A host of new characters will be arriving at Downton Abbey when ITV's hit period drama returns to our screen in the autumn including Black Miror and World Without End star Tom Cullen and former EastEnders heartthrob Nigel Harman.

Cullen will play Lord Gilligham, an old family friend who has a long history with newly widowed Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), and Harman has been cast as a visiting valet called Green, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Other new faces to spend time with the Crawley family this year include Dame Harriet Walters who joins the show as Lady Shackelton, a friend of the Dowager (Maggie Smith), and opera star Dame Kiri Te Kanawa who will play a visiting musician.

Joanna David will appear as the Duchess of Yeovil and Julian Ovenden will take the role of Charles Blake, a visiting aristocrat in Yorkshire.

And perhaps the best news is that Shirley MacLaine will return as Cora's belligerent mother Martha Levison.

"Downton Abbey has seen many great characters visit the house over the years and we couldn't be more thrilled to welcome the new faces that will be joining the regular cast of Downton in series 4... we hope audiences will be as excited about them as we are," said executive producer Gareth Neame in a statement.  

Created by Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey began in 2010 and quickly became one of the best rated period dramas in British television history. It has since been exported around the world, including to America where it draws big audiences on PBS.

Downton Abbey series four is expected on ITV in the autumn of 2013.