--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I sometimes wonder what it would have…" description: "\"I sometimes wonder what it would have been like if I'd got 'Downton Abbey' when I was 22.\" — Lesley Nicol" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/lesley-nicol-12825_abbey_i-sometimes-wonder-what-it-would-have-be_49864.png" --- # I sometimes wonder what it would have been like if I'd got… ![“I sometimes wonder what it would have been like if I'd got 'Downton Abbey' when I was 22.” quote by Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/lesley-nicol-12825_abbey_i-sometimes-wonder-what-it-would-have-be_49864.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/lesley-nicol-12825_abbey_i-sometimes-wonder-what-it-would-have-be_49864.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/lesley-nicol-12825_abbey_i-sometimes-wonder-what-it-would-have-be_49864.png) > “I sometimes wonder what it would have been like if I'd got 'Downton Abbey' when I was 22.” [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reflects on nostalgic longing for a cultural experience missed in youth, highlighting how media can shape personal identity. **In simple terms:** Regret over a missed cultural touchstone. Key Takeaway Early exposure influences self‑perception. Themes nostalgia media influence identity regret cultural memory Mood reflective wistalgic thoughtful Type personal anecdote cultural commentary When to use this quote - discussing favorite shows with friends - considering what media shaped you - reflecting on missed opportunities - exploring period dramas - evaluating personal taste Key Concepts personal growth generational gaps Practical Applications - using nostalgia in marketing - designing media recommendations for age groups Questions to Reflect On - What media shaped your teenage years? - How might early exposure to a show alter your worldview? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Downton Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/downton-abbey/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [When I heard I had gotten 'Downton Abbey,' I remember I was standing on a freezing cold street in Manchester where we were shooting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/when-i-heard-i-had-gotten-downton-abbey-i-remember-i-was-standing-on/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [Coming eyeball to eyeball with a hummingbird on my terrace is as exciting to me as any celebrity Ive met as a result of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/coming-eyeball-to-eyeball-with-a-hummingbird-on-my-terrace-is-as-2/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [Coming eyeball to eyeball with a hummingbird on my terrace is as exciting to me as any celebrity I've met as a result of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/coming-eyeball-to-eyeball-with-a-hummingbird-on-my-terrace-is-as/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I get invited to a lot more glamorous parties since I've been in 'Downton Abbey,' which has made me much more fashion conscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-get-invited-to-a-lot-more-glamorous-parties-since-i-ve-been-in/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I get invited to a lot more glamorous parties since Ive been in Downton Abbey, which has made me much more fashion conscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-get-invited-to-a-lot-more-glamorous-parties-since-ive-been-in/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I'm proud of the fact that Downton Abbey was born in a recession, at a time when ITV had dropped a lot of drama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-james-collier/i-m-proud-of-the-fact-that-downton-abbey-was-born-in-a-recession-at-a/) [Rob James-Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-james-collier/) > [Between the action sequences, the pleasure lies in observing impeccably dressed Brits exchanging barbed witticisms - making it, basically, Downton Abbey with cyber crime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-longworth/between-the-action-sequences-the-pleasure-lies-in-observing/) [Karina Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-longworth/) > [I think the reason why people love 'Downton Abbey' is because all the characters are given the same weight. Some are nice, some are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/i-think-the-reason-why-people-love-downton-abbey-is-because-all-the/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [I have not watched WAGs World, I have not watched the BBC's Upstairs, Downstairs, either. It would be Downton Abbey, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-may/i-have-not-watched-wags-world-i-have-not-watched-the-bbc-s-upstairs/) [Theresa May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-may/) > [I let steam off by watching 'Downton Abbey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-arianda/i-let-steam-off-by-watching-downton-abbey/) [Nina Arianda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-arianda/) > [I love Downton Abbey. It's just great. My mother giving birth to me was just like Lady Sybil giving birth, except that there wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-whitehall/i-love-downton-abbey-it-s-just-great-my-mother-giving-birth-to-me-was/) [Jack Whitehall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-whitehall/) > [The way I see it, the third series of 'Downton Abbey' is all about change and how each character adapts to those changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/the-way-i-see-it-the-third-series-of-downton-abbey-is-all-about/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [ We were all expecting to finish \[Downton Abbey\] after Series 1, actually. And then, it got extended to Series 3, and that's when two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-bonneville/we-were-all-expecting-to-finish-downton-abbey-after-series-1-actually/) [Hugh Bonneville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-bonneville/) > ['Downton Abbey' is just one cliche after another, and it is a really, really poor piece of drama. But that's only me talking. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/downton-abbey-is-just-one-cliche-after-another-and-it-is-a-really/) [Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/) > [I actually don't watch much TV, but my goal is to watch 'Downton Abbey.' I want to catch up on the series... that's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-rutherford/i-actually-don-t-watch-much-tv-but-my-goal-is-to-watch-downton-abbey/) [Kelly Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-rutherford/) ## More by Lesley Nicol > [At the drop of a hat, people will say there are no roles for women after 40. It's there with a bunch of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/at-the-drop-of-a-hat-people-will-say-there-are-no-roles-for-women/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I have been invited to do something called 'Celebrity MasterChef' in England, which, of course, I can't do. It's complete nonsense. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-have-been-invited-to-do-something-called-celebrity-masterchef-in/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [My poor cooking is legendary among my friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/my-poor-cooking-is-legendary-among-my-friends/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I inherited my weight problem from my mum. She was always on diets. If there was a box of chocolates in the house, she'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-inherited-my-weight-problem-from-my-mum-she-was-always-on-diets-if/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [Coming eyeball to eyeball with a hummingbird on my terrace is as exciting to me as any celebrity I've met as a result of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/coming-eyeball-to-eyeball-with-a-hummingbird-on-my-terrace-is-as/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I think I should be a nightclub singer. I love to sing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-think-i-should-be-a-nightclub-singer-i-love-to-sing/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I want to have a scene with Maggie Smith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-want-to-have-a-scene-with-maggie-smith/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I go dog-walking a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-go-dog-walking-a-lot/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I always admire people who have passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-always-admire-people-who-have-passion/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [As an actor, you never know where the work's going to come, so you have to be flexible about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/as-an-actor-you-never-know-where-the-work-s-going-to-come-so-you-have/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I've not cooked Christmas dinner since 1982.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-ve-not-cooked-christmas-dinner-since-1982/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I quite like L.A.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-quite-like-l-a/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I don't do freeways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-don-t-do-freeways/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [Ive not cooked Christmas dinner since 1982.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/ive-not-cooked-christmas-dinner-since-1982/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [For years, I've felt that there's an inner cook in me just waiting to be unleashed. But I have to confess I'm having an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/for-years-i-ve-felt-that-there-s-an-inner-cook-in-me-just-waiting-to/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) [Explore all 53 Lesley Nicol quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) ## More Abbey quotes > [The first time I went to Abbey Road and put those headphones on, I discovered I had two voices. I no longer had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cilla-black/the-first-time-i-went-to-abbey-road-and-put-those-headphones-on-i/) [Cilla Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cilla-black/) > [“Don't mind her," Kip said to Nicki. "She's just crabby from the long ride." "Yeah, I've been riding with...I mean on...a horse's ass all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-keenan/don-t-mind-her-kip-said-to-nicki-she-s-just-crabby-from-the-long-ride/) [Shawn Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-keenan/) > [Many people have heard the remarkable example of devotion involving a Skye terrier dog who worked for a Scottish shepherd named Old Jock. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/many-people-have-heard-the-remarkable-example-of-devotion-involving-a/) [Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-moussaieff-masson/) > [I wanted to write something visual that I could read to the children. This was when I created the idea of Redwall Abbey in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-jacques/i-wanted-to-write-something-visual-that-i-could-read-to-the-children/) [Brian Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-jacques/) > [I cannot go any further without mentioning my favourite biscuit of all time, now sadly, tragically, extinct. The oaty, crumbly, demerara notes of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/i-cannot-go-any-further-without-mentioning-my-favourite-biscuit-of/) [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) > [“At last, the details finally settled, Abbey found herself coming to terms with the inevitable: the whole lot of them would go to Cape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-ann-benedict/at-last-the-details-finally-settled-abbey-found-herself-coming-to/) Emily Ann Benedict > [We worked the medley on side two of "Abbey Road" out carefully in advance. All of those mini songs were partly completed tunes; some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/we-worked-the-medley-on-side-two-of-abbey-road-out-carefully-in/) [George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/) > [I actually don't watch much TV, but my goal is to watch 'Downton Abbey.' I want to catch up on the series... that's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-rutherford/i-actually-don-t-watch-much-tv-but-my-goal-is-to-watch-downton-abbey/) [Kelly Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-rutherford/) > ['Downton Abbey' is just one cliche after another, and it is a really, really poor piece of drama. But that's only me talking. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/downton-abbey-is-just-one-cliche-after-another-and-it-is-a-really/) [Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/) > [“I don't say this to hurt you, love." The endearment slipped out without me even thinking about it. (...) "Say it again," he said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-verday/i-don-t-say-this-to-hurt-you-love-the-endearment-slipped-out-without/) [Jessica Verday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-verday/) > [Coming eyeball to eyeball with a hummingbird on my terrace is as exciting to me as any celebrity I've met as a result of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/coming-eyeball-to-eyeball-with-a-hummingbird-on-my-terrace-is-as/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [Samhain had its origins, like many modern holidays or celebrations, in pagan times. As the sidhe-seers had been inclined to erect churches and abbeys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/samhain-had-its-origins-like-many-modern-holidays-or-celebrations-in/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [ We were all expecting to finish \[Downton Abbey\] after Series 1, actually. And then, it got extended to Series 3, and that's when two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-bonneville/we-were-all-expecting-to-finish-downton-abbey-after-series-1-actually/) [Hugh Bonneville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-bonneville/) > [The way I see it, the third series of 'Downton Abbey' is all about change and how each character adapts to those changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/the-way-i-see-it-the-third-series-of-downton-abbey-is-all-about/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [Labor, under their current leadership, want to be the Downtown Abbey party when it comes to educational opportunity. They think working class children should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gove/labor-under-their-current-leadership-want-to-be-the-downtown-abbey/) [Michael Gove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gove/) Browse all 143 Abbey quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I sometimes wonder what it would have been like if I'd got 'Downton Abbey' when I was 22.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lesley Nicol" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-sometimes-wonder-what-it-would-have-been-like-if-i-d-got-downton/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abbey" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-sometimes-wonder-what-it-would-have-been-like-if-i-d-got-downton/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/lesley-nicol-12825_abbey_i-sometimes-wonder-what-it-would-have-be_49864.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/lesley-nicol-12825_abbey_i-sometimes-wonder-what-it-would-have-be_49864.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/lesley-nicol-12825_abbey_i-sometimes-wonder-what-it-would-have-be_49864.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I sometimes wonder what it would have been like if I'd got 'Downton Abbey' when I was 22.” — Lesley Nicol", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lesley Nicol", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I sometimes wonder what it would...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-sometimes-wonder-what-it-would-have-been-like-if-i-d-got-downton/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-sometimes-wonder-what-it-would-have-been-like-if-i-d-got-downton/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```