Kevin Doyle on Maturing as Molesley on ‘Downton Abbey’

As part of our ongoing coverage of PBS re-airing all six seasons of Downton Abbey, we here at Telly Visions have been interviewing some of the people who brought the show to life. Recently, we had the pleasure of speaking with actor Kevin Doyle, who played Mr. Molesley, a butler who starts on a downward trajectory in service when we first meet him in Season 1 but ultimately finds success and professional fulfillment as a teacher.

Downton Abbey hasn’t missed a step with American viewers in the last 15 years. People are watching it now with children who were very small when it first aired, making it a really interesting intergenerational experience. While Joseph Molesley is far from Doyle’s only role, so many Americans are so familiar with him because of it, and have so much affection for him stemming from his portrayal of the character, who goes from the butt of jokes to underdog hero.

From his home in England during the heatwave that plagued much of Europe this past summer, Doyle made time to speak with us about the surprises – some moving, some funny – in Molesley’s character arc across the series’ six seasons and three feature films. With the first half of the Downton Abbey re-air drawing to a close, we’re pleased to share our interview with him.

(This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.)