Downton Abbey's Mr Bates AKA Brendan Coyle Tells Fan On Twitter 'Go F*** Yourself' After Row About Margaret Thatcher

The Huffington Post UK | By HuffPost Staff Posted: 31/01/2013 09:34 GMT | Updated: 31/01/2013 09:57 GMT

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'Downton Abbey's Brendan Coyle, officially the thinking woman's currant bun since his first appearance three series ago as troubled manservant John Bates, has revealed a distinctly contemporary turn of phrase in dealing with a combatant on Twitter.

Coyle, BAFTA-nominated for his role in the hit series, had posted some comments about former prime minister Lady Thatcher, when he was taken to task by a fan.

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Brendan Coyle as Mr Bates, with his Downton wife Anna (Joanne Froggatt)

Roberta Knighton told him she felt these comments were "beneath" him, an opinion for which the actor had a few choice words... "“Hard to know how to respond to that... but go f*** yourself feels about right.”

He followed up with: “You have no idea what is beneath me... p.s. go f*** yourself x”.

NHS consultant Roberta Knighton spoke to the Sun afterwards, with her reaction to being told off by one of her favourites. Read what she had to say here...

Coyle will no doubt be reining himself back in for the fourth series, due on screens next year, but fingers crossed for a bit of this evident passion to channel itself onto screen. The valet and wife Anna have been ensconced in (yawn) marital bliss for the last series, and even the threat of a hanging for the murder of Bates' first wife has gone away. Roll on some political discussions at the dinner table...

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anelore

126 Fans

02:30 AM on 02/19/2013

God, is he HOT!

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butchcliff

The future is unwritten

260 Fans

01:12 PM on 02/03/2013

Some of these pretentious twitter-idderits need to be told. So over opinionated & self serving & want to tell everybody what they should say & do. This was was told twice. Fab

hiredgirlinc

3 Fans

10:55 PM on 02/02/2013

check him out in "conspiracy" - he's pure evil

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Sven Storm

Edit your micro-biology.

170 Fans

09:51 AM on 02/02/2013

He's SO cute when he swears!

Rich Cash

Enlisted in 1971 - Retired in 1996

862 Fans

06:50 AM on 02/02/2013

I'm a Yank and a rabid fan of "Downton Abbey". "Mr. Bates" is my favorite character on the show and I've been mightily disappointed at the dimunition of his role with the prison story line. Coyle's character epitomises the "stiff upper-lip" British mentality so admired by American Anglophiles. I've often wondered where the hell Brendan Coyle was before "Downton Abbey".

Barbara Longstaff

106 Fans

05:28 PM on 02/03/2013

He was in a serial called "Lark Rise to Candleford" which he played an odd job man doing everything. Was a good programme. He is also the Great Nephew of Sir Batt Busby.

Ellen Chase

17 Fans

05:46 AM on 02/02/2013

I sent Brenden a message on Twitter once and he answered back very nicely. I sent him a few more messages which he didn't respond to. No matter. He is a busy actor. Reality is he is a human being like all of us. I am an ex-New Yorker and profanity is my second language. I believe people expect certain behavior from people in the public eye. If they do appear angry or even curse that is part of who he is. Expectations are unreasonable. He is a wonderful actor and seems to have had a great career. Why not just accept - live and let live and the hell with expectations because none of us will ever behave as others expect.

rosssurfury

2 Fans

05:36 PM on 02/01/2013

Just gotta follow that guy on twtter,very sexy lookin guy ,tells it like it is

TheOriginalThatOne

24 Fans

04:34 PM on 02/01/2013

The use of bad language is a confession of weakness, comprising an absence of self control and an insufficient vocabulary.

Peggy Kendrick

Edited micro-bio. Happy now!?

103 Fans

08:51 PM on 02/01/2013

They're just words and have been around for a long time. I've heard Stephen Fry swear and I doubt his vocabulary is insufficient.

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woofmummy

71 Fans

03:00 PM on 02/01/2013

Tut, tut. No way to treat any fan. Had a bad day then, did he? It does not become him, to have reacted the way he did. When I watch him in the next series, his behaviour will always come to my mind and I am afraid it has already tarnished his image, I daresay! We will not forget. Not that he cares.

ivor bigun

18 Fans

01:04 PM on 02/01/2013

What's the problem? he's entitled to his opinion and how he reacts his up to him- like it is for the rest of us, and Thatcher won't be remembered in any good light,obsessed with privatisation (another word for greed) so like parasite Cameron is now the rich cronies could get richer.Her treatment of the miners was despicable-miners who were happy doing a good days honest work and she pupped on them big time.

Think Before You Write

16 Fans

11:18 AM on 02/01/2013

Irrespective of our political views and lets face it, 60 million in Britain with as many views- everyone should be able to express it without someone else going off, name calling or using unecessary language. Whatever the woman wrote, Coyle's response is OTT, he is a public figure of sorts. If he is in such a vaulted or vaunted position , he could always have just ignored her if she was of a different view. It doesn't reflect well and clashes with his character in DA- everyoen knows it is just a television programme but equally he is so good in the role, hence the jarring feeling with his response.

Catfordbert

10 Fans

10:38 AM on 02/01/2013

Although he was born in England he is an irish citizen.
Perhaps he has no time for us except for his job

pete78

waiting for that big lotto win

26 Fans

10:30 AM on 02/01/2013

margaret thatcher best prime minister that britain has ever had...then on the flip side you got tony blair (war criminal )

kennethkdj

12:35 PM on 02/01/2013

sorry but that thatcher woman was the worst thing to happen to this country ever............before you rush to praise her just look at the hypocricy and disgraceful conduct she demonstrated not to mention the selling of of our essential services................in my opinion she was vile...................

StHman

11 Fans

12:42 PM on 02/01/2013

100 % agree she was the worst Prime Minister ever. She put Council housing into the hands of private Landlords, destroyed communities who would oppose her (Mining villages) put utilities into the hands of profit hungry rich and she deliberately sank the Belgrano as it was turning away from the exclusion zone in the Falklands in order to escalate the conflict, she was an evil person

02:49 PM on 02/02/2013

you stick with honest tony

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Hucancum

29 Fans

08:40 AM on 02/01/2013

Perhaps he should stick to the script?

oldheadboy

15 Fans

08:35 AM on 02/01/2013

Well, teacups and stroms come to mind. Does anyone really care about a minor actor cursing on twitter and an NHS Consultant ( a minor cleric in a well-paid, do-nothing job) egging him on. Why should he share common thoughts with her about the most debatable PM we've ever had?

She obviously craves recognition as a celeb cling-on and he's forgotten what fan worship is all about. Very childish and uninteresting.

terriminx2

70 Fans

09:03 AM on 02/01/2013

Hear! Hear!

rayraycooke69

4 Fans

12:46 PM on 02/01/2013

Are you that stupid that you do not recognise the word "Consultant" as denoting a member of the Royal College of Surgeons ( usually with vast amounts of hands on clinical experience) and not some bean counter with a filofax!!

02:10 PM on 02/01/2013

What else are our consultants? They too have the same egoes as actors who believe themselves to be above others, they are hardly at their workplace, always rude, never on time, ignorant on how to talk to people, and consider everyone else to be a bean counter with a filofax.


	ThirteenNY We have the scoop on a new cast member coming to Downton Abbey: http://t.co/15VjyEkOtZ #DowntonPBS 1 day ago from Sprout Social


	HuffPostMedia 'The Simpsons' meets 'Downton Abbey' http://t.co/Sl8BTZ2QBh 1 day ago from The Huffington Post


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Downton Abbey's Mr Bates AKA Brendan Coyle Tells Fan On Twitter 'Go F*** Yourself' After Row About Margaret Thatcher

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