With fans of Downton Abbey still in shock over the sudden, and unexpected death of one of its main character, Lady Sybil, her on-screen sister, Michelle Dockery, who plays Lady Mary in the hit drama, says how she has found some of her character, and her sisters, storylines quite dull!

Downton Abbey is on its third successful series, with more drama and entertainment than you can shake a stick out pouring out of every scene, but Michelle remembers back to the first series, when things were quite different for her and the other Crawley sisters.

Series two saw a shift in power for women with the outbreak of war, which meant that the likes of Edith (Laura Charmichael) and Sybil (Jessica Brown-Findlay) getting jobs and doing their bit to help support the war efforts whilst the men were fighting in the trenches.

Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), though never officially having a job, stepped up to the mark also, helping with the day to day running of the house whilst it was acting as a convalescent home, as well as organising keep-up-the-spirits events for those soldiers returning home on leave.

But cast your minds back to series one, when all the seeds of the major storylines were just starting to be planted, meaning that, apart from the death of Turkish Diplomat in Lady Mary’s bed, the girls didn’t seem to do much else, as Michelle Dockery explains to Interview Magazine:

“In the first season, we see the three sisters, and pretty much all they do is change clothes three times a day—once for breakfast, once for lunch, and then again at dinner. And they’re bored.

“What was wonderful about the second season is that because of the First World War, women became far more practical and useful.

“The character of Edith, for example, who helps care for wounded soldiers. But once the war is over, she finds herself at loose ends.”

Despite this, she still has a great respect and love for the epic period drama, adding:

“What it boils down to is the writing.

“Julian (Fellowes) is incredibly talented. He’s created 18 lead characters, each with their own story lines.

“The audience gets a nostalgic feeling for the period. It’s a time without the internet, without mobile phones. It was an easier sort of period that people look back on and find heart-warming.”

Downton Abbey can be seen at 9pm on ITV1/ITV1 HD.