The Jewish Duchess of Downton Abbey - The Jewish Chronicle

For the 150 million viewers who watch Downton Abbey globally, the chance to have breakfast with the series director would feel like a Lottery win. To quiz at length the person who calls the shots in the big house ahead of Carson the butler and tells Lord Grantham what to do is too delicious a prospect for a Downton devotee - and with the finale of season five about to air on Sunday, what Crawley conundrums remain?

Will poorly Isis (the Lord's Labrador, not the terrorist organisation) vanish from the opening credits? Will Branson the bereaved son-in-law move to America? And, most importantly for readers of this paper, will Lady Rose be contacting caterer Tony Page in preparation for standing under the chupah in series six and saying "I do" to that nice Jewish boy Atticus Aldridge?

Whatever the answers to these Downton dilemmas, director Minkie Spiro is keeping shtum. Like all Downton insiders, she knows spoilers destroy the viewing pleasure for fans - and should she accidentally let something slip she'll have to kill me. Though hopefully not before breakfast is over.

As a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in film directing, a BAFTA nomination and a history of setting a creative precedent with her documentaries and dramas (Holby City, Skins and Call The Midwife) one would assume that the Downton gig was Minkie's for the taking. But the diminutive director (barely 5ft 1in) who had no trouble managing lofty Miranda Hart as a midwife, was vetted by the series producers in much the same way that Carson examines the cutlery, though she was already hired by the time she met the show's creator Julian Fellowes.

"You have to be the right sort of director for Downton," says Minkie, 44, with genuine modesty. "There is such formidable talent on the show and the producers needed to know I could cope with telling those people what to do. No matter how old or experienced the actors are they need direction - even Dame Maggie Smith, who was delighted to have someone on board who didn't feel intimidated by her reputation and could talk her through scenes."

From such confidence and understanding, great friendship grew and Minkie frequently forgot the time when she dropped into the Dowager Countess of Grantham's trailer for a chat and had to be fetched to the set by a crew member. Now Minkie's children, Blissy, 9 and Ruby-Rae, 7 refer to one of our greatest actresses as Granny Smith, much to the amusement of Dame Maggie.

Describing in detail her approach to filming from the wide-shots to the close-ups, along with her painstaking research into the historical period and her swan analogy for the show - "regal and serene upstairs, frantic paddling below," it is obvious why Minkie got the job and why she was then asked to direct the two-hour Christmas special. "Two hours, "she says excitedly. "That's a feature film." Though not one starring George Clooney as the papers reported, but a Crawley family trip to Northumberland Castle, which has never been used as a location. In preparation, Minkie got to have lunch with the owners - the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, whom she describes as "proper royalty" and who serve great wine.

"We talked about the Duke being in the film, but they have such a busy schedule it wasn't possible for him to be on the set, though he did come to advise me on the way things would have been done on the estate in 1924. We are creating a world gone by and it has to be perfect in every detail."

Minkie tells me that her mother likes to casually mention that her daughter is directing Downton whenever the opportunity arises. "It's so sweet" she laughs, but always returns the compliment by shining the spotlight on the achievements of her parents, Robin and Nitza Spiro who, while raising seven children (six girls and one boy), dedicated their lives to pioneering the study of Jewish history and culture at their institute and now Spiro Ark.

"They have so much energy," says the director who never sits down on set. "My mother is like a Duracell bunny, but she worries about me because the TV industry is a cut-throat business and she isn't sure I'm strong enough to handle it."

Currently, Minkie's stamina shows no sign of waning as she is returning to direct the first episode and possibly more of series six in February. "You will see why I wanted to do it when it starts,'' she says mischievously. Could her reason for returning be a big Jewish wedding with a cameo by Chief Rabbi Mirvis and Lady Cora's (nee Levinson) mother Martha (Shirley Maclaine) shouting "Mazeltov" from the bimah?

Minkie won't be drawn, but it can only help to have a Jewish director on board when so much antisemitic spluttering is heard at the Downton dinner table.

"I talked a lot about the antisemitism of the period with my dad who is a historian and when it came to casting Atticus (now played by Matt Barber), I was able to tell the auditioning actors the history of the Jewish people and the producers could tell I knew my stuff."

Minkie also knows how to mother her cast and crew when the filming stops and Jewish-sized portions of her Israeli husband, Doron Atzmon's spinach and feta parcels together with sausage rolls are delivered to Highclere castle (Downton's real home).

The middle-eastern nibbles are a speciality at the lauded deli Doron owns in Kensal Rise - though the important thing to note is that it's called Minkie's and her name is emblazoned across the door and every take-away cup. Not since Steven Spielberg's mother stuck model ETs in the chopped liver at the family store has a director been so closely associated with Jewish food and this can only bode well for Minkie.

"I'm actually meeting Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) here next week," chuckles the director waving a personalised mug. Downton fans, you read it here first.