Downtown Abbey became a hit, but was eventually flooded with criticism. As per Telegraph, the TV series were flocked with concerns in regards to Christianity, which played an important role in the lives of aristocrats in the early 20th century, it was however absent from the show's concept.
As per the show's historical adviser, Alastair Bruce stated that it was the executives themselves who ordered the producers to "leave religion out of it, for fear of alienating an increasingly atheistic public."
The series never sat down for dinner, in which was replaced with a scene that the Crawleys are already half way through their meal. This was to avoid the part in which the family would have to sat grace.
He then added that an act as simple as folding napkins needs to be removed to spare them from "breaching religious edict."
"In essence you hardly ever see a table that isn't already sat at. We never see the beginning of a luncheon or a dinner, because no one was ever allowed to see a grace being said, and I would never allow them to sit down without having said grace. I think that the view was that we'd leave religion out of it, and it would've taken extra time too. I suggested a Latin grace, but they decided that was too far, and no one would've known what was going on."
He then added that:
"Everyone panics when you try to do anything religious on the telly, I still wish we could've got some decent napkin folds, but I was always left with my triangle."
ITV's director of television, Peter Fincham, stated that they were planning on changing the series' title earlier this year.
"I can remember discussions that almost seem comical now. We talked about the word Abbey. Would people think it would have nuns or monks in it and be a religious series? But we satisfied ourselves they wouldn't and did a bit of marketing around it."
Their yule tide edition is something that would be loaded with plot twist as it is something most viewers wouldn't expect:
"It is going to end in a way that you might not expect. It will be both exciting and emotional and it will leave you thinking lots of things."
The sixth season may be the last for the series, but as for Variety website, it would be used to launch "Mercy Street."
