"Butlers in American pop culture tend to provide comic relief — think The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air or The Birdcage. Or, like Batman's Alfred, the butler is more of a friend than an employee."

"But one show has brought back the classic butler, with a vengeance. Since the British period drama Downton Abbey made its debut on PBS in 2010, the demand for butlers in some parts of the world has surged."

"In a piece for GQ, contributor David Katz wrote about the increased demand for high-class assistance among the '.001 percent.'"

"'Thirty-five years ago,' he writes, 'there were only a few hundred butlers left in Britain; today there are roughly 10,000, plus thousands more abroad.'"