Season 2 of Downton Abbey premieres at Highclere Castle (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Season 2 of Downton Abbey premieres at Highclere Castle

11:10am Wednesday 7th September 2011 in General By Joanne Mace

OF COURSE, there could only really be one place to launch the second series of Downton Abbey – and, as it is on the small screen, Highclere Castle was the perfect setting.

Members of the media from all over the country and beyond, including The Gazette, were welcomed by costumed ‘serving staff’ to the 1,000-acre estate, before gathering in one of the rooms used in the series to watch the first episode and speak to the cast.

Opening proceedings, executive producer Gareth Neame aid: “I’m delighted to welcome you to Highclere Castle for the worldwide launch of the second series of Downton Abbey. We are very grateful to Lord and Lady Carnarvon for being our landlords. They are the most welcoming hosts.”

Describing the first series of Downton Abbey, which was recently nominated for 11 prestigious American Emmy awards, as the “TV event of 2010” and “a drama that feels expressly British”, Gareth went on to express his pride at its universal acclaim.

Gareth said: “Downton became part of the national conversation last autumn and it was one of those rare events which took the makers, the critics and the audience on the same journey. I feel the typical second album nervousness in unveiling the second series – the dramatic stakes are higher.”

Series two takes place during the Great War. Downton Abbey becomes a place for the military to recuperate, inspired by Highclere’s own past as a military hospital, during which the wife of the fifth Earl, Lady Almina, persuaded her husband to open up the castle to wounded soldiers.

Lady Carnarvon, whose book about Lady Almina is released this month, said: “It did so much for the men who came here. They tried not to amputate legs and they tried to heal and make better.

“It was a fascinating study in nursing and how they approached it, and the care they gave to the men was incredible. They were tucked up in wonderful beds and served by footmen and asked what paper they wanted – such a contrast with the trenches.”

Series two of Downton Abbey begins on ITV1 on Sunday, September 18. Don't miss your Monday Gazette on September 12 and 19 for exclusive chats with some of its stars, including Hugh Bonneville (Robert, the Earl of Grantham), Elizabeth McGovern (Cora, the Countess of Grantham), Joanne Froggatt (Anna) and Brendan Coyle (Bates).