Downton Abbey the Musical is happening (and we're seriously excited)

Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes has just hinted that a musical version of the period drama is on the cards

Who didn’t shed a tear when we said farewell to Downton Abbey after the final episode aired on ITV and the story of the Crawley family finally came to a close?

Thankfully we had a happy ending, thanks to marriages, births, potential romances and, of course, some of the best best Downton Abbey quotes courtesy of Countess Violet Crawley.

But where did that leave those fans who didn’t want the series to end? Pining after a spin-off, that’s what. And while they may not have got the cinematographic sequel they wanted, it turns out there may be another way that they can satisfy those Downton Abbey withdrawal symptoms.

Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey’s creator, has revealed that a musical version of ITV’s period drama could be on the cards – although with a completely new cast.

‘They’ve talked about a Downton musical,’ said the scriptwriter at the IWC Schaffhausen Filmmakers Bursary Award, according to the Daily Mail.

‘There are various people interested in doing it, but it would mean a different cast as I don’t remember any of them as particularly gifted singers.’

However, despite Fellowes’s belief that the entire cast would need replacing for Downton the Musical, there are actually a few original members who could be up to the task.

For example, Elizabeth McGovern (who played Cora Crawley in the series) is in fact the lead singer of Sadie and the Hotheads. The band released an album back in 2014 and by the looks of it, Elizabeth can certainly hold a tune.

Meanwhile Dan Stevens, a.k.a cousin Matthew Crawley who broke hearts across the country when he tragically departed from the series, also has musical talent. Dan is set to star in the upcoming live-action remake of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, alongside Emma Watson, Luke Evans, Josh Gadd, Emma Thompson, Ewan McGregor and Ian McKellen (we know – that’s one hell of a cast). Part of that role included singing a brand new song written for the film.