AIIEEEE! John Bates is played by Brendan Coyle! I heart Brendan Coyle! He's such a fantastic actor another who should be knighted alongside Hugh Bonneville. But the pax romana is upset at the appearance of his lordship's new valet, John Bates. While Robert and his family react to it in a variety of different ways, the servants are too busy to reflect on it much except at dinner. The servants are in their usual state of hustle and bustle as the dreadful news of the deaths descends upon the house. You will see why I abhor these two in a minute. Last and certainly least is O'Brien, Cora's personal maid, and the sneering Thomas, first footman. Then comes sympathetic head housemaid Anna, bumbling second footman William, and a rather pathetic kitchen maid called Daisy. Hughes, the efficient dragon of a housekeeper ( echoes of Helen Mirren's housekeeper character in Gosford Park?), and Mrs.
We have Carson, the rightly prim and proper butler, Mrs.
