“It brings a great sense of warmth and comfort”: The cast and creatives on Downton Abbey – The Grand Finale
Set in the 1930s, Downton Abbey: The Final Chapter is the third and final feature in the franchise as the story creator, Julian Fellows, hangs up his hat for good. Centred around the lives of the Crawley family and their staff, The Upcoming had the pleasure of attending the press conference where the entire cast and creative team chose to bequeath us tales of their final departures, the life-long friendship they made and the themes that occupy this new era of Downton.
With Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) at the helm of this final chapter and busy navigating the murky waters of a frowned-upon divorce from her husband Henry, Dockery assured us she, “Wasn’t surprised by the storyline…that there was going to be another scandal and another challenge for her,” and that interestingly it was nice to see her sister Edith (Laura Carmichael) step out of the shadows and support her through the difficult times, with Carmichael agreeing, “It’s nice to see Edith in her power, stepping in to protect Lady Mary.”
With the once sparring sisters setting aside their former differences, it seemed fitting for Lord Robert Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) to finally pass the baton to his eldest daughter, Mary and let her manage the Downton estate. Bonneville himself recognising “Roberts’ reluctance to change has been hanging around for about ten years, so it was nice to finally nudge the story on a bit…he does finally hand over the car keys” and that “it felt very fitting that Robert and Cora end their story in the way that they do”.
The wind of change also brings with it a few new faces that liven up the show, one being Arty Froushan, who adds his own glamour to a Downton soiree as he steps into the role of Playwright Noël Coward, noting with the character, “You can’t just dip your toe in, you have to go full Coward.” Lady Crawley’s brother also graces the recurring cast as he arrives over from America following the Dowager’s death, alongside his slippery acquaintance Gus (Alessandro Nivola), making allowances for Fellows to let the storylines branch out from the immediate family. This array of characters and their own stories also leave the floodgates open for possible spin-offs, as Robert James-Collier, who plays Thomas Barrow, talked about his reluctance to say goodbye forever, as, “We could be here in another two years with a spin-off.”
Beautifully nostalgic, with a romantic glow of cinematography once again from Ben Smithard, the cast seemed sentimental but happy for it to be laid to rest, and Dockery put it in words best when she said, “Julian wraps all the characters really beautifully for the final film, and you leave with a very joyful and hopeful end, actually.”
Ezelle Alblas
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is released nationwide on 12th September 2025.
Watch the trailer for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale here:
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