Downton Abbey: Meet The Characters Modern-Day Equivalents (PICTURES)

While the 1920s might seemly impossibly glamourous to middle-class mortals in 21st century Britain, every generation has its Downton Abbey stars.

Jen Newby, author of Women's Lives: Researching Women's Social History 1800-1939, has helped Huffpost UK Lifestyle come up with a list of 2012's social climbing equivalents.

"Today celebrities come from all walks of life, but in the 1920s star-struck Tatler readers followed the careers of glamorous débutantes and their wealthy suitors," says Newby, who also writes her own women's history blog.

"If we compare Downton's characters to some modern British icons, then there are some surprising parallels."

Do these stars lives up to ITV's colourful characters?