Maggie Smith crisply doles out extravagantly spiteful one-liners while wearing a hat the size of the Home Counties

Fans of the enduringly popular ITV period drama series will no doubt embrace this feature film spin-off, which represents a step up in lavish visual spectacle while retaining a comforting familiarity of themes and storytelling style.

The picture uses the occasion of a Royal Visit to Downton Abbey to embark on a whistle-stop tour through the lives of the key characters. There’s a lot of ground to cover and the picture’s oddly episodic structure feels rather scattershot at times...

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