‘Downton Abbey’ season 3 Christmas special promo: Is [spoiler] moving on?

For those of you anxious for some more “Downton Abbey” scoop pertaining to the upcoming Christmas special, we have something major coming your way now: the first teaser trailer from the special! Be warned, American readers: the following does contain spoilers for season 3, so if you are wanting to be surprised by what you see on PBS early next year, it is probably best to look away now.

The trailer does not necessarily give too much away when it comes to story save for a few assorted shots … but some of these shots are indeed incredibly surprising. For one, why in the world is Tom Branson standing shirtless in front of a new maid? Is he moving on that quickly following the death of Sybil? One thing that is important to remember here is that there is likely to have been some sort of time jump in between the end of season 3 and this special, but we do not know how large of a jump this is.

There are going to be a couple of other romances touched on briefly during this special, as well, whether it be an opportunity for Lady Edith to move on following the Sir Anthony tragedy, or Mrs. Patmore getting an opportunity to find some love of her own. We do hope that these romances last a little bit longer, if for no other reason than that there are not any characters on this show more deserving of love.

Hopefully, this special will also work to answer a key question on the minds of money: will the special address something that could lead to the exit of Dan Stevens and Michelle Dockery from the show? The actors behind Matthew and Mary do not have contracts for season 4, and Julian Fellowes knew going into this special that this was the case and he may have needed to take precautions.

If you want to read our brand-new exclusive interview with Jessica Fellowes about The Chronicles of Downton Abbey: A New Era, be sure to check out the story here.

Photo: ITV