BAFTA Celebrates Downton Abbey: Prince William, Sir Anthony Hopkins, and P Diddy reveal why they love the show

Ahead of the final ever episode, ITV take a look at what made the period drama so special
Special Award: BAFTA give recognition to Downton Abbey after six hugely successful series
ITV/Kieron McCarron
Ben Travis21 December 2015

There’s no denying it anymore: in less than a week Downton Abbey will be over for good.

ITV’s stupendously popular period drama is drawing to a close with one final Christmas special that will see the world say goodbye to the Crawley family – at least until the long-rumoured film comes to fruition.

After six series, the show is receiving the BAFTA Special Award, celebrated with a one-hour special hosted by Jonathan Ross. With the full cast (including Dan Stevens) in attendance, it’s a wonderful reminder of what makes the show special.

It’s not just typical viewers who love Downton – the show has many famous fans too, who paid tribute in a series of video messages.

Setting the bar high was a clip from Prince William, who said that the show is “one of Catherine’s and my favourite programmes”.

“When I first heard Downton Abbey was to receive the BAFTA Special Award, I was absolutely thrilled,” the Duke of Cambridge said. “As the president of BAFTA, I’m delighted that we’re paying tribute to this extraordinary series that has flown the flag for British drama both at home and internationally.”

Sharon Osbourne is another fan: “I’m obsessed with Downton Abbey! Downton is so special for me because of the storylines, they just pull you back in."

Also a keen viewer is Sir Anthony Hopkins, who said he’s a “great fan of the show”.

BAFTA celebrates Downton Abbey

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“I’ve watched the entire series, didn’t miss one episode,” the Hannibal actor enthused.

He’s not the only award-winning fan. Whoopi Goldberg reckons it’s “superb” and said: “It’s like a movie. It’s like an incredibly gorgeous film”.

Even Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs is into it.

“The show is excellent, the writing was incredible,” he said. “I’m a fan of British actors, and the style of acting, and the effortlessness of it.”

He even joked about appearing alongside the Crawleys.

“I could just be the black man that showed up, you know, Lord Combs,” he said.

We know how P Diddy’s spending this Christmas, then.

ITV, 9pm

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