Downton Abbey stars reveal their best moments as hit show reaches final series

FANS of Downton Abbey are in for an emotional few months.

The sixth series, which starts next Sunday, will be the last, with the final farewell coming in a two-hour special on Christmas Day.

Downton has been a massive hit for ITV, but also a global phenomenon seen in more than 250 territories. It has made big names of many of its cast who have gone on to Hollywood movie fame and is the most nominated non-US show in the history of the Emmys.

As it bows out, we’ve been speaking to 10 of the show’s stars to uncover their favourite and strangest moments.JIM CARTER (Mr Carson)

(Nick Briggs / Carnival Film & TV)

BEST: I’m really fond of the relationship with Lady Mary, particularly when she came down the stairs in her wedding dress and asked if she looked OK. And Carson, her downstairs dad, simply said she looked lovely.

ODDEST: Seeing Dame Maggie Smith fall off her swivel chair one day was quite special. And being recognised sweaty, in Lycra and completely un-Carson-like by a Chinese tourist on a charity bike ride in Cambodia. That was just weird.PHYLLIS LOGAN (Mrs Hughes)

(Nick Briggs / Carnival Film & TV)

BEST: I liked the scenes where Carson and Mrs Hughes would have a wee sherry at the end of the day. And I loved the day the servants went to the seaside and the pair of them went for a paddle in the sea.

ODDEST: The strangest moment was definitely in America when this lady came up to me at a convention, who said that she and husband loved the show so much that they actually dressed up as Carson and Mrs Hughes! Then she lifted her shirt and showed me a chatelaine (a woman who runs a large house) she had tattooed on her waist. I didn’t know what to say.JOANNE FROGGATT (Anna Bates)

(Nick Briggs / Carnival Film & TV)

BEST: I’ll always cherish the servants’ hall scenes where all the downstairs staff were together. There have been many times I’ve been in tears there. And portraying that rape scene and then getting letters from women who had been through that ordeal themselves was very special.

ODDEST: It’s so strange when you’re at the Emmys or Golden Globes (Joanne won best supporting actress this year) and you see all these huge stars who are Downton fans and know who you are. But then again, the only person I’m ever mistaken for is the checkout girl at my local Tesco.ELIZABETH McGOVERN (Cora, Countess of Grantham)

(Nick Briggs / Carnival Film & TV)

BEST: Going up to the house to start filming in the early morning hours after we’d got changed into our costumes in our trailers. I always insisted on walking, rather than being shuttled up, because I loved the stroll up that magnificent driveway.

ODDEST: It was more than a bit surreal to be invited to the White House with my husband as well as Hugh Bonneville and his wife for the meeting between David Cameron and President Obama! It was all like a dream that day.MAGGIE SMITH (Dowager Countess of Grantham, Violet)

(ITV)

BEST: Just getting to the end. I’d done about 10 years of Harry Potter so I felt very old and I was happy to still be here.

ODDEST: People seeming to think the Dowager’s put-downs are mine but they’e all Julian Fellowes’. When they try to quote them back there’s no point looking at me I can’t remember. “What’s a weekend?” has been called the line of the series but I’ve no idea why and was totally unaware when I read it.LESLEY NICOL (Mrs Patmore)

(Nick Briggs / Carnival Film & TV)

BEST: One of my all-time favourite moments was when Mrs Patmore was trying to tell Daisy that Thomas was gay when she had a bit of a crush on him and her just not understanding.

ODDEST: The American photographer Bruce Weber, who had shot Oprah and Michelle Obama the week before, came to the studios and took a picture of me in my costume. To be honest, I still can’t believe I have it. It’s got pride of place at home.ROB COLLIER (Thomas Barrow)

(Nick Briggs / Carnival Film & TV)

BEST: It was a big moment when Thomas held up a lighter in the trench during the war to get his hand shot so he would be sent back home, something desperate soldiers really did during the First World War.

ODDEST: You don’t get any stranger than getting to dance with Dame Maggie Smith and intentionally treading on her toes. She’s an icon. She trots out these amazing tales from the past about working with legends such as Alec Guinness. The best I can come up with is a funny tale about re-roofing my garden shed.HUGH BONNEVILLE (Robert, Earl of Grantham)

(Nick Briggs / Carnival Film & TV)

BEST: Sybil’s death in series three was a very powerful sequence and the audience didn’t know it was coming. When Jessica Brown Findlay had her farewell drinks in the pub there were Happy Birthday banners everywhere to throw people off the scent.

ODDEST: Having myself as the Earl in Madame Tussaud’s next to George Clooney. It’s very strange to see yourself there. But the great thing is that in a couple of years when all the fuss has died down it can be melted down and used for someone important!

Downton demise sure to hit star Hugh Bonneville hard – click here to read moreMICHELLE DOCKERY (Lady Mary)

(Nick Briggs / Carnival Film & TV)

BEST: I always look back on my first day. I had scenes with my two screen sisters Edith and Sybil and then Maggie Smith walked on set. It dawned on me then that I was going to work with this hero of mine for at least the next three years.

ODDEST: Closing the doors at Highclere Castle for the last time was so strange after being there for six years. It was like we were giving it back to the owners. And we said goodbye to the people of Bampton, where we have filmed so much, by laying on a barbecue in the village.LAURA CARMICHAEL (Lady Edith)

(Nick Briggs / Carnival Film & TV)

BEST: I loved the scene where Molesley is given the roasting hot plate by butler Spratt to make him look bad. It was just a comedy masterclass. I was just there watching. I thought, I don’t know why I’m even here but I’m so glad I am.

ODDEST: We had one of the famous dining room scenes, which take forever to film, and they have to keep changing the plates and glasses for continuity. They had forgotten to replace Lily James’s plate and, being a true pro, she served herself the salmon from Ed Speleers salver and just plonked it straight down on the tablecloth to try and keep the scene going. It actually made the programme!Click here to read more TV news from the Sunday Post.