(Shirley
MacLaine plays Lady Cora's brash outspoken American mother)
BBC
Entertainment has revealed that the third series of the much-loved and
critically-acclaimed British period drama television series, Downton Abbey, will start airing on
South African screens on August 11 at 21h00.
The
first two series proved to be runaway successes and commanded a large and loyal
following in South Africa. To give fans a chance to re-live the drama of the
first two series, all episodes will be aired over the weekend of August 10 and
11 before the opening episode of Series 3 premieres.
The
third instalment from the pen of award-winning writer Julian Fellowes will
witness the return of the show’s much-loved stars Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville
and Elizabeth McGovern. Joining the show will be legendary Hollywood leading
lady; Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe award winner Shirley MacLaine. She will play
the role of Martha Levinson, Cora’s brash, outspoken American mother who will
visit Downton amidst great fanfare.
Ian McDonough,
Executive VP, CEMA says “Downton Abbey
Series Three completes a brilliant schedule on BBC Entertainment SA. Running
the full first and second series to create a special Downton Weekend, culminating in the launch of Series Three means
fans can get a major fix of a great British drama series. We’re used to
delivering the Best of British – this fits that part of our brief perfectly,
and complements our shows like Top Gear,
Strictly Come Dancing and original Commission Come Dine With Me South Africa series 3.”
The
series, set in the Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey, depicts the lives
of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era
— with the great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the
British social hierarchy.
As they
face new challenges, the Crawley family and the servants who work for them
remain inseparably interlinked. Throughout the great house, new arrivals rattle
the established hierarchies, and the lives of the inhabitants are as shaped by
romance, ambition, desire, shocks and heartbreak.
Downton Abbey has received critical acclaim from
television critics and won numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award
for Best Mini Series or Television Film and a Primetime Emmy Award for
Outstanding Mini Series. It has earned the most nominations of any
international television series in the history of the Primetime Emmy Awards,
with 27 in total (after two seasons) and entered the Guinness Book of World
Records as Highest Critical Review Ratings for a TV Show.
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