Downton Abbey is a British show about England at the beginning of the 20th century which lets the viewers see the times when people just started to use electricity, women started to fight for their rights, and the world was on the verge of war. The start of the story is when the hereditary Earl of Grantham dies on the Titanic. After that, the fight for the title starts. Maggie Smith plays the role of the widow of the Earl, Violet Crawley.