By Lacy Baugher for Drama on January 6th, 2012

12 Days of Downton: Your Guide to the Downton Abbey Experience on Twitter

DOWNTON_ABBEY--415x415.jpg
Two days until Downton Abbey is back! If you’re looking for a more interactive viewing experience during the premiere broadcast on Sunday night, you might want to check out the special events happening that night on Twitter.

The official Masterpiece account will be hosting a live Twitter event from 9-11pm Eastern time, featuring comedian and huge Downton fan Patton Oswalt, as well as contributors from Vanity Fair Magazine, Tom and Lorenzo (I love that site!), Austenprose.  If you’re on Twitter and want to participate, just use and track the hashtag #DowntonPBS.

But, if any of you happen to be big Twitter enthusiasts – not that I would know anything about wasting hours of one’s life on Twitter, no... – then there are a few other accounts you might want to follow that will prove very relevant to your interests. Click through for a guide to the world of Downton on Twitter, including official accounts, cast members, fan sites, and a bit of fun.

Official Accounts: These are the official Twitter accounts for the folks that bring us this fine program, on both sides of the pond.

  • Masterpiece - @masterpiecepbs – official Masterpiece Twitter account. Covers more than just Downton, obviously, but that’s what it will be tweeting the most this weekend.  
  • ITV - @DowntonAbbey – ITV’s official Downton Abbey account. Beware of possible spoilers, though they’re aware about the American premiere this weekend.

Cast Members: The cast of Downton maintains a rather robust presence on Twitter. While we would all probably love Maggie Smith’s 140-character commentary, alas, she is not a tweeter, nor is Michelle Dockery. But a large portion of the rest of the cast is, and they all seem lovely and very willing to interact with fans.

Useful Fan Accounts – There are an untold number of fan accounts dedicated to telling the world how great Downton is. While I am sure they are all awesome, you don’t need to follow them all. Here are a few to know if you need a non-official source for news and/or gossip. Warning: Most of these are UK-based, and will likely tweet plot points you may not want to know. Commit the list to memory and come back to it.

  • Downton Chat - @DowntonChat – This is the moderator account for the weekly Downton Abbey fan discussion that occurs under the hashtag (you guessed it!) #DowntonChat.  Great for finding new folks to follow who share your Edwardian obsession.
  • Downton Online - @DowntOnline
  • Downton Abbey Fans - @DowntonAbbey1

Parody Accounts: While these parody accounts are entertaining, most are either run by Brits or die-hard fans who have seen Series 2 already through some other means. Beware of any of them tweeting spoilers, if that’s a concern for you.  None of them are officially connected in any way to the show, and some are wittier than others. I included the pet ones just because I’m amazed they exist.  (By the way I’d love more for my own personal amusement this list, so do drop me a note if you know a great one!)

By Lacy Baugher for Drama on January 6th, 2012
Lacy Baugher

Lacy's love of British TV is embarrassingly extensive, but primarily centers around evangelizing all things Doctor Who, and watching as many period dramas as possible.

Digital media type by day, she also has a fairly useless degree in British medieval literature, and dearly loves to talk about dream poetry, liminality, and the medieval religious vision. (Sadly, that opportunity presents itself very infrequently.) York apologist, Ninth Doctor enthusiast, and unabashed Ravenclaw. Say hi on Threads or Blue Sky at @LacyMB. 

Explore More

More to Love from Telly Visions