Downton Abbey Extras - LOTS of New Pics & Hints of what is to come

For the post-First World War generation, there is a new mantra: life is for living. For a new age is dawning, a new tune playing.   The spirit of the Roaring 20s, with a musical accompaniment of wild jazz and even wilder dancing, is sweeping the sophisticated cities of America and will soon be heading for London.   But there is a dreadful pall hanging over the Earl of Grantham and his family. It is 1922, six months on from Matthew’s death in a car crash, and Lady Mary has only the solace of their son George to ease her pain. 

Downton's got soul: The excess of the Jazz Age is on the way and its heading for the Abbey

Glamour: The series is set in 1922, not quite the Roaring 20s, but certainly an exciting time of development

We return to Downton Abbey in the dead of night, six months after the death of Matthew Crawley. The honeyed stone of the great house is sheathed in velvety darkness. Only a single bedroom light glows, high up near the eaves. A shadow moves across the window.  Whats that noise? A baby crying? A bat? Mrs Patmore strangling a pheasant for lunch? There’s no way of telling. The walls of Downton must keep their secrets just that agonizing bit longer.

For eveningwear, Mary is now shown  in black or grey or purple, when normally they would put her in blues or deep pinks

Dresses fit for a Dowager

Dressed in the purples, greens and greys of the Edwardian period, Violet ignores the winds of change. And yet even she shows subtle shifts in style. 'Her clothes have become softer,' says costume designer Caroline McCall (with Maggie Smith). 'They're a little less structured now, with a hint at the 20s with the weight of the fabrics.' But she maintains a completely different look to the younger generation with her hair, 'more Queen Mary-ish', as hair and make-up designer Magi Vaughan describes it. Crucial is her silver-handled walking stick. There is no spare, so the props team store it in their truck every night.

Their lack of wigs and minimal make-up make the men's pre-filming preparation a much faster process - just ten to 20 minutes each. As arson, Jim Carter likes his hair ‘to be immaculate, with the parting dead straight’, as befits such a perfectionist. 'Carson would never have a hair out of place, whereas Jimmy is a bit of a rogue so it’s nice to have some hair around the face,' says hair and makeup designer Magi Vaughan.

The boot room, which makes its first appearance in the new series, is not just for cleaning boots!

For more in depth interviews go to the Daily Mail by clicking HERE.