It was 15 years ago, when Julian Fellowes’ hit new ITV series began delighting period drama fans around the world.
Since then, two movies have extended the six-season storyline of the Crawley family and their servants, and now a third film, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, completes the trilogy.
Set in 1930, a year after the Wall Street Crash, Hugh Bonneville’s Lord Grantham is having financial difficulties.
Facing tough questions about keeping the upstairs/downstairs show on the road, with all its bells and whistles, he’s left weighing up an uncertain future.
Meanwhile, his daughter, Michelle Dockery’s Lady Mary, has divorced Matthew Goode’s Henry Talbot (entirely absent from the films, bar a small cameo) and is now the subject of public disgrace in London society.
Of course, the gaping hole in Downton Abbey 3 is the loss of Dame Maggie Smith and her scene-stealing Dowager, who kicked the bucket at the end of the second film.
Going into The Grand Finale as a huge fan of the franchise, I was relieved that the first and only chapter of Downton Abbey without Lady Violet still works without her. As the filmmakers promised, there are several witty nods to the character and her biting wit from the opening sequence and throughout. And as with the last two films, this third and final cinematic outing has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. The humour mostly arises from the outlandish snobbery of the time, particularly embodied by Jim Carter’s Carson (who is finally retiring as butler, again) and Simon Russell Beale’s blustering country show organiser. Talking of newbies, Alessandro Nivola joins the cast as Gus Sambrook, a handsome American financier with his eye on a newly single Lady Mary. He’s visiting Downton with Paul Giamatti’s returning Harold Levinson, alongside Dominic West’s Guy Dexter, Robert James-Collier’s Barrow and introducing Arty Froushan as a rather suave Noël Coward.
Hats off to Julian Fellowes for masterfully juggling not just the extensive cast of the Crawleys, their servants and their spouses, but also this plethora of colourful new characters. The franchise creator and screenwriter masterfully weaves the various personal storylines together, making sure that all the fan favourites get their special moments. Aside from the many funny scenes, there are a couple of tear-jerkers, especially right at the end – so be sure to bring some tissues. The question is, though, is this really the grand finale? It certainly seems like a fond and fitting farewell, for now at least. Yet the satisfying conclusion also teases a new beginning, which we’d be very surprised if it wasn’t explored in a soft reboot on the big screen or even back on the small.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is released in UK cinemas on September 12, 2025.