What Is ‘Wink Murder?’ The Wild Game Maggie Smith And The Cast Of Downton Abbey Played That Used To Make It Into Takes

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As a big *Downton Abbey* fan, I’ve always noticed how much the characters love to play games! From Lord Grantham getting taken to the cleaners at poker by that sneaky Terence Sampson, to Daisy trying to predict her future with a Ouija board, and even Lady Mary enjoying a spirited game of charades, games are *always* happening. And it makes total sense that the cast themselves are getting into the spirit of things, especially with the recent premiere of *Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale* – there’s horse race betting and a whole county fair in that one! It really feels like the actors are as immersed in the games as their characters are.

I recently spoke with the cast of *Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale* and learned about a fun game they used to play with Maggie Smith while she was still on set. Called ‘Wink Murder,’ Kevin Doyle and Allen Leech shared that they actually played the game even while filming scenes throughout the show’s many seasons.

  • Doyle: But the wink murder was great fun.
  • Leech: Wink murder was great fun.

Still, it begs the question: What exactly is ‘Wink Murder’?

Downton Abbey’s ‘Wink Murder,’ Explained

Now that it’s clear the actors on *Downton Abbey* sometimes actually played a game while filming, I was curious about the rules. Fortunately, Hugh Bonneville explained everything without me even having to ask. He started by describing how they organized the game.

We played a game called ‘Wink Murder’ during dinner. Everyone drew a slip of paper from a mustard pot – whoever got the one with an ‘X’ on it was secretly the ‘murderer’.

“Wink Murder in the dining room” sounds like something out of an Agatha Christie mystery – it could easily be the title of a new Hercule Poirot novel! Without knowing all the specifics, I’m assuming the number of slips of paper used in the game matched the number of players. Allen Leech then went on to explain…

The game involved subtly trying to signal someone’s ‘death’ with a wink. If you made eye contact and winked at a person, they were considered eliminated and would dramatically ‘die,’ sometimes even while filming. The rest of us then had to figure out who was doing the ‘killing’.

The story is incredible! I picture Maggie Smith getting a subtle signal from someone off-camera and then dramatically falling back in her chair. I don’t know how many times they did this, or how convincing her ‘death’ scenes became, but I bet those moments were highlights for her. I wonder if any of those reactions were actually filmed and made it into the final cut. It makes me want to re-watch everything now, just to try and spot this ‘Wink Murder’ in action!

The most shocking moment at the dinner table was likely when Lord Grantham coughed up blood due to a burst ulcer in Season 6, Episode 5. It’s amusing to imagine the director might have given him a subtle signal just before filming that scene.

Although Maggie Smith, who played a beloved character in Downton Abbey, sadly passed away last September, the rest of the Crawley family returns in the new movie, *Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale*. The film is now playing in theaters, and you can read our review to get our thoughts – and keep an eye out for any sneaky on-screen deaths while you watch!

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2025-09-16 02:08