Downton Abbey star confirms show is set to end 'while it's still popular'

One of the stars of the massively popular costume drama confirmed that the show would finish before its popularity waned.

By Dave Lancaster |

16:30 07 October 2014

Downton Abbey star Laura Carmichael (who plays Lady Edith) has stated that the award winning series will end while it is still in high demand.

Carmichael spoke on behalf of creator Julian Fellowes in an interview with the Radio Times in which she said: "I know it's his intention to write until the point that seems right [to stop]. It won't be on forever.

"I say that, what do I know? I don't know, I really don't know! But I don't think that's his ambition."

Carmichael herself claims that she'll be glad to see the back of the unwieldly costumes: "There was this annoying moment in the second series where our corsets were attached to our stockings, which was a nightmare. The undergarments are a lot better for us now."

The ITV drama is currently in its fifth series fronted by a renowned cast including Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, and Dame Maggie Smith. It is internationally popular, particularly in the United States. However, the first episode of the fifth season attracted its lowest ratings since the series started in 2010, so the decline may already be in motion.

Gareth Neame, who serves as executive producer on the hit shows, claims that the fifth series won't be the last but appeared to echo the idea of not dragging the show out. Fellowes himself has annouced that he would struggle to keep writing Downton alongside his next project - The Gilded Age.

Downton star Huge Bonneville stated: “There will be an end. [Executive producer] Gareth Neame has said he reckons it will run between five and ten years, so we’ve made it to halfway.

“I think there will be a natural end and I’m sure Julian will want to quit while he’s ahead.”