Downton Abbey is a British television period drama series, produced by British media company Carnival Films for the ITV network. The series is set during the Edwardian era in the fictional estate of Downton, Yorkshire, and features an ensemble cast led by British actors Hugh Bonneville and Maggie Smith. It was created and principally written by actor and writer Julian Fellowes, and first aired on the ITV1 network on 26 September 2010.