Robert Bathurst still gets criticised for brutal Downton Abbey scene
It's been over ten years!
Downton Abbey star Robert Bathurst revealed that he was even told off by a vicar thanks to his most notorious moment on the hit show.
The ITV period drama, created by Julian Fellowes, amassed a huge fanbase across six seasons and multiple movies (with the third set to come out later this year).
The 20th-century-based series was filled with scandal, intrigue and gossip as the Crawley family navigated high-society England and their servants grappled with their own troubles in the basement below their sprawling titular estate.
Throughout the six seasons, we also followed the highs and lows of the three sisters – Mary (Michelle Dockery), Edith (Laura Carmichael) and Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) – romances and none seemed to be more out-of-luck than Edith.
In the early seasons she meets Sir Anthony Strallan, an older gentleman who she falls head over heels for despite his insistence that they probably aren’t quite right for each other.
Nonetheless, they manage to make it down the aisle before – in a horrifying and publicly humiliating twist – Sir Anthony’s reservations win out and he jilts a devastated Edith at the altar.
Sir Anthony Strallan broke poor Lady Edith’s heart (Picture: ITV/ PBS) He opened up about the ongoing furor on The One Show (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)It’s a scene that has gone down in Downton Abbey history – with many scandlised at Anthony for letting Edith down in such a brutal manner.
Over ten years later, Robert still seems to be getting flack for the moment as he recalled the furor on tonight’s episode of The One Show.
Host Lauren Laverne reminded Sir Anthony of the scene ‘that fans sill haven’t forgiven’ home for.
‘My departure from the show, I left Lady Edith at the altar and was roundly booed not only on set,’ he told Lauren and co-host Clara Amfo.
‘Do people come up to you on the street?’ Lauren asked.
‘Yeah, I mean I had a vicar who came up to me on the street and told me “how cruel, how could you have done that”, you know.’
Alas, some wounds may never heal.
He was even confronted by a Vicar on the streets (Picture: Nick Briggs / ITV)Luckily, Edith got her happy ending (but not without plenty more hardships along the way) as she married Bertie Pelham and became Marchioness of Hexham – outranking the rest of her family in a beautiful moment of poetic justice.
The third and final movie will see most of the cast return, including Lord Grantham actor Hugh Bonneville.
Recently, Hugh revealed that it would pay fitting tribute to late star Maggie Smith, whose character Lady Violet also passed away peacefully at the end of the second movie.
The franchise returns for a third film later this year and will pay fitting tribute to late star Maggie Smith (Picture: Liam Daniel/Focus Features/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)The Paddington star told Virgin Radio UK: ‘We finished a third – and I think probably final – Downton Abbey film this summer, which will come out next September.
‘That is a wonderful sort of closing off of all the stories, so it’s a proper film for the fans.”
‘”It’s very much set in the house and saying goodbye to all these characters and we obviously say goodbye to Dame Maggie, which was very poignant on screen and now in real life. She’ll be sorely missed. But the final film will obviously be a great lasting tribute to her.’
Downton Abbey seasons one to six are available to stream on Netflix.
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