DOWNTON ABBEY: Who will be Lady Mary's new lover? Two eligible aristocrats will try and woo widower in Downton Abbey By SARAH FITZMAURICE and HANNA FLINT (MAIL ON LINE)

She has been left to bring up her son all alone after losing her husband Matthew in a shocking car crash, but the next series  of Downton Abbey might not be all doom and gloom for Lady Mary.

The single mother is set to by wooed by two eligible, not to mention handsome, aristocrats, according to reports.

Two new male characters are set to be introduced to the hit period drama and producers have hinted that one will be May's new love interest, The Daily Telegraph Reports.

Julian Ovenden

Tom Cullen and Julian Ovenden are just two new faces set to appear on the show playing characters who pay a visit to the Stately home in the upcoming series.

Cullen, 27, is said to be taking on the role of Lord Gillingham, an old family friend, and he is set to enter the show at a party thrown by the family to try and raise her spirits.

Ovenden, 36, is set to play Charles Blake an aristocrat, while Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is also set to star in the show.

As details of the new characters emerge the cast are already back on set filming scenes for the new series, which will air in the autumn.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2286989/Downton-Abbey-Two-new-male-characters-set-join-love-interests-Lady-Mary.html#ixzz2MUpmTbL8 
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DOWNTON ABBEY: First images of Downton Abbey series four focus on Matthew Crawley’s memorial ((METRO) By Caroline Westbrook

Dame Maggie Smith is among those Downton characters who was spotted filming scenes of Matthew Crawley’s funeral (Picture: Rex Features)

The first photos have emerged from the fourth series of Downton Abbey, offering a sneak preview of key characters as they attend Matthew Crawley’s memorial.

Dame Maggie Smith, Joanne Froggatt and Brendan Coyle are among those seen in the snaps as they gather at Matthew’s graveside – with another shot showing his headstone, where he is described as a ‘loving husband and father’.

And the photos would suggest that Matthew – who was killed off in a shocking car accident during the Christmas special – will be buried next to Lady Mary’s sister Sybil, who also made a shock exit last series when she died soon after giving birth.

The much-loved character – played by Dan Stevens – met his maker after the actor quit the show, crashing his car just moments after meeting his newborn son for the first time.

Despite a huge backlash from viewers, creator Julian Fellowes defended the storyline, saying he was left with no choice but to kill the character due to Stevens’ decision to quit the show.


‘We always tried to persuade him to stay. He had done fantastically well for the series and his creation of Matthew was terrific,’ Fellowes said.

‘But this is life. Dan felt that this was right thing for him, and the right moment to move on to different areas.’

READ MORE: http://metro.co.uk/2013/03/01/first-images-of-downton-abbey-series-four-focus-on-matthew-crawleys-memorial-3522178/