A preview of the upcoming third series of Downton Abbey has leaked, featuring one minute of new footage…

Series 3, set in 1920, sees the return of the much-loved characters and the arrival of Shirley MacLaine as Cora’s mother, Martha Levinson, who sweeps into Downton Abbey causing a stir above and below stairs.

A new trailer for the series will premiere this Saturday during the launch show of The X Factor on ITV1.

The official cast photo for the new eight-part series was unveiled last month.

> Buy the Series 2 boxset on Amazon.

Are you looking forward to Series 3? Let us know below…