Photo credit: Courtesy of MPA
The Motion Picture Association rolled out the red carpet with all the polish of a Crawley dinner service for the Washington premiere of Downton Abbey: The Finale. Café society met Capitol Hill as diplomats, journalists and film devotees slipped into plush seats to watch the last waltz of England’s most famous fictional family.
“Thanks to Phil Tahtakran, Head of Federal Government Affairs at NBCUniversal Office in DC, for not only helping to make this event possible but for allowing this audience to be part of an advanced screening of this wonderful film,” said Charles Rivkin, CEO/MPA. “You have a chance to see it before most people in the world have a chance to see it and that means you have bragging rights with all your friends and colleagues.”
Charles Rivkin and Phil Tahtakran
“On behalf of the entire Comcast NBCUniversal Office in DC I’m delighted to welcome you all here tonight to share the special advance screening with you here in DC. We often talk about the special relationship between the US and the United Kingdom and I can tell you that US audiences have certainly had a special relationship with Downton Abbey over the last 15 years. In fact, the Downton Abbey TV series reached some 13 million weekly viewers in the US making it the most popular show in PBS history. And as a global media and technology company, NBCUniversal is in the business of creating stories and experiences that can appeal to us audiences as well as audiences across the globe. And Downton Abbey, I think is a perfect example of this at work.”
“So tonight,” added Phil, “as we celebrate the return of the Crawley family and the finale of this series, we also remember Dame Maggie Smith who played the iconic Dowager Countess in Downton for years, and who passed away a year ago this month, I’m sure if she were here tonight in character, she would complain about the glare from the lights in here, probably express concern about the electricity vapors floating about and undoubtedly express disdain for how under dressed some of you are in here today.”
On screen, Julian Fellowes tied his empire together with a finale as sumptuous as Highclere’s drawing rooms. The Crawleys faced their twilight years with their trademark stoicism, while the downstairs staff delivered loyalty and levity in equal measure. It was the familiar cocktail of elegance and intrigue—polished silver trays, whispered confidences, bittersweet romances—served with the knowing wink of a last goodbye.
When the credits rolled, the audience lingered, reluctant to let go. The screening was more than just a film debut; it was a curtain call on a cultural phenomenon that has shaped dinner-party chatter and Sunday-night rituals for over a decade. In true Downton fashion, the evening closed not with tears, but with toasts. After all, as Lady Mary might say, endings are just beginnings dressed in black tie.
