Downton Abbey returns and triumphs at Emmys

PERIOD drama Downton Abbey enjoyed a night of triumph on and off the screen on Sunday as the second series debuted on ITV and the show scooped four Emmys in Los Angeles, including best mini-series and best supporting actress for Dame Maggie Smith.

The first episode of the new series easily won the Sunday night ratings war. Downton Abbey was watched by more than 9 million people, while the final run of BBC spy-drama Spooks, which kicked off at the same time on BBC1 attracted just 4.6 million viewers.

Its success may have been boosted by the fact that it came on immediately after ITV's ratings behemoth, The X-Factor, which was watched by 12 million people. But even though the period drama lost 1.5 million viewers over the course of 90-minutes, it still attracted double the audience of Spooks.

Indeed it was so popular that ITV player, which broadcasts programmes through the channel's website, crashed under the weight of demand. Visitors trying to watch the show saw only adverts and an apology notice later appeared saying that ITV.com was suffering from "technical difficulties".

The show, which follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their staff during the First World War, is not only popular on this side of the Atlantic. America has also taken to the Julian Fellowes-penned drama, which airs on the PBS network, and it was one of the big, and unexpected, winners at the Emmys.

There were awards for Smith, who plays family matriarch Violet Crawley, who was named best supporting actress, and Fellowes for his writing. Director Brian Percival was also honoured and the show was named best mini-series. ·