♪ it was a busy community with the upstairs and the downstairs. the butlers and the valets. >> you open that shutter and just see that amazing view. >> its own rather amazing world really. >> good evening, tonight we bring you into a world that is usually restricted to the very rich and the very royal. the world of "downton abbey," here at the english castle that every summer becomes the stage for the hit series. we unlock the secrets of the castle, its loyal staff, and

take you into a world that is in many ways frozen in time. >> tonight on a special edition of "20/20," mysteries of the castle, behind "downton abbey." >> action. >> you can come up. the girl. >> wake up your inner lady and jump into a titled world of real aristocrats, opulent homes. eccentric dux. >> i was captain of the scottish elephant team. >> if you have a title, flount it, use it. >> this baronnet needs a bribe. tonight, you're invited to their over the top wedding. >> i think every girl dreams of a fairy tale wedding.

>> the first marsionette in england. >> race is no determined. >> tonight, nothing is off limits. the real carson. >> i don't play it at home. >> the downton actors dish. >> he will be dancing. >> when we reveal the mysteries of the castle, beyond "downton abbey." once again, amy robach. >> reporter: 70 miles outside of london, in the rolling hills of rural england, is highclere castle. home of the hit series "downton abbey." the show's about to begin its fourth season. who knew that this castle, with its high priced decor and high-toned staff, would give birth to a tv smash? was highclere castle the inspiration for "downton abbey"? >> i've always loved it as a house. i find it very intriguing.

>> reporter: highclere castle is far more than just a fictional set on downton abbey. the carnarvon family has lived here for 300 years. but in the 21st century, this is still the home of a real life earl and countess. >> it's the center of our lives. >> reporter: how many rooms are there? >> i don't know. there's 200 to 300 in the house, and 50 to 80 bedrooms. >> reporter: give or take 30. >> yes. the house has always welcomed people, from prime ministers, kings and queens. >> reporter: the carnarvons have lived here for centuries. but it's the aristocrats, the crawleys, that fans of the show have grown to know and love. >> welcome to downton. >> reporter: the earl of grantham. his wife, lady cora. and their three daughters. a mash-up of period drama and pure soap opera. >> i'm not who you think i am. >> reporter: "downton" was the surprise pbs hit that dished the dirt about an earl's family struggling to keep family and fortune intact. >> oh, good, let's talk about money. >> reporter: the series, set in

the early 1900s, has lords and ladies of the manor dressed to impress. historically correct? >> apparently, a servant in a house like this would ntd knock on the door before someone can come in. otherwise the people of the house would say come in 28 times a day. so the servants would melt into the room, wait until there's a moment and deliver whatever message. >> reporter: how important is to you to have it be as historically accurate as possible? >> oh, it's very important. even if you don't know anything about that period, there is something about it that, you sort of think, i can believe this, i understand how it works. >> reporter: of course, "downton's" decadent way of life requires an army of servants. cooks and kitchen maids, footmen and valets. >> people who lived the upstairs life grew up with these servants them, but they were like, they're like from another planet. they weren't exactly human.

>> reporter: upstairs, they're invisible. downstairs, they're the main event. >> it's cold. >> reporter: if you've ever wondered how a kitchenmaid would get to downton, "the lady" magazine was the "linked in" of the servant set. >> why don't we put an advertisement? it's the best place to start. >> reporter: employment ads for wealthy families since 1885 and they're still going. from cooks to housekeepers, like mrs. hughes. here's a real ad from 100 years ago. >> she will require great judgment to bear herself prudently, courteously and with tact. she may find it difficult to overcome the jealousies and bickering within the household. that just goes to show that these households were full of bickering, backstabbing and people trying to get one over on each other. >> what's interesting is that in the servant's hall, the hierarchy was just as strict as it was upstairs. so butlers at the top. >> reporter: at "downton abbey,"

carson, the starchy butler, rules the crawley household with a prim and proper fist. >> downton is a great house. >> reporter: his real-life counterpart is colin edwards, who's served three generations of earls. >> i'm the castle butler. i look after the family the dinners, the lunches, the breakfasts, generally just make sure they have everything they require. >> reporter: and who taught him how? the butler to the queen. >> you need a lot of practice to be able to set out a table or present yourself to the guests, serve the meal, serve the drinks and how to behave. i don't lay the table like this at home. >> reporter: once upon a time, colin served only the private needs of the carnarvon family. today, highclere rents itself out for parties, corporate events, and weddings. yes, for just $25,000 anyone can get married just like lady mary.

>> can you imagine what the dowager countess of grantham, would say at the idea of you know a house maid, or, you know, someone getting married in downton? at the very idea! >> reporter: one new revenue stream, tourists chasing downton dreams. >> welcome to "downton abbey" tour. remember you can't take photos inside the castle, but they do have a guide book that you can purchase. >> reporter: so during the tourist season, colin's white gloves are off. >> 28 pounds 50, please. thank you. in one way i prefer it if it were more family orientated, but the family wouldn't survive without all the corporate work that we do. this is now a business. >> reporter: a business without some traditional perks for the current lord carnarvon. you don't have personal butlers dressing you each morning? >> right, i'm afraid it doesn't really, really work like that.

they're not waking us up with cups of tea and breakfast in bed and all the rest of it. >> reporter: but living here's still a gracious form of time travel. you can feel as if you're miles from london and it's a magic place to go riding. views through the trees, the landscape. it's about eating well, riding or playing tennis or croquet or shooting. and then meeting up for lunch and conversation. i feel lucky. >> reporter: in "downton days," with 50 plus bedrooms, double library, formal dining room, i could go on, highclere needed a staff of 60. now it's down to 20. >> if you complete i every day, it's knot as complicated as you think. >> reporter: ana dominguez is the housekeeper.

>> obviously we want to maintain the standard of the house on a daily basis. >> reporter: and housework, turns out to be a timeless chore. 120,000 square feet of space, all spotless, without pledge or any of that modern stuff. >> we use dusters and natural beeswax and nothing else. it's the only way to maintain and preserve its natural qualities. >> reporter: ana's fictional counterpart on "downton" is anna bates. >> i'm anna, the head house mate. >> reporter: actress joanne frogrett has the inside scoop on what may have been the toughest part of being a maid. >> the worst thing of filming the first two series was the corsets. especially for a housemaid, how people used to manage doing manual tasks and cleaning a house in these things. >> reporter: in the series, viewers cheer for the downstairs folks, but let's face it, we dream of being the ones drinking the champagne, not pouring it. >> when you watch something like "downton," you know, you might imagine that you are lady mary, or the earl of grantham or, you know, upstairs. i don't think anybody watches it and think, "oh, i really wish i

was mrs. patmore," or "i really wish i was the kitchen maid," or "oh, i long to be a footman," >> reporter: when we come back -- >> he's ha duke, a dad. he carried the queen's train. >> i bought my first bicycle with the money i earned. >> from the money -- >> yeah a duchess and duke roll up their sleeves. and all this can be yours if you gave him an heir. when mysteries of the castle beyond "downton abbey" continues. but first, have you wondered how much it would cost to live it up like the downton crowd in today's world? with gas and electricity, oil, water, insurance, maintenance, all the staff, security, and every other incidental. according to one estimate, the grand total comes to the grand total comes to almost 700 dollars a month. that is over $8 million a year. and it'll rain lollypops all over the place.

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and now back to amy robach and mysteries of the castle, beyond "downton abbey." >> reporter: just how does the other half live? you might be very surprised. here in this beautiful castle called inveraray lives one of scotland's most prestigious and ancient families. the duke of argyll, as in argyll socks -- yes, he wears them -- is just one step below royalty. one of his ancestors commanded the army of mary queen of scots.

he is the head of clan campbell -- the largest in scotland. a man of many titles. did you say 26 titles? >> 26 in total, 26 or 27, i think. i've lost -- >> reporter: you've lost count? he's also a dad, the father of three small children. his wife, eleanor who grew up a cadbury, as in chocolate, met the duke when she was 18. >> the first time i came here, i was like, "oh, my god, look at that house on the side of the road, look at it." you come over the bridge, don't you, and that first glimpse you see of the castle is pretty impressive. >> reporter: and who knew you'd one day be living in those walls? >> who knew? certainly not me. >> reporter: it's a house that should look familiar to "downton abbey" fans. it was the location used in last season's finale. >> they came up here in their carriages. >> reporter: it's a grand entrance. nice to have two. >> i have three actually. i don't want to be posh but i

have three entrances. >> reporter: every corner of inverary castle seems steeped in history. from the outside portico. >> this sort of porch here was put on for queen victoria when she was going to see her daughter so she wouldn't get wet when she got out of her carriage. >> reporter: to semi secret places like these hidden stairs where staff could maneuver through the house unseen. the duke's family tree stretches back hundreds of years. > that's a picture of my grandfather. that's a picture of me being a page of honor to the queen. that's me there. >> reporter: page to the queen. not bad as a first job. and what was that like? >> terrifying. but quite fun at the same time. >> reporter: you carried the queen's train. >> you got paid. i bought my first bicycle with the money that i earned from it, you know. >> reporter: from carrying the queen's train. >> yeah, it was brilliant, you know. >> reporter: and it wasn't his last job. elephant polo anyone? >> we get them on the run.

i became captain of the scottish elephant polo team. >> reporter: who knew there was one? i didn't. while ancestors of the high born duke and duchess were regal, this couple consider themselves rather down to earth. in part out of necessity. >> i think people always assume we're going to be terribly old and grand and, you know, be wearing ermine and a crown or something. >> most of the time we'll be in, you know, jeans and a t-shirt or whatever, and we'll be working in the shop, or talking to people, and i think people, is that the duke, is that the duchess? no, it can't be. >> reporter: wait a minute. did he say "working in the shop"? that's right. while the duchess sells souvenirs in the basement, the duke wipes up mud off the steps and lords over repairs to the electric gate. >> i think some water has gotten into it and it's decided to stop working. always something that needs to be fixed. ongoing. >> reporter: rather than a life of simply being catered to by staff, this couple has put themselves and their home to work. you are a working duke and duchess.

i mean, you roll up your sleeves. >> i, you have to in a place like this. >> today, we open from 10:00 in the morning to 6:00 at night, seven days a week, and it's run as a business. you know, we're here to make, to keep the roof on. along with the daily tours, costing about $16 per person. there's the gift shop supervised by the duchess herself. >> i took it over from my mother-in-law two years ago. and it's great. we try to sell as many scottish made things as we can. candles from the isle of sky. >> reporter: the local economy, the artisans. >> reporter: this is solve. this is soft skill the other day i sold 15 aprons these are hot items. >> reporter: i still don't think this would get my husband to cook. i'm just saying. every dollar counts so the duke takes the time to sign books himself. >> a few years ago we were wondering why they didn't sell. quite as well as they should be. and someone said, you know, why don't you sign a couple and see

what happens? enter as soon as i started signing them, people just pick them up. >> reporter: another revenue stream, giving guests a taste of one of the famous traditions on the estate, also featured on "downton abbey," deer stalking. >> it's quite a simple process actually. don't let them hear you, see you, or smell you. they run away into the trees. >> i stalk them for you. some days you get it and some days you don't. >> reporter: while the duke and duchess here are especially hands-on, inveraray castle is hardly unusual. like the other estates used on "downton abbey," it's a tourist attraction. of the more than 1,500 great estates in britain, more than half are now open to the public. advertising for weddings, tours and conferences. they also rent out as film sets.

the duke of argyll says he lobbied to draw "downton's" producers to inverary. >> it's the main armory of the castle. >> reporter: and i really remember this from the "downton abbey." >> they came in through here. >> reporter: there is no doubt the exposure on the series paid off. i love how you paid homage to "downton abbey." >> this was used for all of the publicity for the christmas special. >> reporter: i loved your idea though of possibly putting a cutout hole so you too could be among the cast. >> yeah, i don't think they would let us do that, but it would quite funny. >> reporter: despite all the tourists wandering about day and night, the duke and duchess have managed to keep at least part of their castle a true home. this is not part of the tour. >> this is all completely private. now once you get onto the campbell tartan, you're in the private section. >> reporter: they took us on a very personal, behind the scenes tour. many things reminded you this is no normal house. like stair railings built to accommodate those big hoop

skirts of days gone by. but there is the normal stuff of a normal house. coats and shoes on the floor. i love looking at the weaponry and then the kids bike helmets. we've got the spears and fishing rods. and then you have the princess stickers. very cute, model airplanes. i had to chuckle when i walked by because -- and doesn't every home have a jar of change just in case? the lady of the house even does her own laundry. >> times have changed. you don't need a house mate anymore. i can load a washing machine, you know, so can he, so can the kids. >> reporter: at times the public and private do collide. >> at night time when you're having your supper, and you're engrossed in whatever is on the television at night, and -- >> reporter: and they all can just peek. >> and all of a sudden you turn around and there's this, "hi." >> reporter: you're in a bit of an aquarium here. they get a little shot of the real life? >> of me having spaghetti bolognese or whatever it is. >> reporter: they can even tweet out what you're eating.

>> yeah. >> i think one of the things that we're very proud of is the fact that this is not a museum, it's a family home. this is where we live, where, you know, we're part of it. >> reporter: for those who say, do we really need dukes and duchesses in this day and age, you say what? >> i tend to see it in a slightly different way. i see myself as running a business. i just happen to have a name that i've inherited. so, you know, it's my duty and responsibility to keep to those traditions. >> reporter: and so the tradition of keeping up tradition continues. the land, the great house, the sounds of scotland, living on in the oldest son, the castle's young heir, who's just started learning to play the bagpipes. ♪ >> sounded pretty good. >> he's got to do 20 minutes. >> reporter: that's a -- that's a special treat, though, i imagine, for the, for the visitors, to know that a real family lives here. >> i think it might be more of a treat when he's learned a bit more. it's limited when he is coming out.

♪ when we come back, a sort of aristocratic match.com. >> you must have a shotgun license. >> he's got millions. a sense of humor. >> i did propose to three women one night. and in the morning, they looked so different, you know. >> all i had needs is an heir as fir mysteries of the castle, beyond "downton abbey" continues. you know, ronny... folks who save hundreds of dollars by switching to geico sure are happy. and how happy are they jimmy? i'd say happier than a bodybuilder directing traffic.

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[ male announcer ] connect all your wi-fi-enabled devices with u-verse high speed internet. rethink possible. >> and now back to mysteries of the castle, behind "downton abbey." >> reporter: matthew crawley, heir to downton, was the man many a woman on the hit show wanted. >> that's very kind. >> reporter: lavinia. edith. and of course mary, all fell for the rich bachelor. but in today's aristocracy, just having a manor house apparently does not guarantee a man a mate. >> old cars are like all women. you've got to be very careful with the clutch. >> reporter: meet sir benjamin slade. >> if you've got a title, flaunt it, use it, and do the best you can. i just follow the rules. >> reporter: he's one of britain's most eligible bachelors. on the dating circuit for quite sometime, his requirements are a bit unusual.

>> she cannot be a scorpio, should be from a good family, arms and things, must have a shotgun license. >> reporter: to call sir benjamin eccentric would be an understatement. >> that looks interesting. >> reporter: the bar in his estate for example, which he rents out for weddings, is stocked with booze and guns. >> this is what all the drugs dealers have in england. if you are in the drug business, it's an absolute must. this is the original 1928 tommy gun, and that's what al capone had. >> reporter: guests get a kick out of posing with them. he says the guns are all deactivated and legal, and that he's only been raided by police a few times. >> if the police do another raid in the middle of a wedding, i'm going to have to put my foot down. >> reporter: today, sir benjamin, with his staff of mostly women -- >> i chose them all personally because of their brains. >> reporter: -- is a man on a mission. to find a wife. >> i've asked them all, and

they've all turned me down flat. >> reporter: you see sir ben -- who made a fortune in shipping -- has no heir. no one to inherit the estate he loves. >> if i don't do something, i know what will happen. it would all get sold off . >> reporter: although he has a knack for making money, sir benjamin has been unlucky in love. his marriage of 12 years ended in divorce. and more recent relationships have ended, well, messily. one in a custody battle of a very unusual nature. >> in the end she dog-napped my dog jasper, and jasper then had to fight a lawsuit to get himself undognapped. you can take a chap's car or steal his money, but actually dogs are another thing. >> reporter: so that left sir ben with plenty of dogs for company but still no offspring. so what's a childless baronet to do? option number one -- find a suitable blood relative. he's done his homework, putting the word out about his search.

many have responded but none so far in sir ben's opinion have been suitable. >> there are 3,500 slades. some of them are probably hobos living in trailer parks and don't qualify. the ones that have done well, i've got one. very grand actually. and he said our family has too much money anyway. we don't anymore. he said i've got five houses. i certainly don't want another one. >> reporter: while sir ben's estate is worth millions, it's also costly to keep up. >> the staff in the summer run at 50,000 a month. i've got 39 of them and then we have all of these gardeners, and then we have these handy men, these carpenters, and look, i mustn't talk about it because i get depressed. >> reporter: and restoring many centuries-old structures, like these, costs a bundle. >> the estimate for that is a half million pounds. and this is going to absorb a million. so i've got to leave that ceiling exactly as it is. the heritage people like it and

they want to preserve it. you think that ceiling was in the windsor chapel the way they go on. the whole point is all my friends that have these places move out and go have fun and they make the heir do the work and the running of it. you hand over. i haven't gotten anybody to hand over to. >> reporter: sir benjamin would much prefer to leave his estate to a son of his own. and he's gone very public with his search for a wife. advertising on facebook. comparing his romantic escapades to the dramas on "downton abbey." >> look, i've got a secret list in here and it's increasing by the day. i've got to date a lot. it's expensive. i've got my secret list back here. i'm dating a fresh girl this evening and another in two week's time. and i've got a banker, a very beautiful girl. she's a banker. she works 18 hours a day. she earns a fortune. she's drop-dead gorgeous, but every other man thinks she is drop dead gorgeous. there's a lot of competition. >> reporter: he's even been

known to mingle with guests at weddings hosted at his manor house, hoping to find lady right. >> i did propose to three women one night, two said yes. one gave me her mobile number and we were raring to go. trouble is in the morning, they all look so different, you know. >> reporter: given his age, 67, this dating game is tricky. so he has a backup plan. he's frozen his sperm. or as "the sunday express" put it, he's frozen "the family assets." sir benjamin jokes that publicity about his escapades helps direct traffic to his website. but staff we talked to are convinced sir ben sincere. >> i do believe he is looking for someone definitely. >> it would be nice if he found somebody. >> but who, i don't know. >> well, of course, you care about love. we all like a bit of love, sex and passion. however, that doesn't always last absolutely forever, but you

have to run the show. this is all new. >> reporter: if nothing else, sir benjamin slade knows how to put on a show. >> this is my favorite girlfriend jane right here. >> reporter: knows how to put on a show. >> she's a female peacock. jane, jane? doesn't like the camera. when we return, scandal, love, the real inspiration for downton's heart stopping romance. >> the women next door to her had smuggled the man in the house to her bed. >> when mysteries of the castle, beyond "downton abbey" continues. ♪ ♪ and nobody ever says goodbye ♪

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once again, amy robach and mysteries of the castle, beyond "downton abbey." >> reporter: love at highclere. on the surface, oh, so proper. but "downton abbey," a period drama, can be a bodice ripping soap opera, sex and scandal and all. >> is it safe? >> trust me. >> reporter: sometimes these storylines get downright scandalous. are you actually taking real examples of what happened? >> i was staying at a house, and the host had just found the diary of his great, great aunt. and what had happened is the woman next door to her had smuggled one of the men at the house party into her bed. and he had died of a heart attack. that was the origin of the turkish diplomat.

>> reporter: lady mary's one night stand with pamuk, a turkish diplomat, ends badly. >> he was alive and then he cried out and then he was dead! >> reporter: the scene of that scandal is one of the most popular attractions on the tours at highclere. >> they want to know where the bedroom is where the little incident with the turkish diplomat took place. >> oh, yes. they love it when we show them the very red room upstairs where he was dragged back to, and i would say serve him right, being a naughty boy. >> reporter: but one of the most provocative stories in the series is the relationship between lady sybil and the family chauffeur. >> for that, god knows, it's enough that i can kiss you. >> reporter: it's fiction. once again based on real aristocratic high jinx. branson. >> and tom branson. well, that really came from talking to a woman at dinner, and she said, well, my great aunt eloped with the groom. and i thought, well, if you can go off with a groom, she can go off with a chauffeur. >> there was not that much mixing.

i mean, you would of course have, you know, the son of the house maybe having a dalliance with one of the maids and stuff. but it's very, very rare for those kind of romances to end in marriage. >> can i kiss you before i go? >> reporter: there's been lots of soap operas going on in highclere as well through the years as well. there have been lots of stories. >> there are some that are definitely unprintable. >> reporter: i believe some have been, you know, taken and used in the show, sprinkled in here and there, because it is quite a history. in the series, a maid sleeps with a convalescing patient when world war i turned downton into a hospital ward. >> ethel! >> we were only. >> i know precisely what you were doing, major! >> reporter: same thing happened at the real highclere castle with the countess at the time, lady almina. >> well, funnily enough, during the hospital scene in the second season, an auburn haired nurse did have a relationship with one of the patients, and almina walked in on them and walked out again.

and, she had to ask the auburn haired nurse to go, which all the other soldiers found very upsetting because she was very pretty and a very nice addition. >> reporter: but along with all the "downton" scandals, true love blooms beneath the servants' stairs, the lady's maid, anna and the mysterious wounded valet, bates. >> with this ring, i plight thee my troth. >> reporter: we found a real-life anna and bates in a tiny, rustic lodge on the estate. >> i'm tom hibberd and i'm a gamekeeper on the carnarvon estate. >> my name's kayleigh stevens and basically i work at highclere tea room, just clearing, waitressing, serving hot food and drinks. my partner is tom, who is one of the gamekeepers on the highclere estate. what i like most is basically just him as an overall person, his job. because obviously it just fits

me, i'm a country person. you can't be a gamekeeper and be with some posh and prim, you know, lover, because it just doesn't work like that. i think the reason we connect so much is because we're so different, yet we still want to get to the same points. a quiet evening in watching tv with the wood burner going, and so it's just simple stuff like that, really. >> i cook. i cook, she washes up. >> they always say opposites attract. >> you know, me and tom, we fight all the time, but it's just a part of a relationship, you know? you have your ups and downs but you got to go through it, and if you didn't have them, there'd be something drastically wrong. >> reporter: 17-year-old kayleigh, like anna, is strong and modern. >> my dream is to become a jockey and race. i think me inspiration started when i was 13, seeing how race horses moved. and that's where my passion started really. i've wanted this for so long. >> reporter: her very british

boyfriend is a little more like bates. >> to be honest, i probably am more of a traditional person. if someone says a jockey, it's a male. if someone says a gamekeeper it's a male. someone says a nurse, its female. >> it just makes me laugh the way that tom is. i've just got to say to myself "i am right." but, you know, who gives a monkey's? it's just what he thinks. >> reporter: while kayleigh dreams of ascot, doubting thomas raises pheasants for shooting parties at highclere. another source of revenue for the castle. >> my job entails rearing game birds. feeding them, controlling vermin and controlling the habitat as well. >> reporter: though he's only 23, tom expects to be at highclere for life. why do you love this job? >> i must be mad. no, i don't, it's just a way of

life for me. >> reporter: and you never wanna do anything else? >> nope. i wouldn't want to ever do anything else. >> reporter: you don't ever wanna live anywhere else? >> not particularly, no. i like it here, yeah. >> i'm really proud of him and what he does as an occupation. it's great that he can do that, and he can look after something that's been going on for many years. >> reporter: for this real life anna and bates, it's happily ever after in the woods of highclere castle. when mysteries of the castle, beyond "downton abbey" continues, a glitters new jewel in the crown. >> i think every little girl dreams of a fairy tale wedding. >> she is becoming the first black marsionette in england. ♪ but is a number inspiring? ♪ we believe in a more powerful motivation.

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>> and now, mysteries on of the castle, beyond "downton abbey"

continues. here is amy robach. ♪ >> emma is not unlike most young women. hoping one day to find mr. right. >> i think every little girl dreams of a fairytale wedding. >> reporter: but emma's dream is coming true. because that diamond tiara is made of real diamonds. >> when you have diamonds you should wear them. >> reporter: her mr. right is a real aristocrat. >> it's been surreal. >> reporter: this summer when the glamorous emma married ceawlin thynn, the viscount weymouth, she was making history. >> i emma mcquiston. >> reporter: why? >> well, the wedding was what you might call big. >> reporter: 355 guests. a staff of almost 200. the affair taking place on his estate, called longleat, the biggest private home in england. grand. yes. but what made it historic is the fact that emma is breaking the

race barrier, about to become england's very first black marchioness. that's the wife of a marquess, just one step below duchess. the match made news. emma understood why. >> it is noteworthy that i will be the first black marchioness. >> reporter: she told "tattler" magazine back in may just before the wedding -- "there's class and then there's the racial thing. it's a jungle and i'm going through it and discovering things as i grow up." but today she seems more at ease >> we did the wedding pictures in here. i know how long it can take. >> reporter: as she told us in her first american television interview. >> i think it has been received well. it's been a positive thing just to show that, you know, hopefully race doesn't need to determine who you are, what you're like or where you need to be. of course it should be irrelevant. so i think that's why -- i think it's -- if we're going to think about i think we'll have to

think it's a good thing, surely. >> reporter: royal watchers agree. >> i think everyone who saw the picture of the first black marchioness, i think everyone was thrilled because at last the aristocracy was beginning to represent the country as a whole. it was at another family wedding that the two first met as children. she was just 3 years old. >> in my mind emma was always a child, or a teenager, you know. and we re-met and emmy was an adult and a new dynamic ensued. >> reporter: the little girl he remembered had blossomed into a bombshell. >> it was like, wow, you're definitely not 15 anymore. so, yes. yes, there was, there was that wow moment. >> reporter: though a commoner, emma comes from wealth. her mother is a british socialite and her father an oxford educated nigerian oil tycoon. things get really interesting on ceawlin's side of the family. his father is alexander, the notorious marquess of bath. >> he's quite a flamboyant

character. he basically looks like something out of "harry potter," long hair, robes, flambout clothes. a cross between dumblor and gandorph. he's had a series of wifelets, he calls them, which are basically mistresses in various parts of the house. he's covered longleat with these very lurid, sometimes quite pornographic murals that he's painted himself. so here you are in your new stately home, and you're dad has painted naked women all over the wall. you can see where that could be quite challenging. >> reporter: compared to their parents' generation, emma and ceawlin seem, well, down right traditional. >> i think we just want it to be classic and timeless. >> reporter: and although they do have staff, it's nothing like the days of "downton abbey." >> these are the original bells

they would have pressed, like "downton abbey." we don't use them anymore. sorry to shatter the illusion, but we haven't got all of these people living and working in the house anymore. >> reporter: but they do have help, and emma needs it. now that the wedding is over, it's time to redecorate. for most of us, that might mean a trip to ikea. for emma it involves a journey through the huge house to fine what's been stored away. >> it feels quite magical up here. sort of makes you feel like alice in wonderland 'cause there's lots of doors. all locked all the time but when you open one all of a sudden there's lots of treasures. >> ooh, ah, ah. >> this is all the reserve porcelain and glass. some to be conserved. >> there are 610 paintings in the inventory. >> reporter: is this really a home? it looks more like the metropolitan museum of art. >> okay, we need to move a large painting, which is just inside this room.

>> reporter: emma is replacing some of her father-in-law's favorite lurid frescos with some more conventional artwork she found in the attic. in this place it takes a village to hang a painting. >> it's the battle of the amazons, so it's quite a dramatic picture. i just love the collection of horses and people and soldiers and armor and flags, there's a lot going on. this is where ceawlin works. >> reporter: when emma married ceawlin, she not only married a man. she married a business. >> display of the family archives. the ice cream shop. >> she's really marrying a house which has a safari park, a couple of restaurants, it's a wedding venue. it's a conference center. you know, they have an amusement park. i mean, it's like you're marrying into, into disneyland, basically. >> reporter: believe it or not there's an actual safari park, right on the estate. it was the first of its kind in the world outside africa, and today attracts almost a million visitors a year. the new leading lady of longleat

loves being with the animals, small and large. >> hir, you're a bit cold. >> reporter: so we had to ask the obvious question. did you marry ceawlin for his animals? >> good one, no. obviously, not. >> reporter: the glamorous 27-year-old actually has career plans all her own. >> quite vampy. vampy. >> reporter: she's interested in fashion, posing for the cover of "you" magazine just a few months ago. she has a food blog and ambitions of having her own cooking show. while we were there she whipped up one of her specialties -- >> hi. i'm making some ravioli, for dinner. i'm using crab. it's best not to overfill them set them in boiling water. there you go.

tada! >> reporter: while she's hoping to win over the food critics, emma's new husband is sure she has all the ingredients to be a success. >> here's an individual who's extremely bright, extremely beautiful and extremely responsible. and yet, extremely fun-loving, to boot. so you really have a package of all the qualities there. >> reporter: everything including love of tradition found in this, one of britain's newest aristocratic couples. here in the land of downton. more mysteries of the castle to come when we return. are this foul mouthed father and son ready for their own reality show? >> so round up. and oh, the cushions. >> what is this? you do it now, i will leave. >> plus, what does the downton cast hate about traveling 100 years in the past?

>> the corsets. >> and is one of the "downton" characters to be killed off? >> episode six, i could be well dead. >> much more to come on mysteries of the castle, beyond "downton abbey." ble, again. and then it happened. every boy's dream. i got called up to the big leagues. i was finally a man... on my way to shaving, driving and staying up past midnight. [ whoosh ] [ whoosh ] [ whoosh ] being an adult is overrated. [ male announcer ] holidays aren't the same without the real cream of reddi-wip. the sound of reddi-wip... [ whoosh ] ...is the sound of joy. probably wasn't talking about dollars. pretty much everybody wants to keep those. ♪ most car insurance companies know this -- because they keep yelling about it. only they don't say how they're saving those dollars.

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wonder how you feel in white tie and tails? living it up with a real life earl and countess? we reveal the mysteries of the castle, the real "downton abbey." >> amazing worlds, really. >> another estate, pleat this real life ready for reality tv family. we are boldly taking you where no lord has gone before. a 21-year-old who will inherit all this, whether his twin sister likes it or not. >> love. >> and a real "downton" dinner

at highclere. you better believe the forks line up. believe it or not, we have the exclusive invitation to dine at the castle. tonight, we go behind the camera at "downton" where the cast is wondering, will their character live or die. >> i may be dead. >> and wait until you see the tree at the real life "downton abbey." >> a christmas tree. >> so tell the butler he can retire for the evening. you're watching a special edition of "20/20," the mysteries of the castle, beyond "downton abbey." once again, amy robach. >> reporter: the most famous star of "downton abbey" resides 70 miles west of london. known for beauty and style, host to the rich and famous -- lords, ladies and queens -- her name is "highclere."

a fairy tale castle home to the runaway hit "downton abbey." was it the inspiration to "downton abbey"? >> it's such a trumpet of the glory of the british aristocracy. >> reporter: though the series airs on that bible of high culture, masterpiece theater, it's the frothiest of costume soap operas. a cross between a bodice ripping romance and a comedy of manners, with all those biting one liners from the incomparable maggie smith, playing the dowager countess. >> don't be defeatist, it's so middle class. >> reporter: actor hugh bonneville plays the earl of grantham, who struggles to keep family and estate intact. bonneville admits that the twists and turns of the story are, well, let's face it, addictive. >> it's crack with a black tie and tails, yeah. >> reporter: downstairs, the family's team of footmen, maids, cooks and valets jockey for favor at the estate -- a nest of characters who serve up intrigue as well as champagne. >> you two can stay here

plotting. >> reporter: remember, all this pretend "downton abbey" is shot on site in a real-life castle, one that comes equipped with a real lord and lady of its own, lord and lady carnarvon. as you can imagine, they're delighted to call this home. >> the whole continuity enchants me the most here. the sense of continuing on of belonging, of a very special way of life. i think that's incredible precious. >> it's its own rather amazing world, really. and highclere is the jewel in the middle of it in the castle. >> reporter: talk about making an entrance. this grand staircase is now one of the most famous features of highclere castle. hand carved out of the finest local oak over a century ago, it adjoins a room of breath taking proportions, the saloon. it's hard to believe that no long ago, the castle's owners were struggling to save this astonishing room from the ravages of a badly leaking roof. but all it takes is one hit series to fix up your finances.

highclere is now back to much of her former glory. the tour guides here call it the "downton effect." >> "downton abbey" came on the television and the telephone didn't stop ringing. it took us initially it was such a shock the amount of visitors we got coming through. >> reporter: of course, sometimes they have to do some basic explaining. >> lady sybill died and they did get letters of condolences sent, >> one lady came in and said oh, it's a shame about the baby. >> reporter: every character has a cheering section. >> bates. they think he is absolutely gorgeous. >> mrs. pattimore. my place is definitely below stairs and boss people around there. >> i'm fond of anna, she gets on with things, and she's married to bates. >> reporter: "downton" is the brain child of julian fellowes. he's been friends with the carnarvons for years. so did he borrow "downton" plots

from the history of the real castle? >> lots of these things really did happen. there really was electricity coming to england, and the war which changed the whole class system. so julian fellowes, knew all this history, and he knew the people, because he himself is a little bit to the manor born. he says some of these characters are based on his own aunties back in the day. >> reporter: take lady cora, played by elizabeth mcgovern. the long suffering matriarch of the family. >> oh, robert, don't catch me out. >> reporter: notice the accent? lady grantham is an american heiress who-lord grantham married to save his estate. >> she's an american looking at all her english family with bemusement, frustration, at times utter astonishment at what they take for granted about the way they behave and the things that drive them in their life. >> reporter: her story? it's an echo of lady almina, the current earl's real great granny

>> lasy almina, there, jordy's great grandmother, the fifth countess of carnarvon really was an heiress. and obviously cora was also an heiress. >> reporter: lady almina was rich but hardly an aristocrat. but as the illegitimate daughter of a rothschild banker, the american heiress had a delightfully bountiful dowery. lady carnarvon wrote about her story. >> and there were marriages which were marriages of contract, as well of one hoped of love. between and almina and her husband, actually it was one of love. and it was one of real money and this wonderful thing called cash. >> reporter: armed with daddy's dollars, almina transformed highclere into a model of the modern age. >> the period it's set in is so far removed from where we are now. however there are so many similarities as well that it's not too far removed that its alien like when electricity is brought in, in season two. the telephone arriving. >> is this an instrument of communication or torture? >> reporter: at the turn of the

century, importing a rich american heiress was something of an aristocratic hail mary. the one thing that they couldn't buy in america, was a title. so they would come over, literally boatloads of girls would come over, and they made these matches with english aristocrats. they bailed out the english aristocracy they absolutely did. a quarter of the house of lords married into american money. >> i discovered this wonderful magazine, called the titled "american," and at the back it had biographies of all the single aristocrats still on the market, with, you know, where they lived, how much money they had, you know any kind of distinguishing marks. any problems, how much debt they were in, that kind of stuff. so it was like a victorian match.com. >> reporter: rolling in lady almina's money, the real highclere became pure extravagance. during a visit from the prince of wales in 1895, the costs of food, and redecorating totaled more than four times the annual salary of the house steward.

yes, for one dinner. >> they would throw these amazing house parties, where you would have kind of incredibly lavish dinners with 13 courses, there was one shooting party in 1912, where they shot something like 10,000 pheasants, in a day. >> reporter: need historical proof of those decadent days? climb high up near the attic in highclere with archivist david rymill. he catalogues the castle's records for lady carnarvon. >> then we have the valet, the telegraphed clerk, the under butler, the hall porter, footman, one, two, three, four, five of those and of course the more staff you have the more staff you need to have to look after the other staff. >> reporter: those faded records revealed an intimate portrait of life below stairs in 1917. >> the butler gets far and away the highest wages. he gets 200 pounds a year. >> reporter: in today's dollars, that's almost 20,000. and of course, it came with room

and board and those posh uniforms. >> the footman, he's having a tweed suit which cost four pounds 15 shillings. getting a blue surge livery suit, best quality ridding tweed keepers coat with tweed lining. >> it's interesting that estate owners might spent more on a suit clothing for a member of staff than they would on a suit for themselves. >> reporter: his favorite character is the housekeeper, mrs. hughes. but there is one character that he is hoping to see in future episodes. >> i'm still waiting for the earl secretary, to turn up. he would be a bit like the archivist. >> any comment from julian fellowes? >> i can't answer that. that is a bit of a spoiler. >> when we come back -- >> oh, that is arrogant. >> no, they are not the help.

these are the masters of the manner and he inherents the manner. >> it's life. how unfair is that? >> whether his twin sister likes it or not. a happily chaotic estate. and get out the asparagus tongs. empty the greenhouse. it's a downton affair. more when mysteries of the castle, ynds "downton abbey" continues. but first, the real downton abbey is real estate cat snip. dozens of bathrooms a double living room, a kitchen, wood burning fireplaces, multicar garage, servants rooms, stables and location, location, location. according to one estimate, asking price would be over $400 million.

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of what it means to be the best. and at this special time of year, they shine even brighter. come to the winter event and get the mercedes-benz you've always wished for, now for an exceptional price. [ santa ] ho, ho, ho, ho! [ male announcer ] lease the 2014 e350 for $579 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. >> once again, amy robach and mysteries of the castle, beyond "downton abbey." reporter: like any gripping melodrama, the plot of "downton abbey" starts with a crisis. in a land where only men

inherit, lord grantham has three daughters. and the family may lose the estate to a very distant cousin, matthew crawley, who they've never met. >> mother, lord grantham has made the unwelcome discovery that his heir is a middle class lawyer. >> reporter: lady mary, the eldest daughter, can't inherit. the only way to save her family is if cousin matthew will marry her. >> there, will that convince you? >> reporter: this law, called primogeniture, means that the "right of inheritance belongs only to the eldest son." >> unless you get an act of parliament, literally an act of parliament, that's the way it was, that your title has to go to the nearest male relative. >> reporter: but surely our enlightened century doesn't make women play those games to keep their great estates together. surely? lady liza campbell begs to differ. what was your reaction to the story line in "downton abbey" when matthew inherits -- >> in real life, what happens is the girls go, someone else takes over. there probably wouldn't even be a cottage on the land for them.

>> you have to leave your own home. >> you just take it on the chin. >> reporter: lady liza is among those fighting to change the law and made headlines with this editorial. "in the heart of british life, in the bosom of one's own family, however loved you are, a girl is less than a boy." the second of five children, her home, cawdor castle, is the mythic family seat of macbeth. and liza keenly remembers advice she received from her father. when your father told you, "remember to wear a safety belt because your face is your fortune." what was your reaction to that? >> this is a man saying something loving to me, but the message really was, "look, you're not getting anything, so you better look after yourself, and you better be marriageable." >> reporter: how many girls were completely left out? >> and the girls weren't even in the will. so you're just out. >> reporter: to understand the whys behind this archaic law, we travelled to devonshire and met the rather extraordinary fulford family.

>> i'm francis fulford. this is my house. this is my land. >> reporter: great fulford has been home since the reign of richard the lion hearted. that was in 1199. >> this house is a bit like a hollywood actress. the bones are ancient, but the skin changes. >> reporter: francis has lived here all his life with his wife, kishanda, and their four children. unlike lord grantham, lucky francis has a male heir. 21-year-old arthur can predict his future. because he's a guy. >> from a very young age i always knew that this, this place was going to be mine. so it's distracting. it's like having a big pot of gold at the rainbow. >> reporter: along with arthur, the heir, francis also has two spares. humphrey, now away in the army. and 17-year-old edmund. >> i think i'm more of the loud one. more of a loud -- yeah, the loud one.

>> reporter: francis' daughter matilda is arthur's twin. >> i'm much more younger, mentally, than he is. he's about -- he's got the mental age of, like, a 30-year-old. i've sort of always been a bit more childish than he has. >> we have all got very, very different personalities. >> reporter: to spend time with the fulfords is to know the happy dysfunction of a family made for reality tv. >> [ bleep ]. >> we're a very close family. we might shout at each other, and we might piss each other off, but we're a really close family. >> reporter: at this estate, passing down the family fortune seems to be where the tradition ends. no polite talk of the weather here at this dinner table. >> to be honest, i don't give a [ bleep ] about the environment. >> your answer that you don't give a [ bleep ] is the most selfish and arrogant comment. >> but she doesn't recycle. >> how do you know i don't recycle? >> oh, my god, can't we stop this argument here? >> reporter: arthur will someday inherit 3,000 acres of prime

english countryside. but like so many other stately homes, the house is slowly falling apart, and there's little money to save it. >> there's no use pretending that money doesn't matter and we're all gentlemen now because places like this, they need money. so we have to be slightly mercenary. more mercenary perhaps than our father's generation was. >> reporter: $30,000 a year barely keeps this estate running. so like highclere, the fulfords are open for business. they rake in money and guests during the shooting season. >> whatever we say, actually, boys like to kill. >> reporter: but they are willing to raise revenues any way they can. breaking through those stately walls in search of hidden treasure. >> we just found a hole. >> reporter: to using a metal detector which actually worked. >> and solid gold signet ring of one of my ancestors. >> reporter: their tour? more p.t. barnum than "masterpiece theater." >> when we're rich, we build. when we're poor, we just do nothing. we are impresarios. we are putting on a show.

>> i think it's a great more fun here at old fulford than it would be at downton abbey. i think lord grantham, he's got a stick up his bottom or something. i mean, it's not a pristine preserve. that's not what this house is about. people live, laugh and drink in it. >> reporter: unlike downton, with its dozens of servants, kishanda soldiers on, mostly alone, against 15,000 square feet of house. >> i do love this house. it's just sometimes very hard work. bringing back parlor maids. >> francis just sits and reads the newspaper. >> if you do that now, francis, i will walk out. francis, if you do it now, i will leave. of course, if i did leave, he'd tell everybody, "oh, my wife's gone," and everyone would say, "poor you, francis," and be really sympathetic to him. >> she gets so wound up. she's always going, "oh, the

cushion's -- on all the sofas." no, they don't. does it really affect my life? >> reporter: so says arthur, the future lord of this manor who insists that hard work is no obstacle for him. >> it's amazing. i'm in my own world. why would you not want that? seriously, if someone said to you, "this will all be yours someday," would you turn around and say, "no, it looks like a whole lot of hard work actually." >> reporter: and if that pot of gold shuts arthur's siblings, even his twin, out of the estate? >> i think it's just one of those things. it is just one of those things. it's life. it's like someone who wins the lottery. how unfair is that? >> reporter: but oddly to us, his winner-take-all attitude doesn't faze anyone. >> i get nothing. yeah, i get nothing. i'm quite happy with that. i mean, i've been told i have -- going to get nothing since i was born. >> reporter: not even his twin sister, mathilda, seems to mind.

>> i've never had time to build up animosity or anger towards the idea because i never considered the idea of me potentially being able to inherit this. >> that's the way it is. that's the way it's been since >> reporter: and the fulfords don't want change. well, maybe one change. >> i'd quite like to put a turret on the top of the house. but that would cost a lot of money, and i don't really have a lot of money. >> reporter: until then, arthur and his family continue to smoke, drink and argue their way to a better future. >> i'm trying to leave this house, this estate to my son in a better condition than i got it. and that's the aim. >> reporter: he's working on that. will he succeed? >> it depends when i die. >> come on. ♪

when misryes of the castle, beyond "downton abbey" returns, you're got a seat. >> ladies and gentlemen, dinner will be served. >> at the most over-the-top meal you have seen. first, you may recognize this classic british village but this isn't the real village next to the castle. >> you have to do more than stroll down the road. you would have to walk 44 miles to get here to the town of hampton. >> recognize this church? this is where lady mary and matthew tie the knot. today, people flock here to exchange vows. even at a distance of 10 miles... the length of 146 football fields... they can see the light of a single candle.

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>> and now barack to amy robach and mysteries of "downton abbey." >> this may look like a sign from "downton abbey" but it's a real life dinner at 8:00. candle light and champagne and the elegant rooms. highclere castle, where lord and lady carnarvon, still party like

it's, 1910. tonight's bash is a fund raising event held by galactic unite, a charity that helps provide science, math and technology education to children around the world. >> i'm waiting for carson to walk in. >> where is he? >> reporter: to find carson, you have to go to place hidden deep beneath this castle. >> this unassuming staircase running from the main floor down to the kitchen is the official divide between upstairs and downstairs here at highclere castle. >> i became a chef because i loved cooking, i love playing with food, started at 14 in butchery. >> reporter: he trained in france. >> i hate the french. no i do. >> reporter: and worked in some of the best restaurants in the country. >> the greatest part of our job is you never know it all. you're always learning. people who say they know it all are liars. chef paul runs his kitchen like a general. >> briefings. >> reporter: orders. >> precision.

>> you've got to love it. if you don't love it, do a different job. please melt. >> reporter: paul and his team are busy planning a five course, period dinner for tonight's event. dinner at downton, if you will. often, paul's cooking is inspired by old family favorites. >> this is one of the family recipes that lady carnarvon gave to me and i believe it came from lady armina. we kind of tweaked it, it used to be a chocolate sponge, quite rich. >> reporter: he wonders whether mrs. pattmore could ever serve a dish like this. notice the difference? the kitchen, once ruled by women, has now been taken over by men! >> i think today's kitchens are run by men because we're committed, we're passionate and want to be the best we can be. that's what we do. that's what we're paid for and so far it's never gone wrong. >> reporter: nine hours before the dinner guests are to arrive. the flowers do, carefully selected by floral decorator

paul thomas. >> when you're working in a room like this you don't want something contemporary. >> reporter: this night, the dining room table will become the centerpiece of highclere castle. >> the room is a soft gold colour and it would be wrong to put more of that in, we need to put something to contrast, so red is a great color. >> reporter: while paul fawns over the flowers the man ultimately in charge of all things upstairs is luis cuelo. >> i can serve. a five course meal or pick the right wine to go with the right food but i can't do a british accent, not just yet. >> reporter: a native of portugal, luis lives on the estate and has been with the canarvans for 5 years. he must ensure everything on the table is perfectly placed. every knife and fork. every glass. >> what they have done on "downton abbey," the family has been doing for 200 years.

we like being perfect. we have a beautiful castle here so the standards need to be the food is good so the service needs to be just as good. we are very tough on ourselves we triple check so lord and lady canarvon aren't hard on us. >> luis knows his job so well he was even telling the set designers for downton abbey a thing or two. we did give them some tips actually at the beginning. in the first series they always had the glasses the wrong way round. can't have that! there's a tiny table setting crisis when luis and paul discover the candelabra is not "exactly" centered! >> no, no, no. the candelabra has to move a centimeter that way. >> a centimeter? seriously? seriously! i think we should be there/yeah. louis is the wine chilled yet. with time running out, downstairs in the kitchen chef paul is almost ready to go. >> it's about an hour before the canapes go. >> everyone knows what their role is. i try not to interfere.

i go down and check in the kitchen just to say hello. everyone is falling into their next role to perform. >> reporter: upstairs luis reviews his troops. going over the menu. >> the first one, will will be serve that before we serve the salsa. and then we serve the red wine and the venison. >> reporter: and who is serving whom. at 7:00 p.m. sharp, the first guests arrive. >> absolutely lovely, thank you. >> reporter: luis is still fussing, worried neigh goes wrong is his responsibility. >> there. back, back, back. perfect. that's it next please. >> it's going well. we have the butter on the table and just about to light the candles but we're ready. we've got about 10 minutes before the tour then around

8:00, they will be here so good. >> reporter: a few final touches, you have to admit, this table does look absolutely perfect. >> ladies and gentlemen i'd like to invite you to dinner where dinner is served. coordination between downstairs chefs and upstairs servers is key. >> veggie on 3 please. >> reporter: everyone knows their job. >> the gerss job? no enjoy. >> it's lovely. there is so much history here. it sort of wraps itself around you, it's spectactacula i'm so thrilled we had the opportunity to come. >> i think it went very well, wine was good and food was good, the service was good. i think all the guests are very happy. >> we did it. the team made me look good. which is lovely but it's a team effort. >> it is good fun and hopefully a lot of laughter. and i love bringing people together. and that is the joy of a place like this. it's a phenomenal tradition.

>> reporter: a phenomenal tradition in a timeless place called highclere castle. >> more to come on mysteries of the castle, behind the cameras of "downton abbey." >> action. >> on set with the dhas stepped into some turn of the century shoes. >> i wouldn't want to be here in a million years. >> again. >> it's shock. >> more mysteries of the castle when we return. it's not the "juggle a bunch of rotating categories" card. it's not the "sign up for rewards each quarter" card. it's the no-games, no-messing-'round, no-earning-limit-having, do-i-look-like-i'm-joking, turbo-boosting, heavyweight-champion- of-the-world cash back card. this is the quicksilver cash back card from capital one. unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere, every single day. now tell me, what's in your wallet? i wanna be a dolphin tamer. and i wanna swim to the bottom of the earth --

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>> bring it in, okay. >> reporter: we're behind the scenes with the cast of "downton

abbey." >> bring in the cast. action. >> reporter: shooting the moment when lady mary tells the family that her sister sybil has just given birth to a healthy baby girl. >> you can come up, it's a girl. >> reporter: it takes time and timing to get each scene just right. >> you can come up, it's a girl. you can come up, it's a girl. >> oh, thank god. >> reporter: although one scene can take hours to shoot, the end result is a fast paced drama that keeps the audience guessing. >> you have so many characters whose lives you're invested in. you certainly care what happens to them next. >> it's very modern the way the story moves between characters so quickly and between storylines so quickly. >> reporter: how quickly? well, we timed it. this one episode for example had 48 separate scenes. that's different characters in different locations with different story-lines coming at

you about every minute. >> stand by for a camera. >> reporter: it seems to be a recipe for success, attracting 11.5 million american viewers per episode. on pbs. >> "downton abbey" is the most popular masterpiece theater ever. it is the most watched thing we've ever done in our 43 year life. it brought in a younger audience, women and men. younger, younger people. so it's been a phenomenon. >> reporter: no one is more surprised than the actors who had their doubts when they first started. >> i had a pretty strong feeling that two people in america would really like this show, my mom and my dad. the rest has been a shock. >> reporter: although there's plenty of tension between the fictional characters, the actors seem to get along famously. >> reporter: what is it like behind the scenes?

>> the cast of this series is a tremendous family all by itself. and they, you know, the down time, people are doing a lot of crossword puzzles. mr. carson is a juggler, he does magic tricks. you know, people of course are texting on their phone, booking the next job. >> reporter: and no one is pulling rank. >> no, no, we all get on on the same level out of costume and off set. >> reporter: for the actors, "downton" is a dream job. >> well, i thought i'd died and gone to heaven in some of these dining room scenes when i was sitting there between these two great legends in the entertainment industry. i was maggie on one side and shirley on the other and the stories they were telling and chatting away about. >> i love my character and one thing that attracted me to her when i first read the script was her morality and the fact that she was a really decent, kind person but also very strong as well. >> reporter: but would these actors want to trade places with their characters? with all their the lavish living, those gorgeous clothes? >> i wouldn't want to be him in a million years because he has

no life. all he has is his duty. his duty is to make sure this place doesn't fall down on his watch. >> reporter: michelle dockry is very glad she's not lady mary. >> women have so much more freedom now, just obvious things like being able to communicate by mobile rather than telegram. >> reporter: acting in a period drama has its challenges. from the women in the cast we heard a common complaint. >> corset. >> the corset. >> 12 hours in a corset it starts to hurt a little bit. >> reporter: the male actors, all dressed to kill, seem particularly sensitive to, well, to put it bluntly being killed off like the characters matthew and sybil in last season. >> with these scripts when they come in the door it's like please don't let me die or get sent off to war. you're going through the script and saying, i haven't died again. episode six. >> i've read up to episode 6,

and there are 9 in all. so i may be dead. >> you may be dead. >> i could well be dead. >> reporter: the man who decides all that is the writer and creator of "downton abbey," julian fellowes. in terms of killing someone off, so far the characters who have died have wanted to leave. would you ever consider killing someone off just for the shock value, and say sorry so and so actor, actress, but this works for the plot? >> one thing i've learned in life is never say you would never do anything, because within six months you'll do it. but, i mean, the difficulty is if a servant wants to leave, they just get another job and they go. and they, and you have a little bit of a drama about them going or whatever. but, with the family, once they're not prepared to come back at all, because if they would come back for two episodes, then you would, you know, they've gone to washington, they've gone to australia, you know, what's the problem. but, once they weren't prepared to come back at all, then you do kill them. but i, no, i don't think i would kill them for the sake of killing them.

>> reporter: so for now, hugh and allen, we think you're safe. >> good morning, america! >> reporter: recently julian fellowes and seven of the cast members came to new york, and the set of "good morning america" to talk about what's coming up on season four. >> robert is faced with the burden of death duties. and so now the big debate on how to run the estate in the future and that brings me up against mary's strong willed nature. i want to protect my heir. who is now 6 months old in the beginning of the series. and also allow mary to grieve in the way i want her to grieve, probably forever. >> mary very much reverts to the cold, icy woman inevitably because of what she's going through. she needs to move on and find a new suitor. there's one or two or three.

>> it's a really fun season for edith. she has this london life going on with her editor. >> build on her own life. she's building her own life really in the '20s which is very different to the world before the war. >> reporter: and will there be a season five? absolutely. >> there will be a season five. >> am i in it julian? >> reporter: while we're all very much looking forward to season four, you're already on season five? >> we start filming in february. blimey. >> reporter: you're writing feverishly. >> so i'm writing like a mad thing. >> reporter: do you know where you want to take it? do you know, you know the twists and turns ahead of time? >> yes, i mean, i think you know the main ones, as they say. where thaer they're going to be at the end of the series, yes, but i'm not going to tell you. >> reporter: i don't want to know. i want to be surprised. i want to be wowed. >> ok. >> reporter: so we'll just have to wait.

and watch. >> action. what does it take to deck the downton halls for christmas? you're about to see on mysteries of the castle, beyond "downton abbey."

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♪ >> reporter: it's christmas at highclere and all through the house it's a posh fancy setting as the nobles carouse. >> i certainly asked for a big tree this time.

i nearly over did it. >> we wish it to stay up. we wish for all the decorations to stay on it. >> i can't believe i'm still here, doing the same thing nooex year. >> it's the best job in the world. >> we love christmas. >> christmas times, we go out to the castle for christmas lunch. and the men did the clearing out. >> we started without 20 people and now it's just me. >> swrea traditional christmas. we do what they did 100 years ago, i assume. 100 years pay go, we wouldn't be matching "downton abbey." >> we talked to the people in castles and manors do they see themselves in the manors. >> i do identify with the grandson walking on the south lawn, and i had those thoughts. >> i like that.

he is sort of my father in a way. i suspect my father is more clever. >> reporter: what was the character who won all the votes? >> the butler. >> he is my favorite. >> the maid. >> mr. butler. >> shirley maclain. >> we would like to be lady mary. >> reporter: it's maggie, no surprise to us folks. >> maggie smith. >> maggie smith. >> oh, maggie smith. i love it when she says -- >> it's a weekend. >> she is hilarious. >> she is so mean in a nice way. it's a story up and up stairs and down stairs. but one person said, he doesn't love tom. >> it's pathetic how he rumbles on -- >> i don't feel at here either.

>> i don't feel at home here. it's like, [ bleep ] grow up. >> reporter: in the end, would we like to love life there? >> it's a ball changing your clothes five times. and i say something similar to my wife, she said, no i that is the bit i love. >> the dent tiss and doctors, i'm nervous about. >> i enjoy cooking myself. as long as i don't have to polish my shoe do ironing. >> i don't think it's written with a serious message. >> reporter: you have never seen "downton abbey"? >> no, i don't watch it really. >> reporter: still n the end, legacy is what we found. how you remember weighs heavily on this lord's mind. >> a million bricks my crumble. i see my life's work. >> we really needing in to make the next railroad fortune. the next solve ware billionaire

genius. >> reporter: that would help. >> that would big time help wlar lays ahead for the story we love? if you could play any role on the show what would it be and why? who will rise? who will fall? >> i'm expeblgtsing mary to find love again. >> i love "downton abbey."

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>> a fight in every turn, next,

what the family of a