The makers of Downton Abbey have denied reports that the series has come to an end because of concerns about the availability of star Maggie Smith for a seventh season.
British newspaper The Sun had quoted executive producer Gareth Neame as saying the show would struggle without 80-year-old star Smith, who played the Dowager Countess, Lady Violet Crawley.
"We easily could have gone for a seventh season but if I'd have said 'We haven't got Maggie', it would have been a shadow of itself," said Neame.
"We all feel very blessed. Nobody regrets ending when we did. We have a final season that's as strong as the first because we quit while we were ahead," he added.
However, a spokesperson for production company Carnival Films said that neither Smith nor any other member of the cast had been a factor in the period drama ending.
"Downton Abbey ended at season six because the producers and writer wanted to close the show on a high and that has been clearly demonstrated with the Downton Abbey finale on ITV being the most-watched show on television across all broadcasters on Christmas night. The show did not end because any of our cast wanted to leave," she said.
It's all over
It was a case of happily ever after for the characters in the Christmas Special.
Spoiler alert!
Lady Edith finally got her happy ending as she patched things up with her sister Lady Mary after a long-standing feud between the pair. It was Mary who brought Edith and Bertie back together before they tied the knot.
Wedding bells were also ringing for Isobel Crawley and the Baron Merton as they finally stood up to his pushy children, and Lord Grantham declared his enduring love for his wife Lady Cora.
There was more good news in the Christmas Special with Anna and John welcoming a baby boy, and Henry and Mary discovering that they were to become parents too.
The final episode of the hit ITV show was trending on Twitter worldwide on Christmas Day with the final scene, which saw the cast singing Auld Lang Syne as they celebrated New Year's Eve, making for an emotional farewell.
Downton Abbey debuted on ITV in 2010 and became a global phenomenon, collecting numerous awards along the way.
Upstairs and Downstairs
