Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcast

Julian Fellowes is the creator, writer and co-producer of Downton Abbey, an extraordinary feat and has kept us all entertained on Sunday evenings over six years as well as writing two film scripts. The first was tremendously successful and the latest film will come out in early 2022. The real Downton Abbey, the very Library in which we are sitting  is also Highclere Castle. I hope you find this podcast as enjoyable to listen to as we did in casting our minds back to the very beginning as well thinking about the second film. You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month.

Eight planes went down here on the Estate during World War Two and, as a result, I now “own” a few remains of a B-17 bomber. Over the past few years I've researched the aircraft and the lives of the crews that were lost here, even tracing surviving family members and on occasionally welcoming them to the estate to remember their loved ones. One of the people who has helped me on this journey is Paul McTaggart. When I first met him he was a willing volunteer with a metal detector, now he's part of the team here at Highclere. You might also want to listen to episode 5 which also deals with Highclere's connections with aviation. You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month.

I've just heard that that the new Downton Abbey movie will be released next year so to celebrate I thought I'd sit down with castle manager John Gundill. John has steered us through our long association with the Downton Abbey project and I thought it was a good opportunity to share our memories of what it was like to host the cast and production team in such challenging circumstances earlier this year. But of course that's not all we talked about.....It's not the first time I've invited John as my guest on my podcast - you can hear him on episodes 14 and 20 as well! I hope you enjoy our chat and do make sure you press the subscribe button to ensure you receive future editions. Thank you.You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month.

One of my favourite social events of the year at Highclere is the Battle Proms. Usually we host around 10,000 people at the event, but this year we're being more cautious with numbers. As we emerge from the past year of inertia it's wonderful to welcome Adam Slough, the producer of the Battle Proms, to my podcast. You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month.

My guest this month is my good friend Rafia Willmott. When Rafia's husband John fell ill in 2010 she was inspired to create a restaurant catering for people who need, or desire, to eat healthily.If like me you enjoy creating (and consuming) good food, I'm sure you'll be fascinated by Rafia's story. You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month.

As the Downton Abbey movie cast and crew complete filming at Highclere Castle Lady Carnarvon sits down with her favourite guest - her husband! With spring transitioning to summer and the castle opening up again to the public, it's time for a catch up and to look forward to the year ahead at 'the real Downton Abbey'.You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month.

In this fascinating episode of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcast her friend and neighbour Sir Peter Michael discusses his fascinating and varied career. Sir Peter tells the story of the business he is most proud of - the Peter Michael Winery in northern California, how he started the UK's first national commercial classical music radio station Classic FM, and how at the age of 83 he is still innovating to make the world a better place with the creation of a new covid-19 testing platform. Sir Peter was also the driving force behind a charitable foundation which took-over the nearby airbase at Greenham Common after the USAF vacated it at the end of the Cold War in 1992. The Greenham Common Trust has gone on to raise millions of pounds for charity groups in the area surrounding Highclere Castle. You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month.

In this month's episode Lady Carnarvon talks to her neighbour and friend Sarah Sladen. Sarah runs a farm near to Highclere so it was a good opportunity to sit down and swop stories about pigs, sheep and the land. As we discover Sarah also has a link to Downton Abbey.......You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month.

One of the worst affected industry's during the coronavirus pandemic has been hospitality. Bars, restaurants, hotels, visitor attractions, nightclubs, the list of businesses forced to suspend their activities seems endless. Lady Carnarvon's guest this week knows all about the devastating economic impact of the virus. Ranald Macdonald is the managing-director and founder of Boisdales - a group comprising  of four live music restaurants in London. He first met Lady Carnarvon when they attended St Andrew's University together. You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month.

For Lady Carnarvon's first podcast of 2021 she catches up with her Hampshire neighbour and friend actress Sarah Parish. Close followers of life at the 'real Downton Abbey' will know Sarah spoke at Lady Carnarvon's 'Script to Screen' event in 2018. As well as a highly successful TV and film actress Sarah is a fundraiser. Along with her husband Jim Murray she set up The Murray Parish Trust in 2014 in memory of their late daughter Ella-Jayne who died of congenital heart failure in 2009. The charity has raised millions of pounds to support Paediatric Emergency Medicine at the University Hospital Southampton. You can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month.