In Downton Abbey, there is no shortage of games played during scenes. We've seen Lord Grantham get swindled by the card-sharp Terence Sampson in poker, Daisy observe a game of planchette (Ouija) to help foresee her future, and upstairs, Lady Mary partake in a lively game of charades. Even in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, which recently premiered on the 2025 movie schedule, there is horse race betting and a county fair. So, I suppose it should come as no surprise the cast is as immersed in game-play as their character counterparts.
I had a chance to sit down with the cast of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, I asked them about a game they notoriously played with Maggie Smith during the era she was still filming called ‘Wink Murder’. When I asked, Kevin Doyle and Allen Leech confirmed the game was afoot while filming actual scenes throughout the course of the long-running franchise:
- Doyle: But the wink murder was great fun.
- Leech: Wink murder was great fun.
Still, it begs the question: What exactly is 'Wink Murder'?
Downton Abbey's ‘Wink Murder,' Explained
OK so, now that we've established the cast was (at least sometimes) literally playing a game while filming Downton Abbey scenes, I needed to know what the heck was up with the rules. Luckily for me, Hugh Bonneville jumped in without me having to ask them to explain how the game works, and it started with a little organization.
'Wink Murder' in the dining room. So, we had the little mustard pot into which, however many bits of paper would be put. One that had the X on, and you were the murderer.
‘Wink Murder in the dining room’ sounds like an Agatha Christie novel; maybe it could be the next Detective Poirot title. Without all the details, I am guessing the number of bits of paper that were put into the pot was the number of people playing the game. Allen Leech went on to explain…
And then you had to try very subtly to wink, to kill someone. And then if that person caught the wink, so you, you made eye contact, did that they were dead. And then they would die in quite dramatic fashion, sometimes during [a] take. And then, we were all trying to figure out who was the murderer.
It sounds wild. I can only imagine Maggie Smith being winked at from off-screen and dramatically flopping back in her seat. I do not know how often they played this, or how visceral the "dying" became, but I'd imagine that when they did, it would have rivaled Smith’s favorite day on set. I am curious if any of the ‘deaths’ were caught on camera and made it into the final edits, as well. Now, I feel like I need to re-watch just to see if I can catch 'Wink Murder' in action.
(Also, I know that Lord Grantham’s spitting up blood from a burst ulcer in Season 6, Episode 5, was probably the most dramatic dining room scene, and it's fun to think that maybe he was winked at right before the take.)
Even though we won’t be able to see Maggie Smith sitting at the dining room table at Downton in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, as she sadly died last September, we will see the rest of the Crawley family. The new movie's in theaters now, so make sure to read our Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale review and see if you can catch any ‘Wink Murder’ deaths on-screen while watching the film.
