While the fourth season of "Downton Abbey" will see the Granthams mourning the death of Matthew (Dan Stevens), Lady Mary's (Michelle Dockery) late husband, the workers downstairs will be dealing with their own share of personal drama.
TVGuide caught up with Joanne Froggatt, who plays Anna Bates, Sophie McShera, who plays Daisy Mason, and Phyllis Logan, who plays Mrs. Hughes, for an inside scoop about what to expect on the show's fourth season.
Downstairs, the servants will be dealing with the absence of O'Brien, (Siobhan Finneran), the lady's maid who is almost always seen cooking up some scheme. O'Brien's exit will be addressed in the season premiere.
It seems as if Anna Bates has achieved marital bliss with her husband, Mr. Bates (Brendan Coyle), who was recently released from prison. The couple seem happy together, living in a quaint little cottage on the Downton estate. Although they no longer live within Downton Abbey itself, their lifestyle is not very different.
"That [the cottage] doesn't really affect how you see Anna and Bates on the show because they would have spent so much time at work," Froggatt said. "They would have been there from half past five in the morning until midnight when the family went to bed. So they still eat breakfast, lunch, dinner in the servants' hall with the rest of the servants. They literally go back to their cottage to go back to sleep really. You do see a couple of scenes in Bates' cottage, so the audience is reminded that they do live in the cottage. But for all intents and purposes, it doesn't change for them really."
Although the characters appear blissful in the beginning of the season, in true "Downton Abbey" fashion, their happiness will not last very long. "Anna and Bates start the season in a very happy place, which is lovely," Froggatt said. "But as always, there are some trials and tribulations for Anna and Bates. They never seem to have it easy, as there is for all the characters."
On a happier note, Froggatt shared that her character will get to do some dancing this season, now that the show has moved into the dance-crazy era of the 1920s. Yet, Anna will not be seen performing any of the "scandalous" new dances. "No, that's definitely Rose's domain," Froggatt said.
As for Mrs. Hughes, O'Brien's absence will have a big effect on the head housekeeper.
"Obviously the main intention is to help Lady Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) to find a replacement," Phyllis Logan said. "O'Brien had been with her for a long time. She was her lady's maid. You need to build up a rapport with somebody when you're working so personally with them... So I can understand that Lady Cora is certainly feeling aggrieved that she's got to start the hunt for somebody new."
"And until we find a replacement, I have to step into the breach, which isn't really part of my duties, but needs must. I don't think it suits either of us really that well," Logan continued. Logan also shared that a familiar character will return to Downton's servants quarters. The new character will have a myriad of problems, and will have a major story arc.
Little Daisy will also have an exciting season. Daisy, who ascended last year from scullery maid to assistant cook, will incorporate some modern technology into her cooking.
"She gets a new electric mixer," Sophie McShera said. "Patmore [Lesley Nicol] is like, 'It's the devil! Send it away!' But Daisy is like, 'I think it's really good.' She's making souffles and doing the devil's work with the mixer. Daisy's really up for it. She wants to embrace all of this new modernity, but it's because she's younger."
While Daisy's work life is going well, she is not so lucky in the ways of love. Daisy continues to go after Alfred (Matt Milne), despite his still having eyes for the kitchen maid, Ivy (Cara Theobold). "It's hilarious because you sort of think, 'Oh my God, give it up with Alfred. He's just not that into you.' But she kind of has to hammer away at it because who else is she going to get off with? There's no one to look at. Mr. Carson? [Laughs] It's limited."
Daisy becomes increasingly frustrated with Ivy, who receives more attention from the opposite sex. "She's gotten a bit nasty," McShera said. "She's being so mean to Ivy, and it's pure jealousy. It's like, 'She's really pretty. I hate her.' They fell out again because of Alfred."
But it's not all work for the Downton servants next season. Froggatt said there will be a house party thrown at Downton, which will be fun for all the estate's inhabitants. "This is the first time since the death of Matthew that they've entertained at the house, so it's a huge thing," Froggatt revealed. "Everybody's excited and stressed and running around all over the place. They have a famous opera singer (Kiri Te Kanawa) come to the house to sing."
This season will also see a jazz band visit Downton. However, the servants have to listen to the band at the door. Nevertheless, they get to meet jazz musician Jack Ross (Gary Carr) face-to-face, who has to come in through the servant's hall because he is African-American. Carr is "Downton's" first black cast member.
"He [Ross] comes through downstairs, and we're all like [stunned], which is really weird to film because from a modern perspective, we're like, 'This is really embarrassing. I'm so sorry!' But he's really sweet and really nice, and it's really funny actually for him to walk in and have all the servants act ridiculous," McShera explained.
Some new servants will be joining the cast later on in the season as well. The new nanny for Tom Branson's (Allen Leech) daughter, Sybil, named for her departed mother, will be a new addition, but she will spend a lot of time upstairs taking care of the baby.
"The nanny is explained in the series as being a servant, but she's not part of the servants because she's never downstairs in the servants' hall," Froggatt said. "She has her meals with the children, but she's not one of the family either. So she's kind of a midway person who is kind of on her own a lot really."
"Downton Abbey" season four premieres in the U.S. on January 5 on PBS.
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