Hugh Bonneville is leaving Lord Grantham’s solemnity behind for a far more flamboyant role in series two of Netflix’s The Gentlemen
He plays Lord Dickie Hawthorne, an eccentric aristocrat encountered during a shooting party at the Duke of Halstead’s country estate
With an interest in a younger man, Dickie drinks heavily, swears freely and treats high society with gleeful irreverence
The storyline also involves efforts to enter the House of Lords and influence cannabis legislation
Netflix has further fuelled speculation about a possible royal cameo in a potential third series.