Down home truths

Much has been written about some inaccuracies in Downton Abbey (Report, 8 November). Yet much of its success lies in the fact it reveals family anxieties and concerns still relevant today. Suitability of partners, bullying, sibling rivalry, business concerns, social and political issues have simply been dressed up differently. Writer Julian Fellowes and ITV controller Peter Fincham deserve credit for seeing that there is an appetite beyond the banality of reality TV. Hilary Robinson South Milford, North Yorkshire • Downton Abbey blanks out Christianity from the period. No bishop dines at the table; the local parson makes no appearance in the hospital; and "upstairs" neglect public worship at matins and "downstairs" at evensong. This is a common pattern in historical drama and is a falsification of life then. Keith Brockbank Lancaster