Maggie Smith is expected to play the Dowager Countess one last time in the new Downton Abbey film.

According to Baz Bamigboye, the second Downton film will see Smith’s Violet receive a visit from an old friend, played by French actress Nathalie Baye.

Fans had been unsure if Smith would be back in the Countess’s corsets once more following the events of the first film. But it seems producers have persuaded to play the Grantham family matriach one more time.

The cast are expected to begin work on the film in late March/early April.