Downton Abbey Season Five premiere date set; cast member reveals death twist

 

Hugh Bonneville as Lord Grantham, with his faithful dog Isis.

 

Downton Abbey, the most popular show in British television history and one of the most popular in the world, has set its Season Five premiere date for the US.

PBS announced that January 4, 2015 will see the return of the Crowley family’s upstairs / downstairs escapades to American television screens.

The show will make its way to America approximately three-and-a-half months after it airs on ITV on the British Isles. A September premiere on the other side of the Atlantic has become standard practice for the show.

As for further major character deaths? Actress Lesley Nicol, who plays cook Mrs. Patmore, has revealed that there will be…spoiler alert…wait for it…hold your breath…none.

That’s right: there will be no surprise, unexpected, shocking deaths in Season Five. At least not for any major characters.

Why the big reveal so far ahead of the premiere date? Nicol explained:

There has been such a big fuss in the past, especially with Matthew Crawley…It would be very unwise to do any more deaths because the viewers don’t like them.

Dan Stevens’ character Matthew Crawley, a humble charmer and fan favorite, was killed in a car accident in the 2012 Christmas Special. His death was particularly infamous and ignominous, as the milk truck his car collided with was puttering down a country lane at what couldn’t have been more than ten miles per hour.

Since then, fans have worried that Maggie Smith’s popular Dowager Countess might be next in line to die. But Nicol stifled that speculation, too: “Dame Maggie is in it a lot this year. Don’t worry, she’s in it plenty.”

Season Five “will explore Lady Mary’s relationship with her two would-be suitors, Branson’s flirtation with a village school teacher,” and the ongoing pregnancy saga of Lady Edith.