Masterpiece Classic

April 1912:- The heir to the title of Earl of Grantham,long time inhabitants of Downton Abbey,perishes on the 'Titanic'. Robert,the benevolent current earl,owes his wealth to his American wife Cora but they have only three daughters,who cannot inherit by law,so another heir must be found by marrying off Mary,the eldest girl.As the drama unfolds among the aristocrats of Downton Abbey, changes are happening amidst the servants as well. John Bates has arrived as a new valet for Robert, but he has a pronounced limp, potentially making him unfit to perform his duties. Also, Bates seems to have some previous link to Robert, and a murky past. And, someone else in the servant's quarters is darkly entangled with the fortunes of the family he serves.

As Matthew and Isobel, the newly-arrived Crawleys settle into life in the village, Isobel offers her experience with modern medical techniques at the hospital, to the considerable consternation of Violet. Both Matthew and Mary bristle at the prospect of being matched to one another; still, Matthew indulges Mary's clever barbs even as a suitor in the form of Evelyn Napier is invited forA sinister stranger barges into the house, demanding to speak to Lord Grantham, and an attractive stranger captivates Mary before setting into motion a chain of events that put the fate of Downton Abbey on even less stable ground.a foxhunt, accompanied by the handsome attaché at the Turkish Embassy, Kemal Pamuk.

The fair has come to town, and with it comes romantic hopes for several Downton Abbey inhabitants. In a triumph of the absurd, Violet asks a baffled Matthew to use his legal acumen to dissolve the entail — the very document by which he is to inherit Downton Abbey.Sybil discovers the politics of gender and class, with the help of the socialist chauffeur, Branson, and Carson discovers that several valuable bottles of wine have gone missing. The vulnerable kitchen maid Daisy, under increased pressure and ire from a fretful Mrs. Patmore, possesses a dangerous secret that she learned upstairs.

Change is in the air as the politically awakened Sybil rallies for the women's vote, in direct violation of her father's rules. But when Sybil is swept up in the violence surrounding the reading of the election results, Matthew wins a heart by defending the girl and bringing her to safety. Meanwhile, back at Downton Abbey, persistent rumors about a family member cause a rift between Cora and Violet. And, a surprise announcement from Cora complicates the larger issue of Downton's fate.

A young boy adrift in a boat on a placid river; a grizzled old man sorting through piles, boxes and books. Which is truly Logan Mountstuart — and how did the boy become the man? Old Logan opens a journal dated 1926, and we are transported into the past as Logan, a young man studying literature at Oxford and aspiring to become a great novelist, vows to lose his virginity. He woos Land Fothergill, an equally ambitious "undergraduette" and part time labor-party activist, and fantasizes about Tess, a local girl who is sleeping with Logan's close friend and main competitor, Peter Scabius. When Logan graduates, he consoles his dying father by promising to work in the dreary family business. But instead he joins his other university friend Ben in Paris, where a chance meeting with Ernest Hemingway reignites his dreams of writing. And so begins a life of passion pursued, from first love to true love, escaping a suffocating earldom with his wife Lottie, reporting from the front lines of the Spanish Civil War, and reveling in domestic bliss with Freya in Battersea. His dying father had counseled him to "enjoy good luck when it comes your way. It's all luck in the end." Logan has hurt and been hurt, seen much of the world, become a father himself, and still, he is so young. But will his good luck hold out?

Logan's fortunes are looking up and he is pleased to securely provide for his wife Freya and his baby daughter Stella, as with the outbreak of World War II, Logan is recruited as a British spy by Ian Fleming. But before long, a mission separates him from his beloved Freya and Stella and pulls him into the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's Bahamian inner circle, a suffocating and, as it turns out, dangerous place. Another mission for Logan brings another separation, and this time Logan's luck runs out. As a prisoner of war in solitary isolation, the only thing worse than his imprisonment is his return home. Devastated by war and tragedy, Logan looks to America and New York City to begin anew. By all appearances a great success, Logan cannot heal the wound that bisected his life. He says, "Your past never leaves you...it comes back and grabs you by the throat." Drawn back to England for his dying mother, then welcomed by his glamorous new lover, Gloria Scabius, he is given another chance as a father — all this as Logan, the old grizzled man, finally opens a box from his past and must survive what he finds. So too must the middle-aged Logan survive another catastrophic blow.

In 1970s London, with its counter-culture and poverty, Logan is just barely surviving with the occasional freelance writing assignment and the help of his friend Ben, enduring petty humiliation at his literary agency until Gloria reenters his life. An interlude of intimate and true friendship, and the inheritance of a house in France from his old friend, Cyprien, buoy Logan and reignite a tenuous passion for life. It's about looking ahead, Gloria tells him. But no sooner does Gloria leave than an accident renders Logan penniless, surviving on dog food, and ready to try anything: looking ahead, and even becoming an unknowing accomplice to an underground revolutionary extremist group. Only the election of Margaret Thatcher and his country house in the south of France provide incentive to leave a decaying past and embark on his final adventure. Logan moves to France and lives out tranquil days of biking through the countryside, playing chess and enjoying local celebrity as an intellectual and author. But the elderly, agitated Logan sifting through his past is feeding a bonfire with discarded scraps from his life. He suffers a heart attack but embarks on one last love. Only then does he complete his masterpiece.

It's 1936, and 165 Eaton Place sees its first stirrings of life after years of neglect when the house's new master, Sir Hallam Holland, and his wife, Lady Agnes, cross the threshold. Though dust shrouds every surface, Lady Agnes is stirred to proclaim, "This house is going to see such life!" And with relish, she sets about an extravagant restoration and enlists the help of the staffing agency Bucks of Belgravia and its owner, former longtime 165 Eaton Place housemaid, Rose Buck. Rose brings her cherished memories and high standards to the project, assembling a motley staff ranging from seasoned snobs to fledgling teens. Upstairs, the unexpected arrival of Hallam's mother, Lady Maud — returning from India with a Sikh secretary and a monkey in tow — introduces both eccentricity and tension as she interferes with Agnes's management of the house. Somewhat in over her head in her new position, Agnes is further tested upon the arrival of her devil-may-care younger sister, Lady Persie. As King George is dying, and against a backdrop of uncertainty, the residents of 165 Eaton Place host an elegant party to launch the Hollands in London society, and together attempt to field obstacles, both comical and sinister, that come their way.

As fascism spreads within Europe, its threat is felt at 165 Eaton Place, both downstairs and up. A new parlormaid, Rachel Perlmutter, arrives safely from Germany having lost nearly everything, but carrying a secret. And the foreign office calls on Sir Hallam to appease the exiled Emperor of Ethiopia, whose country has been annexed by Benito Mussolini. But Hallam's diplomatic skills are also required at home — Maud continues to find Agnes lacking in her duties, as Agnes's attentions are happily occupied elsewhere. Persie takes a detour from the boring requirements of her social debut, rejecting a performance of La Bohème in favor of a flirtation with a servant and a dangerous ideology — pursuits which imperil her moral and physical standing. A genuine companionship grows between Rachel and Mr. Amanjit, both outsiders who share knowledge of loss firsthand. Rachel tells Mr. Amanjit, "We are not forced to accept the things that grieve us," but it is Hallam who embodies that sentiment when he draws the line about who will live in his house, and how.

A chance encounter with greatness goes to Mrs. Thackeray's head, and in turn annoys Rose, who, fed up with her pretensions, unleashes an insult so great that it sparks a feud. Yet despite the embattled cook and housekeeper, the downstairs staff is united in their love and nurturing of the child Lotte, who appears to need more help than they can provide. With even more than her customary authority, Maud steps up to take charge, whisking the child away for treatment even as she guards a secret of her own. Preoccupied with the abdication crisis, Hallam attempts to buy some time from the press by hosting a special dinner for the Duke of Kent, placing 165 Eaton Street in the center of the monarchy's storm. Now preoccupied, Agnes has abdicated her responsibility of Persie, who has snapped the long leash her sister provided, and begun engaging in behavior that threatens to taint them all. Only Lotte's absence galvanizes Hallam to bring light into his home, purging it of dishonor and dark secrets that have been hidden for too long. But just as the king charts his fate, a momentous event will change the Holland family forever.

Ambitious teacher Sarah Burton (Anna Maxwell Martin) returns to her Yorkshire origins to apply for the job of headmistress at the local girls' school. Landowner Robert Carne (David Morrissey) mistrusts all she stands for. With Penelope Wilton and host Laura Linney. (Part 1 of 3)

At risk of losing his estate to pay family medical bills, Robert (David Morrissey) travels to Manchester seeking work. There, he chances to meet Sarah (Anna Maxwell Martin), and they have a drink together. With Penelope Wilton and host Laura Linney. (Part 2 of 3)

As social improvements move forward in South Riding, Robert (David Morrissey) faces ruin after a principled stand against political corruption, and Sarah (Anna Maxwell Martin) confronts a crisis -- both personal and professional. With Penelope Wilton and host Laura Linney. (Part 3 of 3)