Downton Abbey bosses deny show ending due to Dame Maggie Smith exit

It’s been billed heavily as the series finale, but at the same time, creator Julian Fellowes and executive producer Gareth Neame have made it clear many times over that it is not necessarily the end of the series. The frequently unfortunate in love Lady Edith lastly got her completely satisfied ending, as she Wednesday Bertie Pelham, while servants Anna & Mr Bates welcomed their 1st child.

We were not, however, warned at the beginning of last night’s Christmas Day feature length episode of Downton that we would all be in serious danger of drowning in our own tears for the entire two hours it was on.

“It feels extraordinary; we remember the first day we were ever here, and now here we are on this lovely sunny day”.

“Many people are keen fans of the TV series Downton Abbey, set in the post-Edwardian era, and they can put together a Christmas feast in the style of that period with vintage items such as dinner services and glasses, even silver candlesticks”.

It was the first time Downton had ever topped the Christmas ratings and a fitting end to the beloved series.

We easily could have gone for a seventh season, but if I’d have said “We haven’t got Maggie” it would have been a shadow of itself. “Nobody regrets ending when we did”, he shared. I hope that will make people want to watch the show.

The Dowager Countess, played by the scene-stealing Dame Maggie Smith, observes: “Every year we drink to the future, whatever it may bring”.

Downton Abbey was scheduled against the BBC One soap past year, but the Walford-set show triumphed in the overnight score with 7.5m viewers.

Earlier on in the day, Christmas movie fearless had 5.5 million viewers on BBC One in the afternoon and animated short Stick Man was seen by 6.3 million.