‘Downton Abbey’ secretly begins filming again eight years after finale

Downton Abbey will be returning for one more season as filming for its seventh season has begun amid its surprise comeback.

“'Filming has been going on for a few weeks now, it is all very, very secret,” a source close to the project told the Mail. “There are people working on it who have never seen secrecy like it.”

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The insider explained that the cast working on the set “have been made to sign non-disclosure agreements so that they don't give the game away,” adding that there is “a lot of excitement at the return of Downton.”

“It was such a huge success before and there are so many more stories to be told,” the source noted. “It seemed such a shame not to be able to make more of it but they've made it happen.”

The return of the period drama speculations emerged in May 2023, when The Mail on Sunday suggested that bosses of Downton Abbey are hoping to revive the show.

Moreover, in December creator Julian Fellowes also did not rule out the return when asked if it would make a comeback.

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Bosses were also hoping to rope in the original cast members such as Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern and Joanne Froggatt.

However, it is unclear if they all have signed up for the comeback.