Michelle Dockery is elegant as she reprises role of Lady Mary on set of Downton Abbey
MICHELLE Dockery has hung up her sparkling red carpet gowns and stepped back into her period drama attire this week after she was spotted filming scenes for the new series of Downton Abbey.
The actress, who has been enjoying the bright lights of Hollywood recently thanks to her role in the Liam Neeson film Non-Stop, was back in the chilly UK reprising her role as Lady Mary Crawley ahead of the fourth series.
The 32-year-old looked typically elegant in a purple coat with a matching skirt and boots as she filmed outside a churchyard.
Looking every inch the perfect lady, the actress teamed her allegiant outfit with a black hat and a pair of leather gloves.
Michelle looked in great spirits as she joined her co-stars, including Hugh Bonneville and Allen Leeche, who play Lord Grantham and Tom Branson.
The trio were spotted enjoying a friendly conversation before getting into character, shooting scenes with Lord Grantham's dog Isis as they shot scenes on a country road.
Hugh looked his usual dapper self in a long light brown coat, which he wore with a darker brown sit and a matching hat while Allen matched his look.
Filming on series five of Downton Abbey started earlier this year and the show is scheduled to return to ITV in the autumn.
New faces on the show are expected, including Richard E. Grant, who will play Simon Bricker, an art historian who is a house guest of the Crawley family. The character appears in four episodes later this year and threatens to ‘cause ructions’.
Meanwhile, writer Julian Fellowes has revealed that he is so keen on keeping the story lines a secret that he has put out a warning to cast members about revealing spoilers on Twitter.
The 64-year-old writer was forced to give the stars of the show a stern warning about revealing spoilers via social networking sites after newcomer Richard E. Grant tweeted a photo of himself on set.
Commenting on Grant's tweet, Fellowes said: "He’s very naughty. The trouble we’ve had with things like Twitter."
"We had to explain to the cast about the dangers of tweeting as no one realised how interested everybody was in the show. You’re in a bubble when you’re filming.
"You’re just tweeting these nice things and you don’t realise there are millions of people worldwide trying to pick up the plot."