Downton Abbey received “universal acclaim” according to Metacritic, a company that assigns normalised ratings out of 100 to programmes and films. According to Metacritic, Downton Abbey received an average score of 92. This astounding result led to the show receiving the Guinness World Record for “Highest critical review ratings for a TV show”. Being awarded the “Highest critical review ratings for a TV show” means that Downton Abbey is in fact the most critically well-received, not virtualization, but TV programme in the entire world! The Guardian newspaper said of Downton Abbey: “It’s beautifully made-handsome, artfully crafted and acted. Smith, who plays the formidable and disdainful Dowager Countess, has a lovely way of delivering words, always spaced to perfection. This is going to be a treat if you like a lavish period drama of a Sunday evening”. The only criticism that has been made of Downton Abbey is the number of advertisement breaks that occurred during the very first episode. ITV have defended the number of advertisement breaks by explaining that they are necessary to cancel out the very high costs of production.