The ladies of Downton Abbey said goodbye to their corsets and slipped on their stilettos at a PBS press event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Tuesday.Most recognisable in period outfits and wearing minimal make up, Michelle Dockery and her female co-stars put in a glamorous appearance as they continued to promote the show’s fourth season, which will premiere this autumn on ITV and on PBS next year.
Michelle, 31, who plays Lady Mary Crawley, showed off her endless legs in a two-tone short suit, injecting a pop of colour to her look with bright red lipstick. Her glamourous co-stars, meanwhile, all opted for dresses, with on-screen sister Laura Carmichael choosing a fun, pleated dress featuring piano keys around the hem. Sophie McShera, who plays kitchen maid Daisy Mason in the hit-show, showed off her feminine frame in a floral dress with nude heels.
In the last series, Lady Mary was seen giving birth to a son called George moments before her husband Matthew Crawley died in a car accident; a twist that stunned the show's fans. "It really shocked people and wasn't what they were expecting on Christmas Day," two-time Emmy nominee Michelle told TV Line.
"The fourth [season] is about recovery. She's starting a new life. In some ways, there are similarities to [season] one before Mary got together with Matthew," she added.
Set in the 1920s, Downton Abbey will return to the screens later this year with several new cast members, including The Ides of March star Paul Giamatti, opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and former Eastenders actor Nigel Harman.
Downton will also welcome its first recurring black actor, Garry Carr, who will play a young and charismatic jazz singer.
Joanne Frogatt, who stars as housemaid Anna May Bates, has revealed her excitement at the arrival of the new cast members. "There's a lot of young hot men joining the cast this year," she enthused in an interview with Glamour UK.
Filming for series four of the period drama continued in Bampton, Oxfordshire on Tuesday.