I've not been to Chatsworth, though it's definitely on the list! I've been to Castle Howard a few times, and they are in a similar situation, as the live-in Dukes of Norfolk who have apartments in the house. It was Brideshead in Brideshead Revisited and often features in dramas, and does a good line in weddings.

Oh indeed- I don't mean that they are meant to be the same house, but clearly both houses don't exist in the Downton-universe. I think that Downton has replaced Castle Howard in the show's world, unless two of the UK's grandest country houses exist within 10 miles of each other and never once mention each other.

I've always thought Downton was supposed to be a stand-in for Castle Howard. The way they describe it, it should be located almost exactly where Castle Howard is (near Malton, Thirsk and York).

I think it was just a reference to the inevitable fate of ALL private houses of that size, not just Downton. There are very few privately owned Estate homes in the UK that don't open to visitors as a revenue stream, and I doubt there are any of equivalent size to Downton.

Unfortunately not. I'm from a small village in the north where we averaged about a crime a year, usually lawnmower theft.

The British consider wishlists to be vulgar where presents are concerned, so I have had to put up with my Great Aunt's uninspiring gifts for years. I once got a car wing mirror for Christmas, which I hoped would be followed by other bits of car until I had a whole one at 18.

I remember reading the book years ago and thinking that it was an idea with potential, but didn't do either of its jobs well. It wasn't a particularly deep or knowing parody of Austen, nor was it a particularly good book about zombies

Don't be silly. I know this is Harry Potter, but everybody knows Manxmen aren't real

That's absolutely true. My mother was the first in four generations of women not to work in service at a Yorkshire country house, and all of those women had very good relationships with their employers.

It's the 1920s English version of "They hate us for our freedom"

It's definitely more Lancastrian than Yorkshire, so you could make an argument for the far north east of Lanchashire - almost Cumbria?

He's already been burned, by the handle of his sword last series. That suggests to me that Dany's magical fire adventure isn't an inherent ability in the Targaryens, but probably as a result of blood magic - she sacrificed the witch in the fire, and was thus able to survive it herself.

Yeah, A* is like an A+

Nope, we still use A* (like an A+) to E in the important exams, at GCSEs and A-Levels, until University. That's when it changes to a 1 - 100 score.

Indeed, quite horrendously gauche. Though they often seem to win those awfully gaudy little men you Americans give out, so I suppose they get some kind of pleasure from it.

British road signs are still in miles, not kilometers - it's really only in weights and measures that Britain is truly metric, in order to comply with EU legislation.

The Time Lords created the monster to act as a threat to the Doctor. It stand to reason that they would know how to create a monster that could kill Time Lords without them regenerating

Right. And seeing as the Time Lords created the confession dial, and are the ones behind the castle, they'd surely be the ones to know how to create an enemy that can kill a Time Lord without allowing him to regenerate

I'd love to see a Doctor Who branded show in which absolutely nothing out of the ordinary happens.

And Britain has more or less always had a comparatively tiny army - no more than about 200,000 men until the First World War.