She is one of the longest-serving actors in Downton Abbey and had a front row seat as the British TV show and its spin-off movies grew to become money-spinning hits.
However, Scots actress Phyllis Logan has spoken of her shock at just how popular the period drama is in America, likening the reaction the cast got from audiences to ‘Beatlemania’.
The 69-year-old, who plays head housekeeper Mrs Hughes in the drama, even enjoyed a private meeting with Michelle Obama in the White House during her time as First Lady.
Discussing the enduring popularity of the show as she prepares for the release of a third film in September that will bring the franchise to an end, Ms Logan told how the reaction in the US has always been ‘amazing’.
She said: ‘It was so weird pitching up to places. It was like The Beatles had arrived and it was just us.
‘In New York we used to go to this lovely theatre and all the people coming would dress as characters from the show and we would do a Q&A and a panel with the audience. But they would go absolutely crazy.’
The first Downton Abbey movie, released in 2019, grossed £143 million worldwide, while its sequel Downton Abbey: A New Era took in £68 million.
The TV series, first broadcast in the UK in 2010, is the most viewed drama in American broadcaster PBS’s 55-year history.
At the peak of its popularity, the show had a weekly average audience of 13.3 million viewers.
On the cast’s White House invitation to meet fan of the show Mrs Obama, Ms Logan said: ‘That was incredible.
‘There we were in this little side room and she came bounding in and gave us all a hug and just talked.
‘We spoke for about ten minutes and got a photograph with her.
‘She was just so charming and beautiful and elegant and enchanting and funny. She was just great. It was a real highlight.’
Ms Logan is now enjoying her new starring role in the crime series Murder Most Puzzling.
She plays the part of Cora Felton in the Channel 5 drama, which is based on the best- selling Puzzle Lady books by American author Parnell Hall.
The story sees Cora drawn into a murder investigation due to her fame as a crossword compiler. Ms Logan reckons Cora is a departure from her previous roles.
She said: ‘She may not be very endearing but that’s what I love about her. She couldn’t give a s***.
‘She has Bloody Marys for breakfast and smokes like a sailor.’
Ms Logan added: ‘Cora is quite witty and I like to think I have a certain amount of wit to myself.
‘I’m not a standup but I’ve got a sense of humour.’
It may be her first time playing a sleuth, but Ms Logan does have the honour of having starred in one of Scotland’s most famous crime dramas – Taggart.
She said: ‘I was in Taggart, in fact I think I might have been in it twice as two different characters. I was certainly in it when Alex Norton was Taggart because we were supposed to be ex-lovers and he’s an old mate so we had a laugh.’