‘Downton Abbey’ season 4 Christmas special trailer: Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, and royals

The latest -While the “Downton Abbey” Christmas special may still be a couple of weeks away from airing, ITV has unveiled a brand-new trailer for the big event that features what appear to be a number of shocking twists and turns.

The first thing to know here is that there does appear to be some sort of substantial time jump that happens from the season 4 finale to the start of this episode, given that Edith no longer seems to be pregnant, Martha (Shirley MacLaine) is in town, and we see Michelle Dockery’s Mary getting herself seemingly much more involved in her romance with Lord Gillingham (Tom Cullen). With that being said, Charles Blake also still appears to be around.

What is perhaps most exciting to us of all here is the opportunity to see a much more royal presence in this particular event, which feels far and away different from the very rustic storyline that we saw during the season 3 Christmas special. Elizabeth McGovern’s Cora appears to be especially drawn in to the world of important people in London, which is decorated with all sorts of beautiful costumes that show you the traditions that were present for these people then, and also the ties between what was standard for some of those people then versus what is standard for them today. Ultimately, we have to say that the show really does do a great job of creating an interesting world here, and one that we’ll be excited to see unfold come December 25.

There is also another interesting distinction to make between the trailer below and the photo above. While Anna (Joanne Froggatt) and Bates (Brendan Coyle) are in fact a part of the special, they were left out of the photo for some reason. Maybe that was to try and hint at something surprising after what Bates allegedly did to Green at the end of season 4, or maybe this was mere coincidence.

Either way, or you excited to see what could transpire on the Christmas special? Be sure to share some of your thoughts below! Also, click here if you are curious in checking out some surprising conversation about who could leave the show after season 5.

Photo: ITV

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