With only weeks to go before the second Downton Abbey film lands on the big-screen, fan favourite Lesley Nicol has dropped a major hint that the storyline will be filled with highs and lows as well as some unexpected twists.
MORE: Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery teases new chapter for sisters Lady Mary and Edith
The 68-year-old, who plays the beloved Mrs Patmore in the period drama, revealed she laughed and cried when she watched the sequel for the first time.
WATCH: Michelle Dockery discusses relationship with on-screen sister Laura Carmichael
"It's absolutely jam-packed full of stuff," she told Entertainment Weekly. "There's so much going on. I mean, it's funny. I laughed out loud a lot.
EXCLUSIVE: Lesley Nicol teases Downton Abbey sequel: 'It made me cry'
MORE: Michelle Dockery reveals the 'downside' to filming Downton Abbey
"There's stuff that made me cry because there's some romance and stuff you don't expect. I suppose that's what I also love about it. I mean, I know what happens, but there'll be stuff that the audience couldn't possibly foresee."
The highly-anticipated sequel movie, titled A New Era, picks up nine months after the events of the first film, and will see Tom Branson (Allen Leech) get married to Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton). The Crawley family also travel to the South of France when a film crew descends on Downton.
Downton Abbey the sequel is coming to the big screen soon
Fans will see the return of Michelle Dockery who plays Lady Mary Talbot and Laura Carmichael, who stars as Lady Edith Pelham, now Marchioness of Hexham. Maggie Smith will also be back playing Dowager Countess Violet Crawley, while newcomers Dominic West, Laura Haddock and Hugh Dancy join the main cast as guest stars.
READ: Downton Abbey's Elizabeth McGovern on watching on-screen daughters 'grow with confidence'
MORE: Downton Abbey writer Julian Fellowes on the difficulties of killing off beloved characters
Dominic will play a 1920s Hollywood actor who is at Downton to shoot his new movie. White Lines and Guardians of the Galaxy star Laura will play a fellow silent screen star, while Hannibal actor Hugh Dancy will portray the fictional film's director.
The follow-up to the hugely successful 2019 movie adaption of Downton Abbey was originally planned for Christmas 2021 - however, delays in production have forced the date to be set back by three months.
Like this story? Sign up to our What to Watch newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.
