Anna Maxwell Martin's "outstanding" Downton Abbey parody is now trending on Prime Video

Downton Abbey spoof period drama Fackham Hall, starring Ludwig's Anna Maxwell Martin as the housekeeper to the titular estate, has been trending on Prime Video.

After being added to the streamer at the weekend, the film from director Jim O'Hanlon has jumped up the platform's charts, becoming the 2nd most-watched movie on Prime and the 4th most-streamed content overall.

Set in 1930s England, the stacked film centres on the succession of Fackham Hall, which Lord Humphrey Davenport (Damien Lewis) hopes to keep in the family by forcing daughter Poppy (Emma Laird) to marry cousin Archibald (Tom Felton).

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When Emma refuses and her sister Rose, played by Thomasin McKenzie, seems much more interested in new hall boy Eric (Ben Radcliffe), Humphrey thinks it couldn't go worse... until he's found dead.

Also starring Katherine Waterston as Lady Prudence Davenport, Tom Goodman-Hill as Inspector Watt, and Jimmy Carr, who also co-wrote Fackham Hall, as the vicar, the film has become a streaming favourite after releasing last December.

The movie is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a critic score of 74% from 62 reviews, with NPR describing it as "a sweet watch for anyone game to overlook a joke that misfires, knowing another one'll be along in a few seconds".

"Fackham Hall is a pleasantly silly diversion for Downton Abbey fans with a tolerance for raunchy sight gags and bad puns," argued the Seattle Times, while The New York Times praised the cast for "[riding] the waves of wordplay with a game commitment to the bit".

Conversely, The Times seemed unimpressed by the film's humour, writing: "The gag count is admirably high; the laugh count is not."

Over at IMDb, fans have been sharing praise for Fackham Hall, with one person calling it an "outstanding comedy" that's "sharp, brisk and very funny" as someone else praised it as "a banger" and "stupidly funny in a tasteful way".

Fackham Hall is streaming on Prime Video.

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Reporter, Digital Spy

Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy. 

Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).