Havers to star in 'Downton Abbey' Christmas special
Nigel Havers is to star in the 'Downton Abbey' Christmas special.
With more than 15 million viewers expected to tune in to the festive episode of the ITV1 period drama - written by Julian Fellowes - the 60-year-old actor will take on the role of "handsome aristocrat" Lord Hepworth.
According to the Daily Express newspaper, while Hepworth will end up wooing one of the beautiful Crawley sisters, the fate of his love life will ultimately be decided by family matriarch, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, played by Dame Maggie Smith.
During the one-off Christmas episode, the Dowager will have to ascertain whether the aristocrat is a "suitable" marriage prospect for either Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael) or Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown-Findlay).
Last week, 'Downton Abbey' was re-commissioned for a third series, which will be set over an 18-month period in 1920 and 1921, covering the ever-dramatic lives of the Crawley family and the servants who work for them.
Julian Fellowes said: "I am extremely grateful to ITV for this. I have grown very fond of my Downton family and I certainly do not want to say goodbye to them quite yet."
