Downton denies Maggie’s leaving

How much longer will the Dowager Countess of Grantham be hanging around Downton Abbey?

That’s the question prompted by a report in Britain’s Daily Mail that Dame Maggie Smith wants out of Downton Abbey after its third season. According to the report, Smith asked series creator Julian Fellowes to write her acid-tongued character out of the series so she could return to her career on stage and screen.

However, a representative for Carnival Film and Television Limited, co-producers of the hit PBS series says, “Series 3 is currently filming with Maggie along with the other cast. We do not comment on future storylines, however there is no truth in the story that Maggie is leaving the show.”