Ten years ago (the late and great) Dame Maggie Smith was a guest on The Graham Norton Show and he asked her if she was glad that the hit TV series Downton Abbey was finally over.  Yes, she said very quickly, and gave a hilarious reason for her opinion, which you can see here  :

Very sadly Dame Maggie died in September 2024 at the age of 89 and we  so we naturally thought that Downton would die too.    After all how could it continue without the withering looks and the wickedly funny put downs of The Dowager Countess of Grantham the real star of the show?

The Producers thought otherwise and this morning they announced  the impending  release of DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE in. movie theaters this September.  It follows the Crawley family and their staff as they enter the 1930s. When Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace. The Crawleys must embrace change as the staff prepares for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future.  It has all the usual cast EXCEPT the most important one.

Can Downton Abbey really carry on without The Dowager Countess?  We are waiting very skeptically until September  to judge for ourselves!