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What you have to understand about period drama is that it's 'history light.'

I'm always keeping an eye out for a period piece. I was trained in theatre, so most of the things we did were classical - Shakespeare, Moliere, and Chekhov.

A lot of period dramas can appear quite arch to most people, stuffy.

I've done a lot of period dramas, but I love modern productions, too.

Most period drama is so earnest. A lot of it is about making yourself take seriously things you wouldn't normally.

I want to do theatre and I want to do period drama.

I know I'm as comfortable doing period as I am contemporary. I suppose we grow up with it in a sense, in the theater. We get to put on costumes and play a lot of period dramas or plays so we're exposed to it a little bit more I think because of our theatrical background.

I've always wanted to do a period movie, to do something the turn of the century, and I'm really fascinated by that whole time period.

I think some period drama can be quite alienating, but 'Downton' isn't. This is going to sound quite, um, pretentious, but someone said that it's like a soap written by a poet.

One of the things the BBC does better than anyone is period drama.