Fans of British Series ‘Downton Abbey’ to Pack Library

Fans of the British television series “Downton Abbey” will pack the Tinley Park Library on Saturday to watch the two-hour final episode of season two in preparation for the debut of season three on Sunday on PBS.

“We planned the viewing because of a lot of patron interest,” said Susan Bailey, marketing and community outreach specialist for the library.

“We have 70 people signed up so far,” said Bailey, who admits she’s a fan of the show that depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era.

“The show is the highest watched miniseries on PBS with 17.1 million viewers per episode,” she said.

Bailey said there will be raffles and refreshments at the viewing on Saturday.

“We will raffle some book-related items, including a big picture book about the making of the show,” she said adding the second season’s dealing with World War I has increased patron interest in WWI fiction.

Refreshments will be British-themed including tea and scones.

The series is about a British-American aristocratic family and their servants set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate Downton Abbey and stars Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern as lord and lady Grantham.

The first season aired on PBS in 2011 as part of its “Masterpiece Classic” anthology. That season ended with the sinking of the Titanic. Season two has featured WWI, the Spanish flu pandemic and the Marconi scandal.

Season three kicks off Sunday night and the season will feature the period between world wars and the formation of the Irish Free State.

The series has already been renewed for a fourth season.

The show has won numerous accolades including a Golden Globe and Emmy Award.