George Clooney, Jeremy Piven, Strip Poker & More In ‘Downton’ Charity Spoof (Video)
British broadcaster ITV held its annual Text Santa fundraiser on Friday night bringing in £5.5M to benefit UK charities. The star-studded show featured messages from Ben Stiller, Ricky Gervais and Rebel Wilson; musical performances; and taped appearances by Simon Cowell and Carey Mulligan. But the pièce de résistance may well have been George Clooney as the alternative Earl of Grantham in a Downton Abbey spoof. The It’s A Wonderful Life-esque short film looked at what would have happened at the estate if Robert Crawley had never been born. Ab Fab‘s Joanna Lumley and Mr Selfridge‘s Jeremy Piven turn up in the nine-minute fever dream that sees Hugh Bonneville get a glimpse at an Abbey gone wild — replete with a skiing Dowager Countess, a tattooed Molesely, a booze-swilling Mrs Patmore, an oversexed Isobel and a cameo by creator Julian Fellowes. Clooney plays it suave as he charms the ladies of the house. Check out the film below (there’s a short “to be continued break,” but stick with it):
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