Downton Abbey: Where we left off
The period drama drew to a close back in 2015. Now that a Downton film has been confirmed, with a likely release date of 2019, allow us to refresh your memories about what the main characters were last up to.
Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery)
Lady Mary has by the end of the final season married racing driver Henry Talbot (hence the name-change). In the finale she plays Cupid to bring her younger sister Edith back together with Bertie, or Herbert Pelham, 7th Marquess of Hexham, to give him his full title. Not wishing to steal Edith's limelight, Mary keeps quiet about her pregnancy, only sharing the good news with her husband.
Edith Pelham (Laura Carmichael)
Lady Edith had it tough from the get-go. By the end of Season 6 she finally has her chance at happiness when she is reconciled with Bertie Pelham. On new year's eve the pair finally make it down the aisle, ending Edith's fears of remaining the eternal spinster of the family.
Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville)
Robert Crawley, or Lord Grantham, is recovering from an operation for a stomach ulcer that spectacularly burst earlier in the season, leaving him coughing up blood at the dinner table. In other news, dog-lover Robert is delighted to receive a new canine companion called Tiaa from his mother, the Dowager Countess.
Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith)
The Dowager Countess has found her roles as both the head of the family and the president of the local hospital under threat. She does her best to resist the change, falling out with Cora, her daughter-in-law and successor as hospital president – in the process. By the final episode, she has resigned herself to the facts and reconciles with Cora.
Anna Bates (Joanne Froggatt)
The popular couple from the servants's quarters, Anna and her husband Mr Bates, also get their happy ending: After three miscarriages and an operation to stop a fourth, Anna gives birth to a healthy baby boy on new year's eve 1925 – a fittingly warm and fuzzy plot point for the final Downton Christmas special.