Downton the movie's Laura Carmichael and Imelda Staunton

"I’ve got a very good, intricate story line, which was very satisfying to do, but then because I’d worked with quite a few of them before and because, as you said, I had sort of lived with it vicariously through Jim, turning up there I thought, ‘Yeah, here I am.’ It felt normal and extraordinary at the same time.”

Imelda Staunton

As we get set for our Thursday special from Highclere Castle, we welcome two of the Downton Abbey movie stars to the sofa to find out what’s in store for us ahead of the film’s release.

"Michael was carrying a tray of glasses and needed to tie his shoelaces, so said ‘Laura, can you take this.’ I must’ve been holding it for all of 10 seconds before someone came up to me and said ‘Laura, you don’t need to carry that.’ And poor Michael said ‘But I’ve been carrying it for ten minutes!’"

Laura Carmichael

Laura Carmichael’s first TV job was in Downton Abbey as Lady Edith and it was her now co-star Imelda Staunton’s real life husband, Jim Carter, who took Laura under his wing during filming.

Today the pair join us to celebrate the imminent release of what’s set to be a worldwide hit.