There is a fiery start to Season 5 of Downton Abbey — and we're not talking about Lady Mary's ridiculously complicated love life.

Upstairs and downstairs cast members Lesley Nichol (Mrs. Patmore), Phyllis Logan (Mrs. Hughes), Rob James-Collier (Thomas Barrow), Hugh Bonneville (Robert), and Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith) came together to visit Yahoo Studios and talk about the challenges ahead for their characters — from marital strife for Robert and Cora and daughter drama for Edith to, well, uncomfortable undergarments and how James-Collier earned the nickname "Thomas commando." Watch the conversation, which gets a "little bit kinky," here.

Related: 'Downton Abbey' Gets Jiggy With It in Season 5

Edwardian undergarments weren't the only things that the British cast riffed on. They stopped being polite and started being real when we asked them to critique some Downton Abbey fan art. Nichols cackling over Mrs. Patmore the cat is as amusing as one of the dowager's one-liners — as is seeing a "Botoxed" Mrs. Hughes:

Lastly, we put ourselves in the director's chair when we asked the party of five to act out a famous Downton scene while playing different roles. We thought Maggie Smith quipping, "What is a weekend?" was the greatest thing we had ever heard … until we heard Carmichael's impression of the dowager saying it. Even better? Bonneville (or should we call him Bugh Honneville?) imitating his on-screen wife Elizabeth McGovern (Cora). No wonder those two are having marital troubles this season:

For far less silliness and much more drama, tune in for Season 5 of Downton Abbey, which kicks off Jan. 4 on Masterpiece on PBS.