News Digest

Downton Abbey spin-off may keep the Dowager Countess on TV screens

Downton Abbey fans upset that the show is bowing out soon will be pleased to hear that the Dowager Countess may live on in a spin-off. Downton’s creator Julian Fellowes has said Violet Crawley, played by Dame Maggie Smith in the hit period drama, may make an appearance in The Gilded Age. Downton will end when the next series finishes although show bosses admitted they are ”contemplating” a film version of the ITV hit.

Exactly why the series had such an impact and reached so many people around the world, all nationalities, all ages, all types, I cannot begin to explain. But I do know how grateful we are to have been allowed this unique experience.

Downton’s creator Julian Fellowes in an interview with The Mail on Sunday

The Gilded Age show is believed to be a drama focussing on New York high society families in the late 19th century – so it would be a younger Violet if she were to feature. Mr Fellowes told The Mail on Sunday: “Robert Grantham would be in his early teens, Cora would be a child. A young Violet could make an appearance.” The show, which attracts an audience of millions of viewers in hundreds of countries, has also been a critical hit winning Golden Globes, Emmys and Bafta awards since its debut in 2010.