The world within the Abbey walls may be changing at a rapid pace, but Downton itself isn't going anywhere.
ITV today announced that it had commissioned a sixth season of Julian Fellowes' domestic soap, which will go into production in 2015. U.S. broadcaster PBS also announced that Masterpiece will be airing the sixth go-round as well.
The news comes just as Downton wraps its current run on Nov. 9 in the U.K., which scored a consolidated audience of 10.4 million so far. Per tradition, a Christmas Special will air on ITV on Christmas Day.
"We have had an amazing reaction to the story lines, acting and production values of Downton Abbey this year and the whole team is thrilled to be moving ahead with a new season of the show," executive producer Gareth Neame said in a statement. "This will provide audiences with a fresh opportunity to see what will befall our much loved characters."
Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton offered the following statement upon the news of the renewal: "Good news! Just as our audience settles in for the beloved Crawley family drama, we can announce that Season 6 will arrive a year later. How lucky can you get?""
Those wondering about the U.S. run of the upcoming season still have a little bit longer to wait: It's set to begin on Jan. 4, 2015.
