Indian Character on DOWNTON ABBEY? Maggie Smith Leaving?

Julian Fellowes, DOWNTON ABBEY's creator, said that he would like to introduce black or Indian characters into the program.

When asked about criticism in some quarters that DOWNTON, which concluded its third season on ITV in the UK last night, does not contain any black characters, the writer said it would be “rather nice to open it up ethnically a bit”.

He told The Daily Telegraph: "Oh I think that’s rather a good idea. You have to work it in in a way that is historically believable, but I am sure we could do that. [The show] certainly ought to have an Indian character from that period."

Meanwhile, will Dame Maggie Smith be around for a fourth season?

Dame Maggie, 77, complained of severe chest pains on Friday in London, according to reports, and was taken to a private hospital for emergency tests. She was reportedly discharged the same day.

“It was a big scare for Maggie and she was really worried because she was in a lot of pain,” a source told London’s Sunday Mirror.

DOWNTON ABBEY's third season begins airing on PBS in January.