It's time to dust off the jewels and pull out the satin gloves again as the cast of British historical drama Downton Abbey return for a sequel to the hit 2019 film this December.
"We're thrilled to announce that Julian Fellowes and the entire Downton cast are back for #DowntonAbbey2," the Downton Abbey Twitter account posted on Monday, adding the premiere is set for Christmas Day.
New cast members will include English actors Dominic West, Hugh Dancy and Laura Haddock, as well as French actress Nathalie Baye.
Created by Fellowes, Downton Abbey first premiered as a TV series in 2010 in the UK and revolved around the aristocratic Crawley family and their extended army of servants. The show was a massive ratings hit when it premiered in the US the next year, immediately garnering a global fan base, and ran for six seasons. The final episode was shown on Christmas Day in 2015.
During its run, Downton Abbey earned many awards and broke a number of records, including the most nominated TV show in Emmy Awards history, with 27 nominations after two seasons.
The film version, which released in 2019, was set about two years after the events of the show's final episode, and focused on a royal visit – that of King George V and Queen Mary's – to the Crawley estate. The $20 million film was a major success, and went on to make $134 million globally, according to Box Office Mojo.
While rumours of a sequel have been doing the rounds since the first movie released, fans were naturally elated by the confirmation.
“This is just what we need to look forward to in these difficult times,” one fan tweeted.
“I literally am so excited! Downton is my forever favourite show! Even my ringtone!” another pointed out.
Some fans wondered if Dame Maggie Smith, whose character was one of the highlights of the show, will return for the sequel. Smith’s Violet Crawley made a shocking revelation regarding her health in the last film.
“Well hopefully Maggie Smith too. We didn’t see her die on screen,” a fan posted.
In a recent interview, Fellowes seemed to calmed fans’ nerves about the beloved actress’ character.
"We should remember that at the end of the film, Maggie was by no means dead," he said. "You imagine Violet is on her way out, but that decision hasn't been reached.”
When asked about the possible film sequel, lead actor Hugh Bonneville, who plays the Earl of Grantham Robert Crawley, told BBC Radio 2 in February that the entire cast was raring to go again.
“There is certainly the intention to do it. We would love to do it, we are desperate to do it, and I think it’s the sort of pleasurable release of a movie like the first one was, that audiences would enjoy after all of this mess we have been through,” he said.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – UAE won by 36 runs
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Reading List
Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:
Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung
How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever
Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays
How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
