Downton Abbey

I was looking forward to last night's episode in which Dame Nellie Melba, played by Dame Kiri, appeared. What a disappointment. We heard hardly any of her singing, which was sacrificed for another sordid plot line.

There were some amusing moments when the butler thought that having an Australian opera singer to dine with the upper class was wrong. It showed how many of the staff who worked for aristocrats were greater snobs than their employers. No matter that Dame Nellie Melba was a woman of incredible talent, cultured and well educated, she was not good enough. When there was a debate about the servants being able to watch her performance Lord Grantham joked about 'The corrupting influence of opera.' Those two snippets and the little we heard of Dame Kiri's singing were the only good things about last night's episode.

Some of the audience spoke during her performance. It's a wonder she didn't stop singing and walk out. But unlike some people, she was too polite to do so.

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