Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Carson/Hughes ... need I say more? Ok, how about Robbie/Laura (Inspector Lewis), Lix/Randall (The Hour), Maggie Smith, Harry Potter, ADMM, and almost all things British. I'm an Anglophile and avid shipper at heart!
Woohoo! EXCITING NEWS! Because of your generosity and support, we EXCEEDED OUR GOAL. Together, we raised ยฃ1624 for the Hearts & Minds Elderflower programme!
We will be drawing the raffle prize winners tomorrow (Sunday) and will reach out to all the winners on Monday!
Thank you all for your support: monetary and with your online presence. We sincerely appreciate it, and we know our Elderflower friends will use the money to spread so many smiles.
As a reminder, a donation to Hearts and Minds would make a lovely stocking stuffer - we can even email you the raffle tickets to gift! Every ยฃ15/$20/17โฌ equals one chance to participate in an interview with Downton Abbey legends Phyllis Logan and Lesley Nicol, PLUS a chance for a physical prize from our list! Multiples of ยฃ60 or ยฃ100 get even more tickets!
Click below for details. More prizes-up-close posts coming next week!
Help Hearts and Minds for Flora raise money to support Hearts & Minds
Each week, weโll be highlighting some of the amazing prizes up for grabs in this yearโs fundraiser. Weโre starting today with these two, donated by Phyllis Logan. ๐ฅฐ
#1: A candle inspired by the thoughts and images of Lady Maryโs bedroom. With scents of gardenia, tuberose, and jasmine, you can let the aroma of the candle whisk you away to another place, another time! If youโre a fan of Lady Mary, donโt let this one leave you in the dark as it slips away!
#2: Who needs to spend a fortune at nail salon when you could sit back, watch Downton Abbey, and polish your nails with one of four Londontown colors specifically designed with Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale in mind!? And the icing on the cake: the package is signed by various cast members, and the money you spent will help a fantastic charity, Hearts & Minds UK.
Welcome to the HM4F 2025 Fundraising appeal! Win one of several amazing prizes, including a spot in our Grand Prize event: an interview with Phyllis Logan AND Lesley Nicol!
Click the link below to bring you to our fundraiser page for rules and general info, then go visit our NEW Facebook (Hearts and Minds 4 Flora) for more details on all prize offerings. You can also give us a follow on Instagram.
Help Hearts and Minds for Flora raise money to support Hearts & Minds
We thought we had the fundraiser prizes all set, but then our very own Phyllis Logan rolled up with SIX MORE ITEMS to toss into the raffle!! Letโs just say that if youโre a Downton Abbey fan, you do NOT want to miss these!
Follow our Instagram for preview posts beginning next week! And we kick off 11-11-25!
We thought we had the fundraiser prizes all set, but then our very own Phyllis Logan rolled up with SIX MORE ITEMS to toss into the raffle!! Letโs just say that if youโre a Downton Abbey fan, you do NOT want to miss these!
Follow our Instagram for preview posts beginning next week! And we kick off 11-11-25!
We had some issues with yesterdayโs QR link. Please click below to give our new Instagram a follow, then please share this post to help us increase visibility. โค๏ธ We no longer have FB so this is where to see all the fundraiser and prize info first. Thank you!!
Gearing up for an awesome fundraiser with some fantastic prizes! Phyllis has been a busy girl, lately, but sheโs made time to help us again this year!
Our very own Flora, Phyllis Logan, with London Premiere swag that she nabbed for our fundraiser! Be on the lookout for this item and several more from the premiere events when we go live with our fundraiser - coming to you from 1 October! Stay tuned for more updates, and start putting aside your ยฃ and $. Youโll not want to miss this!
๐๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ (22 February 1933 - 4 September 2025)
โ I don't like being a public figure and I say that very humbly. It's my nature, the way I was born. I like to do things quietly behind the scenes. โ
โThe final film is sumptuous โ a real feast for the eyesโ Actor Phyllis Logan opens up on saying goodbye to Downton Abbey
As we bid farewell to the Crawley family in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, Phyllis Logan opens up about fond memories from the show, the legend of Dame Maggie Smith and why fans will be very happy with the last chapter
Itโs hard to believe 15 years have passed since the world was introduced to the Crawley family and their staff in Julian Fellowesโ beloved period drama Downton Abbey. Across six award-winning television series and two hugely successful movies, the story explored the lives and loves of those both above and below stairs in early 20th-century Britain, before taking the splendour up a notch on the big screen.
This September, the saga draws to a close with the third film, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, which promises a poignant send-off at the dawn of a new decade. Among the favourite faces returning to the franchise is Mrs Hughes, the steely but kind housekeeper, portrayed by Scotlandโs finest, Phyllis Logan.
As we prepare to wave goodbye to the Grantham Estate, Phyllis, who recently starred as a crosswording sleuth in Murder Most Puzzling, tells Prima about her memories of Downtonโs legendary star Dame Maggie Smith, finding love with husband and fellow actor Kevin Mcnally and the many ways in which Downton Abbey has changed her life.
A FINAL FAREWELL
From the first read of the script, I knew Downton was special. On paper, it looked terrific; written by the Oscar-winning Julian Fellowes โ big tick. Dame Maggie Smith, another big tick. Dame Penelope Wilton, Hugh Bonneville, tick, tick! From the word go, the script was compelling and I thought: this is going to have legs. I was told theyโd like to book me as Mrs Hughes for the first season and if it becomes any kind of success, then weโll have you beyond that. Little did they know!
The final film looks sumptuous โ a real feast for the eyes. The costume design by Anna Robbins is terrific. John Lunnโs music is lovely and itโs all set against the stunning backdrop of Highclere Castle itself. There are some beautiful scenes at Ascot, too โ sadly Mrs Hughes never gets involved with any of that finery. Hey-ho!
I think it was the right time to put the Crawley family to bed. It was lovely to get together for one last hurrah, but also tinged with a slight regret that this would be the last time. We have been doing this since 2010 and after the first six seasons we thought, well, thatโs the end of it. And then we got a film, and another film and then this last film. How lucky are we? But itโs the right time to close that chapter now. It is called The Grand Finale, after all.
The fans will be very happy with the finale. They have all loved it so much and been great supporters of Downton through all these years. The number of people who still watch it astounds me; they say how they get such great comfort and enjoyment from it and that it saw them through such hard times. I think the fans get a full return with the finale.
Being part of something as globally successful as Downton still takes me by surprise. I think, did all that really happen? Aside from Dame Maggie Smith, Iโd say most of us were what you call โjobbingโ actors. You never expect this magnitude in your career. It was quite bizarre when suddenly, all around the world, the show gained traction and fans. People became obsessed with it and subsequently it gave myself and the cast so many opportunities in our lives and careers. We flew here, there and everywhere for premieres โ I remember being in Singapore and Australia with the Downton family.
Luckily, Iโm not recognised as Mrs Hughes on the street! But people do know me from the sound of my voice. I suppose the advantage I have, in comparison to the rest of the cast, is the fact I donโt look much like Hughes at all โ I mean, the bare face, the wig..! But a lot of the time it is my accent that gives me away. I was at the coffee shop in my local park recently and I ordered my usual Americano with milk โ as soon as the barista heard my voice she went, โYouโre Mrs Hughes from Downton Abbey!โ
All the Downton women are strong, forceful characters. The finale is set in the early 1930s, so you can see an attitude shift towards women. They are feeling empowered. Everyone, from the owners of the house to the maids and housekeepers, is strong-minded and hard-willed. What is lovely in the film is how Daisy, Sophie Mcsheraโs character, really comes into her own. She is elected by Mrs Crawley (Dame Penelope Wilton) as part of the Country Fayre panel and puts Simon Russell Bealeโs character right in his place.
The fans knew that Mrs Hughes would end up with Mr Carson before we did. People would say to Jim Carter and I separately, when are you going to get together on the show? Iโd always ask, really? Where have you got that from?! I didnโt know at the time that the characters end up falling in love with each other, and I donโt think Julian [Fellowes] did either. But I remember Jim saying, โThatโs not a bad shout, actually,โ and a nice trajectory for our characters.
We are all such great friends from Downton and we frequently meet up and go out. I love Lesley Nicol who plays Mrs Patmore โ we will always have a great friendship. Brendan Coyle [who plays Bates] makes me die laughing. And Rob James-collier [Thomas Barrow] is a scream. There are too many funny moments โ probably some that canโt be mentioned!
Dame Maggie Smith was an absolute true legend; I feel very honoured and privileged to say Iโve worked with her. It felt weird without her there at Highclere Castle; except her portrait was there in the hallway. Maggie was hilarious; Iโd talk drugs with her. We were both on the same pills at one point and I used to ask her what dosage she was on. Sheโd always joke and say, โI think Iโm overdoing these ones!โ
COLOURFUL CHARACTERS
My role as Cora Felton in Murder Most Puzzling is very different to Mrs Hughes. It was so fun to let myself go and mess about with this character. She doesnโt give a stuff what people think of her. It gives you such freedom to do what you want. I hit it off immediately with Charlotte Hope โ we call her Charlie โ who played my niece in the show. We had a great rapport and it was such fun from start to finish.
Playing Linda Hutchinson in Girlfriends was also a huge departure from Downton. The series was written by the late, great Kay Mellor โ we used to call it โa Mellordramaโ. She was such a clever writer; the premise was ridiculous, but she made it totally believable. Everything was filmed on a boat โ we were on a cruise ship for that and went around Malta, Marseille and Barcelona.
Ian Mcshane is very naughty, but so funny! I starred alongside him in Lovejoy as Lady Jane Felsham. That was a great time of my life โ itโs not that I donโt appreciate things now, but I was young then and everything felt so new and exciting. I remember being suddenly asked to go on Terry Woganโs TV show and I couldnโt believe it. To this day, people still talk to me about Lovejoy โ usually, some handsome young man saying, โMy father used to fancy you!โ
I met my husband Kevin [Mcnally] on the set of Love And Reason, in 1993. Surprisingly, I was a bit put off by the idea of dating another actor. But when I met Kevin, there was no doubt. His profession didnโt matter. He was the one.
It was nice working with Kevin on the early seasons of Downton. Kevin played a nasty character in Downton; he wasnโt a โdownstairsโ character, but regardless it was lovely spending time together at work. And Downton saved money on us two because they took us to work in the same car.
ACTING ROOTS
There were a lot of good singers in my family who liked to perform. My aunt Minnie was one of my dadโs six sisters. She was funny and would dress up and put on characters โ I remember her pretending to be a coal man.
Acting was the only thing I was interested in, growing up. I wasnโt academic and the only thing I really loved at school was the extracurricular drama, theatre and film club. I did them all. We would go and see shows in Glasgowโs Citizens Theatre and Iโd be involved in all the Gilbert and Sullivan shows weโd put on. My friends would say, โWhy donโt you apply to drama college?โ I had never considered it as an option after school finished โ I took the leap and I got into the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
I visit my homeland of Scotland regularly. Fortunately, Iโve been going back in recent years to work โ itโs nice to be paid to go back home. There are some cousins in my hometown of Paisley, then I have my sister in Ayrshire and friends in Glasgow, too. I have lived in London longer than Iโve ever lived in Scotland though. I moved down in 1982 and seemingly have not lost my accent!
I never really had a yearning to have children โ until I met Kevin. I was so excited, but hellishly nervous, too, realising Iโd be 40 years old by the time the baby was born. We didnโt know if it would be a boy or a girl and I suddenly got a wee bit panicked. Kevin always says the right thing, putting it all into perspective โ and it was amazing in the end.
Kevin and I married in 2011, 17 years after we got engaged. Time ran away as our jobs got really busy, and then our family started. It was particularly difficult when he was doing Pirates Of The Caribbean โ he was far away for so long and our son David was very young. We used to say, โWeโll never be apart for longer than four weeks.โ Four weeks became five, five became six. But David and I would go and visit Kevin in Barbados and St Vincent in the Caribbean when we could, and on set in Los Angeles, which was always lovely.
My favourite thing about Kevin is his positivity. He is always upbeat and doesnโt catastrophise like I tend to do. He has a very โ almost, too โ carefree attitude, but heโs very relaxed and has a healthy outlook on life. He is not a worrywart like me and he keeps me on the straight!
BEHIND THE CAMERA
My beauty secret that Iโve picked up from my time as an actor is simple. Stand with your hand on your hip and put your body on an angle, then get someone to shine light on you from up high and take your photograph from above. Itโs always flattering.
Similarly, my skincare regime is nothing fancy. Iโve used Boots No7 range for ages โ I love their Restore & Renew day and night face creams.
We all try to be healthy, but I donโt deny myself a treat โ I am obsessed with crisps. Lorenz Crunchips are my favourite โ I have a friend who came over from America and he discovered them in the corner shop near me. They come in all sorts of flavours, but I just love the ready salted ones. Even better, they are ridged. I am a crisp aficionado.
GIVING BACK
I am a dog person and give money to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. I played an RSPCA officer once, too. I love animals. I used to have a lovely Lurcher called Carlos โ he was very special and is irreplaceable.
I have also worked with charities that support patients with dementia. My mother had cognitive impairment and my mother-in-law had a diagnosis of Alzheimerโs. It was tragic, as her personality completely disappeared. Some people have the experience of their loved ones having vascular dementia, where their personality turns from lovely to unrecognisable. Itโs obviously not them any more, itโs the disease, and itโs very hard for people to experience that. I support charities doing such brilliant work in assisting patients and families affected because itโs such a harsh thing to be dealt in life. It is tough to see the sparkle fade.
โข Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is released in cinemas on 12th September
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