The creator of Downton Abbey has claimed that British people have a ‘curious double standard’ of hating the rich but still wanting to be rich themselves.
Julian Fellowes criticised attitudes towards money, wealth and success in the UK in comparison to the United States.
He said in an interview with the Radio Times he thinks it is ‘ungenerous’ not to admire people who have done well for themselves.
The Tory peer explained: ‘Britain has this curious double standard of hating the rich and hating anyone who has been very successful, and yet wanting it.
‘I don’t get it. It seems to me ungenerous not to admire people who have done very well.’
He added: ‘Even when I was a struggling actor – which I can tell you is not the easiest of existences – if I met someone who’d had success and become a movie star, I’d think, ‘Good luck to them’.’
Lord Fellowes made the comments ahead of the release of the grand finale of Downton Abbey – which is coming to an end after 15 years on our screens.
The beloved series depicts the struggles of the aristocratic Crawley family as they grapple with financial troubles and social disgrace.
Julian Fellowes criticised attitudes towards money, wealth and success in the UK in comparison to the United States
Michelle Dockery, left, and Laura Carmichael, right, are seen in a scene from ‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale’
Elizabeth McGovern, left, and Hugh Bonneville, right, will star in the final installment of the much-loved TV show
The final installment will see Lady Mary Talbot, who is played by Michelle Dockery, take charge of the great estate at the start of the 1930s.
Last February, The Mail revealed the period drama would be making a surprise comeback for a seventh series.
The return of the show, which covered the many societal changes and world events between 1912 and 1928, is coming this September.
It will star Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Robert
James-Collier, Joanne Froggatt, Allen Leech, Penelope Wilton, Lesley Nicol, Michael Fox, Raquel Cassidy also feature.
The hugely successful period drama started on ITV in 2011 and has spawned six seasons and two movies.
The first two films, released in 2019 and 2022, grossed a combined $287.3 million worldwide.
Lord Fellowes has won two Emmy awards for the show and he has also created the popular series The Gilded Age, set in 1880s New York.
Lord Fellowes said in an interview with the Radio Times he thinks it is ‘ungenerous’ not to admire people who have done well for themselves
Julian Fellowes attends the world premiere of ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ in 2022
It emerged earlier this year that he now is largely confined to a wheelchair after the return of a devastating medical condition.
‘It’s true that I do spend too much time in a wheelchair these days,’ Lord Fellowes told the Mail’s Richard Eden.
‘About 40 years ago, I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, probably resulting from an early slipped disc.
‘I had an operation and, after quite a long convalescence, I was well again, dancing, riding and the rest.
‘Unluckily, a couple of years ago, I was told the condition had returned and, after another operation, I was obliged to recognise that my powers of recovery at 75 were not quite what they had been at 35. Which, I suppose, is no great surprise.’
He added: ‘I am not entirely immobile, but I do have to remain sitting for most of the time. I don’t consider myself unlucky in this.
‘Other people have far worse to put up with.’
