We might have thrown British tea overboard into Boston Harbor, but we’ve always loved their TV. Well after we sought our independence from Britain, and after the revolution that followed, they invaded our shores again in the mid-1960s. Led by singing troops like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and armed soldiers like James Bond and the Saint, they landed in our concert halls and on our radios, as well as on our movie and television screens. A few years later, in 1971, Masterpiece Theatre popped up on PBS and we were instantly gobsmacked. Our love affair with British TV began in earnest, and we’ve been faithful ever since. In a 2007 poll, Masterpiece fans voted Upstairs, Downstairs (1971-75) their favorite. So it’s no wonder that Downton Abbey (2011, and still going strong with a second movie due out later this year) remains one of TV Guide Magazine readers’ favorites. Both shows are about the intertwined lives of aristocrats who live on an estate and the servants who work for them. Cheers! —Michael Fell, Editor in Chief of TV Guide Magazine
