Confirmed: Downton Abbey to end with Season 6
The Crawley family will close the doors on their mansion in one final season from ITV.
- Published by David Knox
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It’s official.
Downton Abbey will end with a final sixth season, as confirmed by producers Carnival Films and ITV today.
It follows ongoing speculation about when the hit British series would conclude.
Carnival’s Managing Director and Executive Producer Gareth Neame said, “Millions of people around the world have followed the journey of the Crawley family and those who serve them for the last five years. Inevitably there comes a time when all shows should end and Downton is no exception. We wanted to close the doors of Downton Abbey when it felt right and natural for the storylines to come together and when the show was still being enjoyed so much by its fans. We can promise a final season full of all the usual drama and intrigue, but with the added excitement of discovering how and where they all end up…”
Julian Fellowes, writer, creator and Executive Producer said, “The Downton journey has been amazing for everyone aboard. People ask if we knew what was going to happen when we started to make the first series and the answer is that, of course we had no idea. 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. I suspect the show will always be a principal marker in most of our careers as we set out from here, and if so, I consider that a blessing and a compliment.”
Downton Abbey is the highest rating UK drama of the past decade across any channel, with an average of 11 million UK viewers over the course of the five series, including Christmas specials.
ITV’s Director of Television, Peter Fincham said, “When Julian Fellowes and Gareth Neame brought us the idea for Downton Abbey six years ago we thought it would be a great Sunday night series for ITV, but we had no way of knowing that it would become a global phenomenon playing to hundreds of millions of viewers around the world. What a ride it’s been – for everyone involved in the production, for the cast, and most of the all for the audience. We all thought very carefully about the right moment to bring something so special to a close that felt editorially right, and left viewers wanting more. Christmas Day on ITV this year will certainly be one to remember, as the concluding special brings a series to an end that started as a leap of faith for all of us, and ended surpassing all expectations.”
It screens in over 250 territories worldwide and has accrued multiple Golden Globe, Emmy, PGA, BAFTA, National Television Awards and Screen Actors Guild awards.
In Australia it has also been a big hit for Seven, currently mid-season on Season 5.
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8 Responses
Its probably ending one season too far. Good to see it go and hope season six is their best yet. “Upstairs Downstairs”(the original)is the only other british series that can compare in popularity and that lasted only five seasons (but chalked up 68 episodes in the process, )Downton I think will have chalked up a few less). It also ended on the stock market crash and it seems a perfect way for “Downton”to end as it marked the end of the privileged classes in Britain. (to a point that is)
Its been a good 6 seasons and I hate it when my favourite shows ends. Rafters ended, parenthood is about to finish up on our screens and now Downton. I just really hope Anna and Bates end on a happy note.
a major movie within 2-3 years would be good
Its good that a decision has been made either way and downton abbey can have a final season that will hopefully do the series justice.
Fellows is interested in another project, several cast members have left and several more have said no to S7 e.g. Smith said she wasn’t going to keep going till her characters was 120), the ratings have dropped a bit and the 20s ends the age of the country mansion.
Time to give the show a fitting ending and get out while the going is still good.
I still think it will end with the stock market crash of 1929. Though that will mean a five year stretch for one season.
Yes, I tend to agree re the Depression being part of the ending.
Sob. This doesn’t mean I consider the series fautless but, I really like it and will miss it. Julian Fellowes is the only man I have ever put an ad in the UK Times about (on Valentine’s Day) because I was so moved by a piece of his script and thought it profound and insightful.