Downton Abbey season 6: Michelle Dockery teases ‘dark’ times for Lady Mary

But the final series might not be the last ever outing for the period drama, with Julian suggesting plots are left open for some characters – and rumours of a Downton Abbey movie refusing to budge.

Hugh Bonneville “had a lump” in his throat when he read his final “Downton Abbey” script.

While the show has no doubt given her career a boost – she’s already working on one new drama and has two more in the pipeline – what Dockery really hopes will result from her time on Downton Abbey is a beloved TV classic that is watched by generations to come.

“That’s when Robert begins to realise that the writing is on the wall for estates like Downton“, Hugh explained.

Mrs Hughes actress, Phyllis Logan, added: “Julian (Fellowes, writer) does not let the path of true love run smoothly as we have noted from several other people’s (relationships), look at Matthew (Crawley) for example…” “There are moments of happiness for them, there always are in every series but it’s not easily attained – it never is for Anna and Bates”.

Dockery teased more heartache for her character when she gets involved with Henry Talbot (played by Matthew Goode) who happens to be a racing vehicle driver.

Meanwhile Fellowes has revealed the new series will help to wrap things up for fans of the show.

“We had a fairly strong idea of where we were going”.

“This final season very much has a flavor of the end of an era, you know, quite literally”, Hugh said.

Recalling those early days of her new-found fame, she says: “The Sunday morning that the second episode of the first series was about to air, I went into my local newsagents to get a pint of milk and there was me, Laura and Jessica on the cover of three newspapers and I was only getting milk”.

Michelle Dockery has confessed she “didn’t have a clue” about fashion before she joined the cast of “Downton Abbey“, but has since learnt a lot from the wardrobe team.

We return to the Abbey in 1925 – and the world is very different from where we started in 1912.