BBC's beloved series "Downton Abbey" is coming to an end.
The news of season six being its swan song was announced on the show's Twitter account Thursday morning.
The time has come to announce that Series 6 will be our final visit to #Downton. Thank you for sharing our journey! pic.twitter.com/s8NWG1w7g9
— Downton Abbey (@DowntonAbbey) March 26, 2015
The show's final season will air in England this fall, but American fans have to wait until next year to watch. "Downton Abbey," which highlights the drama surrounding the upper class of 20th century England, has gained a massive following since its premiere in 2010.
Executive producer Gareth Neame said during a telephone news conference that the whole cast and crew was in on the decision to end the show. He noted that it had nothing to do with television ratings, CNN reported.
"Our feeling is it's good to quit while we're ahead," Neame said. "The show is in incredibly strong shape. ... The danger is to let it go on forever ... eight, nine, 10 years. We wanted to end when the time is right, so that people will love it for years to come and not feel there's a drop-off, and we've not outstayed our welcome."
Neame added that he expected the show to be a hit in England but not abroad.
"We thought we'd have good success in the U.K. and traditional outlets for British content - we didn't know we'd end up in 250 territories and (be) one of the biggest shows in the U.S.," he said. "We would have been perfectly happy with three seasons. It's very tempting to go on for years."
Luckily for fans of the hit series, "Downton Abbey" may hit the big screen in the future. Neame said that turning the show into a film is something he is "very interested in."
"It's something we're contemplating, it would be great fun to do," he said. "I can't confirm it's definitely going to happen but we shall see. If we can get all our ducks in row ..."
