Fans chant "Free Bates" at the Downton Abbey premiere gala.

Season 3 of Downton Abbey debuts on GPB in two weeks! As I mentioned in an earlier post, hundreds of people joined us this past Tuesday for a sneak preview of the first episode at our premiere gala.

What did the lucky viewers who saw the first episode of season 3 think? "Thrilling, romantic!" "people will love it!" are what some of them said.

In the Team Lady Violet vs. Team Martha Levinson (Shirley MacClaine) contest, it appears people are split equally between the two.

And what about the group of people holding "Free Bates" signs? What was that all about?!

Check out this video recap of the night to find out and get more fan reaction! And of course chime in with your thoughts.