Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville has revealed that when the drama first began airing, he didn't think it would be the international phenomenon that it is today.
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Before the series was released, period pieces had a reputation for being dull, so the drama's massive success came as a surprise for the actor.
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Appearing on the latest episode of The Graham Norton Show, the Robert Crawley actor spoke about the impact the role had on his career. "The number of people who came up to me and said, 'You must be so relieved when Downton came along,' but I had been working for 25 plus years before then and very happily so," he said.
"It was a completely strange gear shift and when we did series one, no one was particularly interested and people thought that the costume drama was dead and suddenly it exploded and rolled out around the world and seemed to have an effect in every country it went to.
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"It was very very peculiar and wonderful at the same time but it was a significant difference. Without Downton I wouldn't have met the little bear, Paddington," the 68-year-old added.
Hugh with his co-star Elizabeth McGovern at the premiere of Downton Abbey: A New Era
The period series first began airing in 2010, with the first episode on ITV attracting 9.2 million viewers, making it the most successful new drama on any channel since crime drama Whitechapel was launched on the channel in 2009.
Following the huge success of series one, creator Julian Fellowes went on to develop five more series and two feature films, the second of which was released earlier this year.
Speaking about the future of the franchise, Hugh recently said that while he doesn't know whether the drama will return, he suspects that it probably won't.
The series is an international phenomenon
"I don't know [if it will return]. I thought for a while that maybe there was an energy to do a third one, but I suspect that's probably not the case. I think we've probably quit on a high," he told Radio Times.
"And it has been so beloved, and it went out on such a great note, I think it would be very hard to take it on to a third."
However, not all hope is lost as he added: "But you never know. But I think if that is the end of it, there's been a great way to finish."
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