‘Downton Abbey’ fans were lucky enough to witness a Q&A session with several cast members and producers of the PBS hit show at the Writers Guild that concluded with a trailer of its final season.
In the discussion, series creator and writer Julian Fellowes, producer Gareth Nearne and cast members Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville and Laura Carmichael were all present to reveal several hints about the last episodes, such as the possible return of Shirley MacLaine and Paul Giamatti.
Both Bonneville and Carmichael admitted that they would miss Highclere Castle, which stood as Downton Abbey.
Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times had put forward the question whether the cast had already seen the series finale; to this, Fellowes responded: “I haven’t written the finale yet.”
Going back to the show’s roots, Fellowes and Nearne opened up about forming the idea for the series and ending up with a concept that would be similar in context to ‘Gosford Park’, which was also written by Fellowes in 2002 and was nominated for an Oscar.
Maggie Smith, McGovern and Bonneville were the cast members that the show’s producers preferred and got in negotiations with from the very beginning.
“Very often there’s this thing where you pretend the actors you got were the ones you wanted,” Fellowes said, which, in their case, was true.
“Maggie Smith is a joy, so kind and funny to work with,” Carmichael quipped, while Bonneville teasingly added, “You may as well retire, because Maggie Smith will steal every scene.”
As for allowing Smith’s popular character, the Dowager Lady Grantham, to have her own love interest or possibly a suitor, the series creator shared that he does enjoy acts of love and prefers the notion that every character can have an emotional life, regardless of the level of success achieved in life.
This also goes for Carson the well-loved butler and Mrs. Hughes the kind-hearted housekeeper, who got engaged in the final episode of the last season.
Additionally, McGovern’s character, Lady Cora, has also had a fascinating transition from being the mother to taking on different roles that are required of her depending on the circumstances.
“The power of the show is that people are people,” Fellowes explained. “Some American heiresses are very nice and some are not. I didn’t want a show where the people below-stairs are put-upon.”
Furthermore, the writer-producer explained once again that the deaths of Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) and Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) were brought on unexpectedly because the stars themselves wanted to move on.
A premiere date for ‘Downton Abbey’ season six is yet to be announced.
