DOWNTON Abbey star Robert Bathurst has been given a close-up look at clothes which have starred on screen as he takes to the stage in York.

The actor, who plays Sir Anthony Strallan in the ITV period drama, is appearing in the award-winning play Blue/Orange at the Grand Opera House, with the second of its two performances taking place tonight.

He found time to take a look at some of the items in Barley Hall’s historic costumes exhibition From Hamlet To Hollywood, particularly those worn by his Downton Abbey co-stars Dame Maggie Smith and Michelle Dockery, as well as movie attire donned by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Colin Firth.

Anybody who has bought a Blue/Orange programme during its York run has been offered free admission to the exhibition, which features costumes worn by on-screen royals and stories linked to the real Royal Family.