'Downton Abbey' picked up for third series by ITV

[dutchman]

Downton Abbey has been picked up for a third series by ITV.



The hit period drama will return for another run of eight episodes, written by show creator Julian Fellowes.

The third series will be set in 1920 and 1921, and will cover a period of 18 months in the lives of the Crawley family and the servants who work for them.

"I am extremely grateful to ITV for this," said Fellowes. "I have grown very fond of my Downton family and I certainly do not want to say goodbye to them quite yet."

The second series of Downton - which concludes this Sunday on ITV1 - has achieved a consolidated average of 11.5 million viewers, making it the most popular drama series on UK television for over ten years.

"We're absolutely delighted to be bringing Downton Abbey back for a third series, as we follow the inhabitants of Downton as they move into the roaring '20s," said ITV's director of drama commissioning Laura Mackie.

"It's rare to find a drama that the audience connects with so strongly and we're extremely proud to have commissioned a series that has become such a phenomenon."

Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Penelope Wilton, Jessica Findlay Brown, Lesley Nicol, Rob James-Collier, Joanne Froggatt and Brendan Coyle are among the show's stars.

Downton Abbey will also return for a festive special, to air on ITV1 this Christmas.