Authors:
  • We were all expecting to finish [Downton Abbey] after Series 1, actually. And then, it got extended to Series 3, and that's when two of our much loved and much missed friends left. And then, it was going to be done with Series 5, but Julian Fellowes said, "I'd like to do one more." So it's been a series of extensions, rather than wondering how much longer we can go on for.

    "Hugh Bonneville Talks ‘Downton Abbey’, The Final Season, Julian Fellowes, and More". Interview with Christina Radish, collider.com. September 28, 2015.