Downton Ratings Down

The six and final series of Downtown Abbey debuts with lower audience.

16:45 22 September 2015

 

The opening episode of the six and final series of Downtown Abbey debuts with just 7.6million viewers, down from 8.4 million last year.

 

The episode saw Lady Mary embroiled in a blackmail plot and arguments over the future of the village hospital.

 

Meanwhile, critics were largely positive about the show with reservations.

 

The Times' Andrew Billen described the episode as "comfortingly pleasurable, even during the substantial stretches when it is not very good."

 

Ceri Radford agreed saying that while the drama had never “quite measured up” to its first series, the episode provided “an enjoyable if flawed finale to be convulated tale of the Crawley family’s fortunes.”

 

He added: "This bodes well for an autumn of cosy Sunday evening entertainment, even if it often feels more like farce than tour de force.”

 

Meanwhile, Sam Wollaston from The Guardian, was not impressed. He wrote: "There is some very tedious business about a hospital, but it's really just a way... to provide Dame Maggie Smith with a few of her withering putdowns.

"Thank heaven there's not much more of this."