Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale stunning first-look images show Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary for final outing
The images first appeared in this week's issue of Radio Times magazine.
Over the last few months, Downton Abbey fans have slowly been drip-fed more and more information about the upcoming Grand Finale – and now Radio Times can exclusively reveal two brand new first-look images ahead of the release next month.
The first of the stills sees Michelle Dockery donning a glamorous red dress in character as Lady Mary, with first assistant director Adam Lock and camera operator Shaun Cobley also seen in the image as we get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the shoot.
The second image is a still taken from the film itself, and shows Hugh Bonneville as Robert Grantham, Elizabeth McGovern as Cora Grantham, Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith and Harry Hadden-Paton as Bertie Hexham – with each of the characters seen bursting into applause as they watch a performance at a theatre.
You can find both images – which first appeared in this week's issue of Radio Times magazine – on this page.
Fans were previously treated to a number of character posters last month, which included looks at all of the stars seen above in addition to a host of others – such as Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti, who is set to reprise his role as Harold Levinson more than a decade after his one and only prior appearance in the 2013 Christmas special.
Also included were some of the new additions to the cast, with Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola and Simon Russell Beale the big names set to make their Downton debuts in the final chapter.
Meanwhile, there have also been a a couple of trailers teasing the events of the film, with one explaining why Matthew Goode's character Henry Talbot will be absent.
A dramatic moment in the teaser shows that Henry and Lady Mary are going through a divorce, something which has caused a major scandal in their social circles – and the fallout from this looks set to be one of the driving narrative forces of the film.
This is backed up by the official pre-release plot synopsis provided by Focus Features, which reads: "When Mary finds herself at the centre of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace.
"The Crawleys must embrace change as the staff prepares for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future."
It was also previously revealed that the film will pay tribute to the late, great Maggie Smith – who memorably played Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham, in the series and the two previous films.
Speaking on Virgin Radio UK last November, Hugh Bonneville explained that "we obviously say goodbye to Dame Maggie, which was very poignant on screen and now in real life".
He added: "She’ll be sorely missed. But the final film will obviously be a great lasting tribute to her."
The latest issue of Radio Times is out on Tuesday 12th August – subscribe here.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale will be released in UK cinemas on 12th September 2025. All seasons of Downton Abbey are available to stream on ITVX.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
