‘Downton Abbey’ creator admits he struggled to think of new stories towards the end

Gosford Park screenwriter Julian Fellowes has revealed that it wasn’t easy coming up with new storylines for Downton Abbey.

Fellowes wrote all 52 episodes of ITV’s hit period drama series.

The 67-year-old writer told The Straits Times in Singapore recently that the “greatest challenge for anyone writing an ongoing drama was to keep the balls in the air, to keep everyone’s stories going.”

He explained: “As the years went on, practically everyone has ended up with everyone else – and I finally understood why, at the end of Dynasty, Fallon ended up in a rocket ship with aliens.”

The last ever episode of Downton Abbey aired on Christmas Day in the UK in 2015 and, fortunately, did not involve aliens.

Discussing the decision to end the series, Fellowes commented: “That’s really the final challenge of being the writer – to bring the curtain down when people are still sorry to see it come down and not overstay your welcome.

“I think we did that. And if people were indeed sorry to see it go, then I’m glad.”

Downton Abbey: The Complete Collection is available on Amazon.