DOWNTON Abbey would be a lot less addictive without the spark provided by the elegant eldest daughter of the Earl and Countess of Grantham. Played by Michelle Dockery, Lady Mary Crawley is a compelling blend of poise and pain.

An independently minded strategic thinker, she’s keenly aware of her position and her obligations, even as her spirit bucks against them. She can be compassionate and coldly haughty and, as her open warfare with her sister Edith (Laura Carmichael) demonstrated in the show’s first season, she can also be a formidable enemy; Mary will give as good as she gets when she decides to play dirty. Dockery’s evocation of the passions roiling beneath Mary’s polished surface helps to make her one of the most captivating female characters on TV, and the will-they-or-won’t-they thing with cousin Matthew (Dan Stevens), a tantalising ongoing dilemma, is one of the posh soap’s foundations. Bonus points to the series for its exquisite lighting.