近期，《唐顿庄园》的主演因拍摄Kindle广告而遭到炮轰，被认为“破坏了时代剧的氛围”。广告中，演员们在片场休息时穿着20世纪20年代的戏服用Kindle阅读。在周日晚上观看这部剧的观众在Twitter上抱怨这种促销广告破坏了整部剧的氛围，使它的“魔力”都消失了。

The Kindle deal came in for the most criticism when the abbey went up in flames after Lady Edith threw her book into the fire – with viewers questioning whether they were witnessing some sort of subtle product placement. Another Twitter user Barbara said: 'You know Downton is sponsored by a Kindle when a paperback sets fire to the house.'

Kindle最受争议的地方在于当庄园起火，伊迪斯把书扔进火里的镜头。人们认为这是某种植入广告。另一位Twitter用户芭芭拉说，“当书籍着火烧了整幢房子时，你就知道《唐顿庄园》是由Kindle赞助的了。”

Fans also pointed out that the sponsorship deal did not fit with the plotline, which saw members of the household unable to deal with changes in modern technology. An ITV spokesman said: 'We work closely with sponsors in an attempt to ensure that their idents and creative concepts are complementary to the shows that they appear in. We apologise to any viewers who felt this was not achieved in last night's Downton Abbey.'

粉丝们同时指出，Kindle的赞助和故事主线不符。在剧中，主演们无法随着时间发展适应现代的科技。一位ITV的发言人对此回应道，“我们和赞助商紧密合作，保证他们的广告和我们的节目能配合地天衣无缝。我们对就此感到不满的观众表示真挚的抱歉。”

An average of 8.1million viewers tuned in to watch the start of the fifth series – one million fewer than last year's premiere. When the series launched in 2010, 7.7million watched the first episode.  In comparison, series two and three attracted around 9million for their openers. The figures will fuel rumours that Downton creator Julian Fellowes will decide to end the show sooner than previously hinted.

约有810万观众观看了《唐顿庄园》第五季的首集，比起去年来减少了100万。在2010年该剧首次播出时，约有770万人次观看了首播集。相比之下，第二季和第三季开官集数都吸引了约900万观众。这些数据无疑使唐顿庄园创作者将提前结束该剧的谣言灰飞烟灭。