Who is John Bates in Downton Abbey?
The valet with the limp and the locked past · Downstairs
John Bates (The valet with the limp and the locked past) is a character in Downton Abbey, part of Downstairs. John Bates arrives as his lordship's new valet with a cane, a Boer War record alongside Robert, and a policy of saying nothing in his own defence — a vacuum into which Thomas and O'Brien pour every scheme available. Bates does dignity-under-siege better than anyone in the house, which is fortunate, because the plot supplies sieges in bulk: a vanished wife, a prison cell, two separate murder suspicions. Anna's faith in him is the downstairs' love story, paid for at the era's cruellest rates.
When does John Bates first appear?
John Bates first appears in Season 1, Episode 1 of Downton Abbey (2010–2015, ITV).
Who is John Bates connected to?
Relationships already established when John Bates first appears — nothing from later episodes.
- Anna Bates — The valet and the housemaid
- Thomas Barrow — The valet's post, coveted
- Robert Crawley — Batman to valet — the war debt
Which group does John Bates belong to?
By the time John Bates appears, Downstairs also includes Charles Carson, Elsie Hughes, Anna Bates, Thomas Barrow, Sarah O'Brien, Daisy Mason, Beryl Patmore.
Who else is introduced in this episode?
- Robert Crawley — The Earl holding the estate against the century
- Cora Crawley — The American countess who bends, not breaks
- Violet Crawley — The Dowager Countess — what is a week-end?
- Mary Crawley — The eldest — cold front, deep water
- Edith Crawley — The middle sister, perpetually overlooked — until
- Sybil Crawley — The youngest — trousers, politics, the chauffeur
- Charles Carson — The butler — standards are the last wall standing
- Elsie Hughes — The housekeeper with the keys and the conscience
- Anna Bates — The head housemaid the house leans on
- Thomas Barrow — The schemer the house slowly learns to keep
- Sarah O'Brien — Her ladyship's maid, with a bar of soap
- Daisy Mason — From scullery to her own opinions
- Beryl Patmore — The cook — steam, shrapnel wit, soft centre
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