On the Season 6 opening episode of Downton Abbey, while the estate may have to downsize which puts the Dowager Countess of Grantham Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) on the warpath, Mr. Phillip Henderson buys Mallerton Hall from Sir John Darnley. That causes tenant farmer Mr. Mason (Paul Copley) to lose his farm. Mason’s daughter-in-law Daisy (Sophie McShera) approaches Henderson and chastises him for firing a tenant farmer. But alas her outburst backfires.
Mr. Henderson is portrayed by Rick Bacon. He is best known for his roles in the films Son of God, Cape of Good Hope, and License to Live. In Season 6, we meet Mrs. Henderson, too, albeit briefly. She is portrayed by Elaine Caulfield, who has appeared on several British shows including Broadchurch (Nige’s solicitor) and Wolf Hall (Margery Seymour). Caulfield will appear on an upcoming episode of Galavant, the American satire where Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville guest stars as Pirate King. Downton Abbey airs Sundays at 9pm on PBS.
