Jimmy Carrn’t be serious

Fackham Hall introduces itself proudly as being “From the studio that watched the first two seasons of Downton Abbey” and doesn’t look back as it delivers physical, visual, and literal gags one after the other. After a year where we’ve already been blessed with a fresh Naked Gun movie, it feels like we’re back to old fashioned goofing around.

Behind the camera is director Jim O’Hanlon but behind him in the writers room is famed comedian Jimmy Carr. Behind HIM is a couple other writers but you wouldn’t recognise their names.(Andrew Dawson, Steve Dawson, Tim Inman and Patrick Carr. No relation, but Jimmy’s middle name is Patrick so this might be the laziest double dipping situation we’ve ever seen, you never know.

Kiwi actress Thomasin McKenzie stars alongside Damian Lewis and Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter). Jimmy also makes a screen appearance as an inappropriate priest who stops sentences at the most inopportune times. Of course.

The spoof that crosses Downton Abbey with Airplane! and Monty Python. Fackham Hall follows lovable pick-pocket Eric Noone (Radcliffe) as he lands a job at a unique English manor house. He quickly rises through the ranks, and a forbidden romance with lady-of-the-house Rose Davenport (McKenzie) blossoms. But when an unexpected murder occurs, Eric gets framed – leaving Rose and her family’s future perilously uncertain.

“The British film industry does two things very well: period drama and comedy.” said Carr when the project was announced. “We didn’t have time to write two movies, so we’ve had to mash the genres together. I’m just slightly worried that if you say Fackham Hall in a posh English accent, it might be misconstrued.”

Fackham Hall releases in NZ cinemas February 19, 2026.