Bereft without some cutting dialogue delivered by Maggie Smith? All at sea without the comforting presence of a raft of servants? It’s alright, because Downton Abbey has returned.

We’re whipped straight into the perilous battlefields of WWI where we encounter the (surprisingly dishy) heir to Downton and all its assets, middle-class Mancunian lawyer Matthew Crawley, who (obviously, because that’s definitely the typical soldier’s experience) is almost immediately on leave. Off he swans back to Downton, where he dons a nifty red jacket and introduces his sickly-sweet new fiancée  to his almost-betrothed previous love, Lady Mary.

Maggie Smith is – as ever – on great form as the Dowager Duchess, back to her acerbic best, verbally sparring with every other member of the cast. It’s these magnificently cutting lines, as she glances at said fiancée and sniffs with a raking glare, “Well, looks aren’t everything”, that provide moments of light relief from the well-crafted but sometimes slightly bland script.

Whilst anodyne versions of romance and passion play out upstairs, the really gripping drama, as usual, takes place in the kitchen. The big shocker was the return of Bates, the manservant's lying, blackmailing, Irish wife (because there’s nothing like a bit of casual stereotyping) who forced him to break the heart of poor Anna, the head housemaid.

Downton is always much better at pitching its characters somewhere between recognisable and caricature, avoiding the pitfalls that other costume dramas fall into. Yet this season opener saw it slide dangerously close to the edge before it recovered itself by limiting Mrs. Bates’ screen time.

Fortunately there’s also Hugh Bonneville’s more nuanced portrayal of the Earl – hurt and betrayed by his silent valet’s “desertion”, then subsequently privately ashamed but honoured when enlightened of the reasons behind the departure.

Amongst the delights of the sumptuously shot countryside scenes, the reminders of the war were overpowering and worked well to counterbalance the tendency towards fluff.

To a much greater extent than in the first series, how the world is changing beyond Downton is reflected in the lives of those living there. Sibyl’s cooking lessons and nurse training, as well as Edith’s driving, are an important reminder of aristocratic women’s reality and the feminist movement in WWI.

The Dowager's eventually unsuccessful attempts to have the house’s manservants excluded from military service was moving, and gave a good hint of how the war will bring an end to some of those members of the hitherto happy in the Downton idyll. For now, though, just enjoy the well put-together nature of some luxurious and delightfully twee Sunday night telly.