Created by Julian Fellowes, the show follows an aristocratic family's fortunes from 1912 to the mid-1920s.

 

Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern have played the Earl and Countess of Grantham since the show began in 2010.

 

The drama has won a string of awards since its inception³, including two Baftas, three Golden Globes and 11 Primetime Emmys.

 

Its success both at home and abroad was recently demonstrated when the Duchess of Cambridge went to see it being filmed at Ealing Studios in west London.

 

"The Downton journey has been amazing for everyone aboard," said Lord Fellowes, whose next project will be The Gilded⁴ Age, a period drama set in New York.

 

"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."

 

Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter and Dame⁵ Maggie Smith are among other regulars on the show, which has seen both the masters and the servants at the titular⁶ stately home - actuallyHighclereCastlein Hampshire - deal with numerous tribulations⁷.

 

One of its most controversial storylines involved the rape⁸ of Joanne Froggatt's character Anna, while the sudden demise⁹ of Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) was greeted with dismay by the show's many fans.

 

More recently viewers have seen Bonneville's character bid farewell to his beloved dogIsisand both Anna and her husband (Brendan Coyle) face prison for the murder of her attacker.

 

The show has also had a glitzy array of guest stars, among them Shirley MacLaine, Paul Giamatti, Richard E Grant and Nigel Havers.

 

"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," said Neame.

 

"We can promise a final season full of all the usual drama and intrigue¹⁰, but with the added excitement of discovering how and where they all end up."

 

Peter Fincham, ITV's director of television, said the nine-episode sixth series would come to an end with a "concluding special" on Christmas Day.

 

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, however, Neame did not dismiss talk of a potential film spin-off, saying it was "definitely something we're contemplating¹¹."

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