‘Downton Abbey’ season 4 spoilers: Siobhan Finneran not returning as Miss O’Brien

As it turns out, Jessica Brown Findlay and Dan Stevens are not the only two actors leaving “Downton Abbey” prior to the start of the fourth season; while some of the particulars here are still a little bit unclear, Siobhan Finneran has also confirmed that she will not be venturing back to the hit ITV series for any more action for the future. Specifically, here is what the actress, who plays the awful schemer and member of the downstairs crew in Mrs. O’Brien, had to say about her departure:

“I’m not doing any more … O’Brien is a thoroughly despicable human being – that was great to play.”

While it does not seem as though Funneran wanted to leave the series like Stevens and Findlay did, it is possible that the writers were not quite sure as to what to do with the character. It is also a little easier to write out one of the servants than it is a member of the Grantham family; their exits, after all, can just be explained by them going to take another job somewhere else.

What will be interesting to see, however, is how the show moves on from this character, and who steps in to be the female antagonist in many ways for all of the servants downstairs. This is not an easy role to fill, and since O’Brien was so good at it, there is always a concern that anyone who tries to occupy the place in the future will only end up paling in comparison.

What do you think about this news, and where do you think the show will go now for conflict among some of the servants? If you want to read some more scoop on filming “Downton Abbey” season 4, you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: ITV