How Downton Abbey star knew it was going to be a hit because of The X Factor

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As the premiere of “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” approaches in theaters this week, Laura Carmichael has disclosed that she had an inkling the series would be popular.

The actress, playing Lady Edith Pelham once more for the third and last movie in the ITV series, found similarities between “Downton Abbey” and the widely acclaimed singing contest, “The X Factor”.

She shared with Digital Spy during an exclusive interview that she was thrilled because it seemed they had faith in our show, as we followed The X Factor.

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I mused, ‘What a fantastic endorsement! Our views are in the millions because people can’t seem to stop watching The X Factor. That’s the metric we used.’

The concept of Twitter was novel, with many people discussing it and even Joan Rivers tweeting about it, marking a fresh trend.

From the outset, Joanne Froggatt, known for her role as Anna Bates in Downton Abbey, held confidence in the project’s eventual triumph.

She shared that she expected the show to be exceptional since Julian Fellowes, who had previously won an Oscar for “Gosford Park”, was involved. Additionally, Dame Maggie Smith, who had already earned two Oscars throughout her career, was also part of it. This was what she expressed to Digital Spy.

She expressed, ‘The cast, crew, sets, and everything were so outstanding that I thought, “This could be extraordinary.” However, I hadn’t yet grasped what ‘extraordinary’ truly meant at that time, and I never would have imagined being here 15 years later discussing it.’

Reflecting back on 2010 when the show initially dropped, I’ve got to say that period was quite intriguing for the TV world-Carmichael included!

At that time, nothing had ever achieved an international scale similar to this – we were around the period when shows like ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘Mad Men’ dominated television, often referred to as the golden age of TV. Frankly, I don’t believe anyone could have predicted such global success for it; it truly felt unprecedented.

As a gaming enthusiast, I can’t wait for the final chapter of Downton Abbey, creatively named “The Grand Finale”. This iconic series, which has been like a captivating game for me, will soon bid adieu to the Crawley family, drawing the epic saga to its thrilling conclusion.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is released in cinemas on 12 September.

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2025-09-09 19:20