Hey everyone, quick announcement. If you're in the Boston area or if you have access to a private airplane and unlimited free time, I'll be speaking on October 12th at Sound Education, an educational audio conference at Harvard. My talk's on Saturday, but there are amazing speakers the whole time starting Wednesday the 9th.

Leaders in thought-provoking audio from shows that there's a good chance you're already

listening to.

Sound education from October 9th to 12th.

Learn more at soundeducation.fm.

Hi there. I'm Jason Gatz and you're listening to Think Again, a Big Think podcast.

Yeah. and you're listening to Think Again, a Big Think podcast. Like too many of us, I hated history classes throughout my high school career

and only realized as an adult that there are a few things more interesting to ponder

than the ways people lived and thought in different times and places than my own.

After all, we're all stuck in our own time, limited by our culture, consciousness,

and whatever knowledge we possess of what came before.

Maybe that explains part of the appeal of historical fiction like the series Downton Abbey,

set in a great Edwardian country house in the early 20th century.

My guest today is stage and screen director Michael Engler.

He's the director of the new Downton Abbey feature film and directed episodes of

Downton Abbey, Deadwood, six feet under, 30 Rock, and much more for television.

Maticulously recreating one corner of Edwardian England and building original story worlds within it.

Downton Abbey is part romantic comedy, part historical drama, grappling with the tensions of class

and society at the sunset of Empire. Welcome to think again, Michael. Thanks. That was very well

written. Oh, thank you. I'm available for HBO television shows, if you need me.

Good. No, just kidding. Although I happen to love a lot of the shows that you've worked on.

I mean, Deadwood, I was an enormous, one of the aggrieved fans when it was canceled and very

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