• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, January 2, 2015

Who’s got a secret? On “Downton Abbey,” plenty of people do.

The upcoming fifth season of “Downton” -- starting this Sunday (Jan. 4) on PBS’ “Masterpiece” -- is shaping up as a season of secrets and sex.

Some of the secrets are holdovers from Season Four: The secret past of Miss Baxter, lady’s maid to Cora, Countess of Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern) -- a secret known only to Baxter herself and the duplicitous under-butler, Barrow (Rob James-Collier); the whereabouts of Mr. Bates (Brendan Coyle) -- valet to Robert, the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) -- on the day when another Earl’s personal valet met his demise on a London street; the secret pregnancy of Lady Edith Crawley (Laura Carmichael); and the amorous past of young James the footman (Ed Speleers) when he was in the employ of a certain Lady Anne.

The stories behind these secrets will be advanced (and some of them at least partially revealed) in the new “Downton” season, along with the introduction of new secrets -- most notably a covert plan elaborately (and possibly recklessly) concocted by Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery).

When the new “Downton” season begins, the year is 1924 -- which means we have advanced at least 12 years since the series began around the time of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Among the topics under discussion around the Downton dinner table: The liberal policies (anathema to Lord Grantham) of Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, the revolutionary policies of the fledgling Soviet Union, a plan to build a memorial to the local fallen soldiers of World War I, and the advent of radio.

Concerning the latter subject, Lord Grantham and his almost twin-like counterpart “below stairs,” the butler Mr. Carson (Jim Carter), are predictably against acquiring a “wireless” unit for the mansion, despite the enthusiasm for the new medium expressed repeatedly by fresh-faced Lady Rose (Lily James), who is the embodiment of everything young and “modern” on this show.

“I find the whole idea a kind of thief of life,” Lord Grantham gripes (with impressive foresight) when wife Cora tries to persuade him to give in and buy one. “That people should waste hours huddled around a wooden box listening to someone talking at them … It’s a fad -- it won’t last!” he declares, wrongly, of course. He eventually surrenders -- for a very British reason that I won’t reveal.

The new “Downton” season consists of nine episodes airing through March 1 on PBS stations. I’ve watched the first two of them, thanks to the publicists at “Masterpiece,” and they reveal “Downton Abbey” to be as strong as ever, perhaps even stronger, as the relationships between various characters grow deeper.

These include the married Robert and Cora; the friendship between Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan), the head housekeeper, which is like a marriage; the maternal feelings the cook Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol) has for the kitchen maid Daisy (Sophie McShera); the battling sisters Lady Mary and Lady Edith; and the sister-like Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) and Isobel Crawley (Penelope Wilton), who are not sisters but joust like they are.

All of the relationships, along with the settings, rituals and costumes in this show, continue to fascinate in the fifth season. Also fascinating: The residents of Downton have suddenly become interested in sex -- not only doing it, but talking about it, though in hushed tones for the most part. The new emphasis on sex -– perhaps influenced by the changing mores of the 1920s (yes, even at Downton) -- indicates that “Downton Abbey” intends to not only be secretive this season, but saucy too.

“Downton Abbey,” Season Five, starts Sunday, Jan 4, on PBS’ “Masterpiece.”