"Connecting Point" will feature host Jim Madigan interviewing Lady Fiona Carnarvon on life at Highclere Castle following the success of the PBS miniseries "Downton Abbey."
This undated publicity photo provided by PBS shows Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess, left, and Shirley MacLaine as Martha Levinson from the TV series, "Downton Abbey." The third season premiere airs in the U.S. on Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013 on PBS. (AP Photo/PBS, Carnival Film & Television Limited 2012 for MASTERPIECE, Nick Briggs)
SPRINGFIELD — To commemorate the success of PBS and its "Masterpiece" award winning show "Downton Abbey" following the season 3 premiere, WGBY's "Connecting Point" program will air an interview with Lady Fiona Carnarvon on Wednesday evening at 7:30.
Lady Carnarvon is married to the 8th Earl of Carnarvon and lives at Highclere Castle, the filming location for "Downton Abbey" and where the Carnarvon family has resided since its development in 1842. Lady Carnarvon is also known for her book "Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle," which was published in 2011 and depicts the life of the 4th Countess, Lady Almina, and her efforts to restore financial stability to Highclere by opening up the castle to wounded soldiers during World War I.
Lady Carnarvon conducted extensive research within the Highclere archives to depict the financial struggles Lady Almina faced resulting from her husband's overspending. These archives have also been used used to create parallels between the historical events behind Highclere Castle and the story lines for some of the "Downton Abbey" characters.
The "Connecting Point" segment will feature the countess' comments on what it is like to have a show being filmed within her residence and her opinions on the success of the drama. Myrna Flynn, WGBY marketing director, shared some of the highlights that will be shown from the phone interview host Jim Madigan conducted Monday with the countess from her English estate.
Flynn said that viewers will see Madigan ask Lady Carnarvon a variety of questions, including how the show has impacted her family and the Countess personally, the common struggles the characters of the show face in relation to her own struggles with maintaining Highclere and what might happen to the popularity of the castle once the show inevitably wraps.
The Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winning series has been nominated once again received Golden Globe nominations for best drama television series, best performance by an actress in a drama television series (Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary) and best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a television series (Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess). According to Nielson Fast National data, the show's season 3 premiere this past Sunday pulled in nearly 8 million viewers, doubling the viewership of the miniseries.
After speaking with the countess, Flynn said that the Carnarvon family has adjusted to living amongst a television set as a part of their daily lives.
"The countess described getting used to watching the show be filmed in her home as similar to 'watching paint dry,' " Flynn said.
The Highclere Castle is open to the public and the Carnarvons host a number of public events at their residence. Flynn said that show's popularity has grown, so have tourism numbers at the castle.
Despite living at the center of a major production set, the Countess is pleased with the positive attention the show has received and hopes to continue finding ways to improve the estate and capitalize on the success of the show, Flynn said.
"Downton Abbey" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on WGBY.