How Downton Abbey Completely Botched Its Depiction Of The Spanish Flu

When “Downton Abbey” finally addressed the Spanish flu in season 2 of the series, it did represent some things accurately, as far as what life was like in the U.K. during the outbreak. First was the timing, as three waves of flu overtook England during the period. One came in 1919, when the show’s sophomore season takes place, including its episode about the Spanish flu. Quite likely, though, the Crawley family and their manor house would have been affected much earlier, according to Minneapolis online news outlet MinnPost.

The Spanish flu could also kill quickly, which is another thing “Downton Abbey” gets right. The only character in the show to die from the flu, Lavinia Swire (played by Zoe Boyle above) is dead in a matter of hours. According to University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy’s Michael Osterholm (speaking to MinnPost) that could happen. Although many deaths from the Spanish flu took several days, Osterholm said, “there were also deaths that took place within 24 hours.”

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