.  A nostalgic reminiscence for fans of the original series.

Doctor Who "Eve of the Daleks" Special

Doctor Who's 'Groundhog Day' deja vu ep.  You'd think they filmed this in one spot cos they were locked down: minimal contact.  Which they were.  Lots of running around and hiding in shadows only to be exterminated by the Daleks over and over.  Time being on a loop and resetting.  The Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) resets the TARDIS and they have to leave in order for this to happen.  Ending up not on the tropical beach she promised Yaz (Mandip Gill) and Dan (John Bishop) but in a storage unit.  The same storage unit where Sarah (Aisling Bea) and Nick (Adjani Salmon) meet up every New Year's.  Well they don't really meet up, Nick turns up just to see her, the owner.  He stores away items belonging to his exes just incase they turn up to get them.  This time round it's a Monopoly.  The storage unit isn't updated but boy did those containers have bags of room!  Elf Storage hiding a myriad of items akin to Santa's grotto.  All to come in handy for the Doctor.

A Dalek shows up and exterminates both Sarah and Nick.  As the Doctor finds them dead they meet the same Dalek too and the Doctor can't zap it with her Sonic.  The Sonic can be controlled by the Dalek.  The Dalek appears to be one step ahead of them as they are exterminated too.  As they return they have a sense of deja vu as the Doctor realizes time has reset and each time they come back a minute has moved on.  With additional Dalek's turning up until we get three, the Doctor finally plans to be one step ahead of them by using one of the loops as a decoy to fool the Daleks into thinking that's what they're planning.  The Dalek also reveals that they're here to destroy her.  Due to the Flux that she instigated thereby destroying millions of Daleks.  She explains it was the Sontaran plan which she then hijacked. 

The Doctor says the only way they can survive this is if they are outside when the clock strikes midnight.  Sarah also gets calls from her mother before midnight as she thinks the lines will be busy then.  As Nick destroys two of the Daleks saving himself and finally tells her he comes here cos he knows she'll be here and he has an "embarrassing crush" on her.  Same can be said of  Yaz and the Doctor as Dan encourages her to tell the Doctor how she feels.  Also letting slip that Yaz has feelings for her and the Doctor knows exactly what that means.  Ahh Rose!  Dan found out too late his feelings for Di and he doesn't want Yaz going through the same.  Though it was obvious Yaz was infatuated by the Doctor from the outset.  Their relationship has evolved when they spent all the time without the Doctor and as Yaz tells Sarah, she's the only one who can diss on her mate Dan.  

So finally the Doctor gets the idea the fireworks Jeff has been hoarding in the storage facility, as well as living there; will be their escape from the Daleks.  The fireworks will go off when Sarah's mother calls her 10 seconds before midnight.  The Dalek being fooled into thinking it's a human signature by the phone.  As they finally get out and the Dalek explodes with the fireworks,  we see Karl watching the fireworks alone from a distance. 

The Daleks were particularly calculating in this ep as they predict exactly what the Doctor will do even before she does when they return in the time loop.  Still bearing grudges and everytime Time was mentioned felt like Time from the Flux was being referred to.  The Daleks being sent by Time to rid the universe from the Doctor.  Of course the gimmick was that the Doctor didn't regenerate each time they were exterminated.  The TARDIS reset is the cause of the time loop apparently and nothing as sinister as I just mentioned here, but it was a nice thought, even if I do say so myself.    An enjoyable romp where you didn't need to follow the plot too closely or pay much attention to it.  

Two more specials to go with Doctor Thirteen, one in spring and one in Autumn!