Downton Abbey Series 6: cast members share farewell photos on social media as filming ends

Filming is finishing up on the final season of ITV’s period drama

Elizabeth McGovern gets tearful on her last Downton day

Twitter: @ElizabethMcGov

10 August 2015

One of Britain’s most beloved TV dramas is about to draw to a close, as Downton Abbey gears up for its sixth and final series on ITV.

The period drama, which follows the lives of a fictional aristocratic family just after the Edwardian era, proved a surprise hit, receiving critical acclaim in the UK and also finding considerable success in America.

However, all good things must come to an end, and Downton is no exception – the sixth season will be its last, consisting of eight episodes, followed by one final Christmas special.

Now, the cast of the show are sharing photos of the end of shooting, with the hashtag #LastDaysOfDownton.

Elizabeth McGovern, who plays Cora Crawley, shared two photos – one of her embracing a fellow cast-member and crying (#tears), and another with her on-screen husband Hugh Bonneville, aka Robert Crawley.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LastDaysofDownton?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-2421726-https://twitter.com/hashtag/LastDaysofDownton?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#LastDaysofDownton</a>. Literally . My last. <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tears?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-2421726-https://twitter.com/hashtag/tears?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#tears</a>. <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tears?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-2421726-https://twitter.com/hashtag/tears?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#tears</a> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tears?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-2421726-https://twitter.com/hashtag/tears?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#tears</a> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://t.co/YxWrj8fkFm" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-2421726-http://t.co/YxWrj8fkFm" data-vars-event-id="c23">pic.twitter.com/YxWrj8fkFm</a> — Elizabeth McGovern (@ElizabethMcGov) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/ElizabethMcGov/status/630104355421724672" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-2421726-https://twitter.com/ElizabethMcGov/status/630104355421724672" data-vars-event-id="c23">August 8, 2015</a>

Jo Froggatt, who plays maid Anna Bates in the series, also shared a shot of herself on Instagram with fellow cast member Brendan Coyle, who plays Mr John Bates.

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4"> <div> <div> <div> </div> </div>  <a rel="nofollow" href="https://instagram.com/p/6IfTv8QnlY/" target="_blank" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-2421726-https://instagram.com/p/6IfTv8QnlY/" data-vars-event-id="c23">I only have 2 filming days left!!!! #LastDaysOfDownton x</a>  A photo posted by Joanne Froggatt (@jofroggatt) on <time datetime="2015-08-08T18:35:23+00:00">Aug 8, 2015 at 11:35am PDT</time> </div>

Lead actor Hugh Bonneville published a #LastDaysOfDownton post on his personal website, sharing various photos of the crew and set, and encouraging fans of the series to donate to the Bampton Appeal to raise money for the Old Grammar School, which doubles as the hospital in the series.

Downton Abbey returns to ITV in the autumn