Broadcast and release dates
Downton Abbey episodes and locations
All 52 television episodes and the three films, in release order. Locations are linked only where a source identifies the episode or film.
Downton Abbey
Series 1
- Series 1, Episode 1 · 26 September 2010
Episode One
News of the Titanic disaster removes Downton’s expected heirs and leaves the estate’s future tied to a distant cousin.
- Series 1, Episode 2 · 3 October 2010
Episode Two
Matthew Crawley and his mother Isobel arrive in the village, bringing professional middle-class habits into conflict with Downton’s assumptions.
- Series 1, Episode 3 · 10 October 2010
Episode Three
A visiting Turkish diplomat attracts Mary and turns a private encounter into a crisis that could damage her family.
- Series 1, Episode 4 · 17 October 2010
Episode Four
Violet and Isobel dispute the diagnosis and treatment of Molesley’s painful condition, turning village medicine into a contest over evidence and rank.
- Series 1, Episode 5 · 24 October 2010
Episode Five
A prospective husband places Mary’s family duty against her own judgement, while Edith pursues attention elsewhere.
- Series 1, Episode 6 · 31 October 2010
Episode Six
Sybil’s political curiosity takes her beyond the estate and into a volatile election meeting with Branson nearby.
- Series 1, Episode 7 · 7 November 2010
Episode Seven
Cora’s unexpected pregnancy could transform the succession and leaves Mary uncertain how to answer Matthew.
Downton Abbey
Series 2
- Series 2, Episode 1 · 18 September 2011
Episode One
Two years into the Great War, Matthew returns from the front with a fiancée and the estate adapts to shortages, casualties and new duties.
- Series 2, Episode 2 · 25 September 2011
Episode Two
Isobel proposes converting Downton into a convalescent home after the war’s human cost reaches the village.
- Series 2, Episode 3 · 2 October 2011
Episode Three
A visiting general inspects Downton’s new convalescent operation, giving Branson an opportunity to make an anti-war statement.
- Series 2, Episode 4 · 9 October 2011
Episode Four
Ethel’s relationship with a convalescing officer crosses the boundaries of her employment and leaves her exposed to consequences he can more easily avoid.
- Series 2, Episode 5 · 16 October 2011
Episode Five
News from the front brings William and Matthew home under very different circumstances, forcing the household to confront injury and uncertain futures.
- Series 2, Episode 6 · 23 October 2011
Episode Six
A wounded officer claiming a connection to the Crawley inheritance unsettles both family memory and legal certainty.
- Series 2, Episode 7 · 30 October 2011
Episode Seven
Sybil and Branson consider turning their private commitment into a public break with her family’s expectations.
- Series 2, Episode 8 · 6 November 2011
Episode Eight
As the Armistice approaches, a wedding plan and an influenza outbreak force Downton’s residents to confront futures altered by war.
- Christmas at Downton Abbey · 25 December 2011
Christmas at Downton Abbey
Christmas 1919 brings guests, hunting and celebration to Downton while Bates faces trial and Mary’s engagement to Carlisle reaches breaking point.
Downton Abbey
Series 3
- Series 3, Episode 1 · 16 September 2012Bampton village
Episode One
Mary and Matthew prepare to marry as Robert reveals that a disastrous investment may cost the family Downton.
- Series 3, Episode 2 · 23 September 2012
Episode Two
Mary and Violet mount an elaborate campaign to persuade Martha Levinson to rescue Downton, while Matthew resists using an inheritance he regards as morally compromised.
- Series 3, Episode 3 · 30 September 2012
Episode Three
Edith’s wedding day arrives while her family remains uncertain about Sir Anthony Strallan’s decision to marry.
- Series 3, Episode 4 · 7 October 2012
Episode Four
Branson’s political activity in Ireland brings danger to Downton and places Sybil between her husband and her family.
- Series 3, Episode 5 · 14 October 2012
Episode Five
Edith receives an opportunity to write publicly just as the family prepares for a birth at Downton.
- Series 3, Episode 6 · 21 October 2012
Episode Six
Grief divides Cora and Robert while the household tries to care for a newborn whose place between families is unsettled.
- Series 3, Episode 7 · 28 October 2012
Episode Seven
Plans for Sybil’s child’s christening reopen questions of religion, family authority and Branson’s place at Downton.
- Series 3, Episode 8 · 4 November 2012
Episode Eight
The annual cricket match becomes the setting for Robert and Matthew’s argument over how Downton should be managed.
- A Journey to the Highlands · 25 December 2012Inveraray Castle
A Journey to the Highlands
The Crawleys travel to Duneagle Castle for a Highland visit that exposes strain in Rose’s family and contrasts two aristocratic estates facing change.
Downton Abbey
Series 4
- Series 4, Episode 1 · 22 September 2013
Episode One
Six months after a devastating loss, Mary remains detached from decisions about her son and Downton’s future.
- Series 4, Episode 2 · 29 September 2013
Episode Two
Mary begins to claim a working role in the estate while Robert resists sharing control.
- Series 4, Episode 3 · 6 October 2013
Episode Three
A large house party fills Downton with music, courtship and old acquaintances, giving Mary a first glimpse of life beyond mourning.
- Series 4, Episode 4 · 13 October 2013
Episode Four
Anna tries to resume her duties while concealing the assault from Bates, and Mrs Hughes searches for a way to support her without taking away her choices.
- Series 4, Episode 5 · 20 October 2013
Episode Five
Edith faces the consequences of her relationship with the missing Michael Gregson while Anna struggles to keep her distance from Bates.
- Series 4, Episode 6 · 27 October 2013
Episode Six
Rose arranges a jazz band for Robert’s birthday and singer Jack Ross unsettles some guests’ assumptions about who belongs at Downton.
- Series 4, Episode 7 · 3 November 2013
Episode Seven
Robert leaves for America to help Cora’s brother, giving Mary and Branson greater responsibility for the estate.
- Series 4, Episode 8 · 10 November 2013
Episode Eight
Edith and Rosamund form a plan to conceal Edith’s pregnancy while uncertainty about Gregson continues.
- The London Season · 25 December 2013Basildon Park
The London Season
The family moves to its London house for Rose’s presentation at court, where a stolen letter threatens the Prince of Wales and draws the household into a discreet recovery operation.
Downton Abbey
Series 5
- Series 5, Episode 1 · 21 September 2014
Episode One
Britain’s first Labour government signals political change as the village debates a war memorial and Edith’s secret visits to Marigold create danger.
- Series 5, Episode 2 · 28 September 2014
Episode Two
The household recovers from the fire while Robert must decide how to respond to Baxter’s criminal past.
- Series 5, Episode 3 · 5 October 2014
Episode Three
Mary’s secret trip with Tony Gillingham nearly becomes public, requiring Violet to improvise, while police revisit the circumstances of Green’s death.
- Series 5, Episode 4 · 12 October 2014
Episode Four
Sarah Bunting’s challenge to Robert turns dinner into a confrontation about class and power, placing Branson between competing loyalties.
- Series 5, Episode 5 · 19 October 2014
Episode Five
Art historian Simon Bricker returns to discuss the della Francesca painting and his attention to Cora provokes a confrontation with Robert.
- Series 5, Episode 6 · 26 October 2014
Episode Six
Confirmation of Michael Gregson’s death leads Edith to take Marigold and leave for London, breaking the arrangement with the Drewes.
- Series 5, Episode 7 · 2 November 2014
Episode Seven
Cora and Rosamund bring Edith and Marigold back to Downton under a new explanation, while Rose introduces Atticus and his parents.
- Series 5, Episode 8 · 9 November 2014
Episode Eight
Rose and Atticus prepare to marry despite conflict between their families, while Cora works out the truth about Marigold.
- A Moorland Holiday · 25 December 2014Basildon ParkAlnwick CastleHulne Park and Hulne Priory
A Moorland Holiday
A shooting holiday at Brancaster Castle exposes Lord Sinderby’s carefully protected secret and tests Rose’s place in his family.
Downton Abbey
Series 6
- Series 6, Episode 1 · 20 September 2015
Episode One
A blackmailer threatens to expose Mary’s private trip with Gillingham as Downton confronts falling costs and possible staff reductions.
- Series 6, Episode 2 · 27 September 2015Lacock village
Episode Two
The future of the Drewes’ tenancy and Mr Mason’s farm brings the estate’s obligations into conflict with personal need.
- Series 6, Episode 3 · 4 October 2015
Episode Three
Carson and Mrs Hughes choose a village wedding that reflects their own lives rather than Downton’s preferred display.
- Series 6, Episode 4 · 11 October 2015
Episode Four
Tom and Sybbie settle back at Downton as former maid Gwen returns in a new professional role and remembers Sybil’s help.
- Series 6, Episode 5 · 18 October 2015
Episode Five
Violet invites Health Minister Neville Chamberlain to dinner in an attempt to stop the hospital takeover.
- Series 6, Episode 6 · 25 October 2015
Episode Six
Mary and Tom open Downton to paying visitors for the hospital, only to discover how little the family can explain about its own treasures.
- Series 6, Episode 7 · 1 November 2015
Episode Seven
Henry Talbot invites the family to Brooklands, where a motor-racing accident turns Mary’s fear of another loss into immediate grief.
- Series 6, Episode 8 · 8 November 2015
Episode Eight
Bertie’s unexpected inheritance makes Edith’s secret about Marigold more consequential, and Mary reveals it during a bitter family confrontation.
- The Finale · 25 December 2015Alnwick CastleBeamish Museum, 1900s Town
The Finale
As 1925 gives way to 1926, Edith and Bertie try to rebuild their future while Mary works to repair the damage she caused.
Downton Abbey
Films
- Film (2019) · 13 September 2019Highclere CastleLacock villagePickering StationWentworth WoodhouseHarewood HouseLittle GermanyBeamish Museum, 1900s Town
Downton Abbey
A royal visit brings elaborate preparations, competing loyalties and an unfamiliar hierarchy to Downton.
- Film (2022) · 29 April 2022Highclere CastleQuai Brescon and Miroir aux Oiseaux
Downton Abbey: A New Era
A film company arrives at Downton while part of the family travels to a newly inherited villa in southern France.
- Film (2025) · 12 September 2025Highclere CastleBasildon ParkClaydon HouseRipon RacecourseGreat Yorkshire ShowgroundRichmond Theatre
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
As the Crawleys enter the 1930s, Mary faces public scandal and the estate confronts financial pressure.
Titles and UK release dates follow the existing ITV and film register and cited sources. Season-level filming credits are not assigned to every episode.