Ashley Pearce

The Great War rages across Europe, and not even the serene Yorkshire countryside is free from its effects. The men and women of Downton are doing their part: heir Matthew Crawley and footman Thomas Barrow are off fighting, while Lady Grantham and Isobel Crawley are squabbling over whether Downton should be used as a hospital. Lady Mary is seeing a wealthy newspaper magnate while Lady Edith becomes much warmer and Lady Sybil seeks to ingratiate herself...

Father Michael, a Catholic priest presiding over a Northern urban parish who is modern, maverick, and reassuringly flawed, must be a confidante, counsellor and confessor to a congregation struggling to reconcile its beliefs with the challenges of daily life.

Following the finale of Season three, Oxford's finest are picking up the pieces of their personal and professional lives. DC Endeavour Morse awaits the result of his Sergeant's Exam, while DI Fred Thursday and his wife Win struggle to cope with their children flying the nest. With sam gone to the Army and the traumatized Joan gone off to who knows where, there are even greater challenges still to face.