A POPULAR ITV period drama which features scenes shot in a west Oxfordshire village has been criticised for a series of historical gaffes.

Downton Abbey, about life at a stately home in the years before the First World War, has been attracting more than 11 million viewers every Sunday evening.

But some eagle-eyed viewers have spotted a few glaring errors in scenes filmed in Bampton, near Carterton and complained on the Internet. They have spotted a TV aerial on a roof, electricity pylons, a modern conservatory and double yellow lines on a road.

And one viewer even claimed a hunting scene featured the wrong type of horse. She said a rider was on a coloured cob, which would only have been ridden by gipsies at that time.

But Bampton residents shrugged off the complaints and said the criticism would not put them off the show.

Sarah Radband, the clerk of the parish council, said: “People in Bampton are excited about seeing their village on the television and I don’t think this will change that. We’ve all been watching it every week and I mustn’t be watching closely enough, because I haven’t noticed any mistakes.”

Mrs Radband said the production company had been welcome visitors to the village.

She said: “The crew finished filming in May and they were really fantastic, involving residents at every stage.

“They went to great lengths dressing the streets – they had to cover a street lamp with branches once – but I guess nothing is ever perfect.”

Methodist minister the Rev Ian Duffy said: “I must confess I haven’t been looking that closely. I don’t sit and count the rivets on guns in war films, but there will always be people who do.

“You can’t catch everything with shows like this. It would be different if a double yellow line was in shot for a whole three minutes, but I don’t think it matters if it’s just a passing shot.”

The show has proved so popular that a second series has been commissioned, so Bampton can expect more time on screen next year.

An ITV spokesman said: “A great deal of consultation and painstaking research has gone into ensuring the historical accuracy of Downton Abbey, in relation to both the script and production detail.

“Nevertheless, in spite of these efforts, some small oversights may occasionally slip through the net.”