Earlier this year, we had the reboot of The Naked Gun, and while brimming with laughs, it wasn’t always successful, as there were far too many moments when the comedy was lacking. Now, the Brits are taking a chance at spoof comedies with Fackham Hall, which pokes fun at Downton Abbey, and while it might not have the high production values of the Liam Neeson movie, this manages to do what The Naked Gun failed to do: keep the jokes coming thick and fast.

The Davenports are a wealthy family living at Fackham Hall, but they may lose the estate if one of the Davenport daughters, Poppy or Rose, does not marry the cad Archibald. Poppy has other plans, leaving Rose to face a future with the man she doesn’t love. Things are complicated when a young man arrives as the new hall boy, and Rose falls for him.

The plot of this often-laugh-out-loud comedy is secondary to the stream of gags thrown at the screen. Some fail to hit their mark, while others you can see coming a mile off. Thankfully, though, loads do work, and you find yourself giggling like a child at the silly behaviour of this family and the surrounding characters.

Every cliche that made Downton Abbey such a hit comes under attack, from the upstairs and downstairs antics to the clash of cultures and classes. Even David Arnold has managed to deliver a music score that even sounds like an episode of the TV series. The set design and costumes look like they’ve been ripped off from Hugh Bonneville and the rest of the cast. If you didn’t know this is a spoof, you’d believe you were watching the show.

To really make a film like this truly work, the cast has to play it straight and not even think for a moment that it’s a joke, and that’s one of the film’s successes. The script, from an idea by comedian Jimmy Carr and his brother, Patrick, is relentless. It’s evident that the Carrs are fans of Airplane!, as they throw every type of gag, from visual, slapstick, wordplay and, of course, the risky. Gags about bodily functions and innuendos are all accounted for, along with others that you may miss, as there are signs with gags aplenty (the fastest tailors in the village are called Tailor Swift). You have to keep your eyes open to what is happening in the background as well as the foreground.

The cast is terrific, keeping tongues rammed in their cheeks, from Damien Lewis as the head of the household, equipped with a silly hairstyle, to Katherine Waterston being as far removed from Alien: Covenant and Fantastic Beasts as she could possibly be. Standouts include Anna Maxwell Martin from TV’s Motherland, as the head maid, and Tom Felton, shedding his Draco Malfoy persona to play the useless Archibald. Jimmy Carr makes a cameo as a vicar who cannot read punctuation (some hilarious gags when he’s around), and Sue Johnson steals the film as a Maggie Smith-style grandmother with a very potty mouth.

Fackham Hall is the perfect tonic for a time when everyone seems to be feeling low. It’s very funny, ridiculous and just a joy that will leave you smiling when you leave the cinema. Personally, I thought it was more comical than the new Naked Gun.

4 out of 5

Director: Jim O’Hanlon

Starring: Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Radcliffe, Damian Lewis, Katherine Waterston, Tom Felton, Hayley Mills, Anna Maxwell Martin, Emma Laird, Jimmy Carr, Sue Johnson

Written by: Steve Dawson, Andrew Dawson, Tim Inman, (also based on an original idea) Jimmy Carr and Patrick Carr

Running Time: 97 mins

Cert: 15

Release date: 12th December 2025