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“Downton Abbey” enjoyed six seasons<\/a> on the air, and its success revolutionized British television on an international scale. The aristocratic period drama commanded sales figures akin to many tentpole American series, which was game-changing for the nation’s TV industry in the 2010s. As simple entertainment, though, the Julian Fellowes-created drama has enamored millions of viewers with its aesthetically pleasing sensibilities and historically informed storylines centered on the Crawley family. The name “Downton Abbey” will be ingrained in pop culture for years to come, so it’s a good thing the original title was rejected.<\/p>\n Reflecting on the history of “Downton Abbey” in an interview with Television Academy<\/a>, Fellowes revealed that the show was initially called “Charford Manor,” lifted from the name of a house in which his great-grandfather lived. Despite the personal connection to Fellowes’ family history, the Powers That Be rejected the title for being too similar to “Cranford,” a BBC period drama that had debuted three years prior.<\/p>\n The good news, though, is that Fellowes’ family history went beyond the aforementioned manor, and a project his great-grandfather was involved with ultimately helped him decide on the name “Downton Abbey.” Read on to find out how Fellowes’ came to this decision.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n How Downton Abbey came to be<\/p>\n
Focus Features<\/p>\n After “Charford Manor” was rejected as a title, Julian Fellowes returned to the drawing board to come up with an idea that stood out. Prior to becoming “Downton Abbey,” the series had other working titles, including one that was reminiscent of “Gosford Park,” the Robert Altman-directed aristocratic whodunit feature that Fellowes wrote.<\/p>\n “[My] great-grandfather had started something called the Downton Cultural College in Wiltshire, so I changed it to ‘Downton Manor’ for a bit,” Fellowes told Television Academy. “Then it became ‘Downton Park.’ But after ‘Gosford Park,’ I felt I was turning into a park keeper. I called it ‘Abbey’ after another house I knew. There was a brief moment of panic that everyone would think it was about monks. We felt that if they saw one trailer, they would be reassured.”<\/p>\n The rest is history. “Downton Abbey” is the title everyone settled on, and it proved to be a winner with long-lasting appeal. Since the series ended, the franchise has expanded into movies, with the latest, “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” available on Peacock<\/a>. Meanwhile, Julian Fellowes continues to make period dramas with HBO’s “The Gilded Age,”<\/a> further cementing him as the go-to creator for shows of this ilk.<\/p>\n
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