A fourth series and Christmas 2013 special were announced last week by ITV and this year’s two-hour Christmas special will air at 9pm on Tuesday 25 December on ITV1.

Executive producer Gareth Neame commented: “The main credit for the success of Downton is by far and away down to Julian. I’ve not had the fortune to work with anyone else who combines so many talents. He has learned an awful lot as a viewer of Coronation Street and has an extraordinary sense of serial drama writing. Julian knows that you want a core group of characters who almost become an extension of your family. But you also need new blood coming in to shake things up a bit. Not only is he a superb craftsman, he also has an extraordinary work ethic. It is a mammoth undertaking to write all those episodes.”

He continued: “Downton has a whole life beyond the episodes themselves. It has leapt out of the television set and become part of both the national and global conversation. It is now part of culture and society and that’s a very different experience for all of us involved in making the show.”

Laura Mackie, Director of Drama at ITV added: “[Julian Fellowes] knows them all so well and is able to quickly integrate new characters into the drama so you feel as if they have always been there. That’s a real gift … That is one of the reasons why we always feel confident about the future of Downton Abbey.”

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> Buy the complete Series 1-3 boxset on Amazon.

Watch the Series 3 trailer…