Television in 1912? Eagle-eyed viewers spot historical errors in period drama Downton Abbey



Millions of viewers are hooked on its period detail that transports them to a gentler age.



But it would appear that while the makers of Downton Abbey have captured the spirit of the early part of last century they may have taken their eye of the finer details.

Despite enthusiastic praise for the storylines and acting on the series, which has pulled in more than eight million viewers and revived ITV's drama output, a series of apparent glaring historical errors has sparked criticism from some fans.



Good reception: In an oversight by producers, a television aerial appeared in one episode of period drama Downton Abbey, which is set in 1912, a number of years before television was invented Modern addition: A vintage car passes a building with a less than vintage glass conservatory

The mistakes, which have mainly been spotted in exterior shots, mostly in the Oxfordshire village of Bampton, include a TV aerial fixed to a house, a modern-style conservatory and double yellow lines on a road, which have all appeared on screen.

Some viewers say they have also seen a modern street sign in the background and claim that a piece of music featured in one of the episodes had not yet been composed when the drama is set in 1912.

There has also been rows on the internet about the language and terminology being used on the programme.

This has included the use of the word 'boyfriend' which it is claimed was not in popular use at the the time.

Similiarly the phrase 'professional woman', used when a character wants to leave domestic service to become a secretary, would not have been around, critics say.

The drama is about the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants and stars Dame Maggie Smith and Hugh Bonneville.

No parking: The dreaded yellow line, as seen here in a scene of Downton Abbey, didn't exist in 1912

People with knowledge of the social etiquette of the time have also suggested other scenes are not historically accurate.

One claimed that the programme had given the impression it was set in North Yorkshire but that none of the accents matched that area.

It is also claimed that the servants in the drama enjoy more leisure time than would have been allowed and that living quarters are much more generous than would have been the case.

Attention to detail: Eagle-eyed viewers have noted that the coloured cob horse in this scene would only have been ridden by a gipsy. But other viewers have argued that the odd mistake does not detract from their enjoyment of the popular series

Others say it was wrong to have shown the footman and butler attending their master in a white tie rather than a uniform.



In the scenes showing horses the use of rubber-stirrups rather than the metal used in the period was also picked out.

Among the more scholarly complaints has been that during the scene of a local hunt a rider was on a coloured cob, a type of horse only ridden by gypsies at the time.

Slip through the net: The catalogue of errors have prompted fans of the show to debate the occasional lapses of historical accuracy on message boards on the internet

But some of the claims have been disputed by other members of the public, while ITV insists that 'painstaking research' has been carried out for the programme.

Other fans say the apparent errors do not spoil their enjoyment of the show and say that people should not worry about it.

The criticism has sprung up on message-boards on the internet.

The Oscar-winning creator of the show Julian Fellowes told the Sunday Telegraph: 'I think the programme is pretty accurate.

Popular: The period drama, which follow the fortunes of the Crawley family and their servants, has become one of the most popular programmes of the year, helping to revive the fortunes of ailing ITV

'The real problem is with people who are insecure socially, and they think to show how smart they are by picking holes in the programme to promote their own poshness and to show that their knowledge is greater than your knowledge.'

A spokesman for ITV said: 'A great deal of consultation and painstaking research has gone into ensuring the historical accuracy of Downton Abbey.

'In spite of these efforts some small oversights may occasionally slip through the net. Many of the points raised are a matter of opinion and, as programme makers, we make our decisions on the advice of the experts working with us.'