'Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale' Trailer Hits Right in the Feels
Downton Abbey 3 Grand Finale Official Poster
Focus Features
Not every fan of Downton Abbey knows that the series theme song has a name and lyrics, beyond just "The Downton Abbey Suite." When the original soundtrack was released in the UK in 2011, it included a version of the track titled "Did I Make the Most of Loving You?," sung by Mary-Jess Leaverland, who was having a moment in the U.K. after winning Min Xing Chang Fan Tian (The Chinese version of The X-Factor) while living there as an exchange student.
I bring this up because 15 years after the series debuted, the song is once again back, though, like on the series, still sans lyrics. Instead, it is a fuller, grander version of the theme we all know and love, as befitting Downton Abbey's last outing, titled The Grand Finale. I also mention it because I am probably not the only one who has a total Pavlovian response to hearing it. If you're like me, get tissues now, because I was an absolute sobbing mess by the time the two-minute clip was over. (Hugh Bonneville doing the most acting with his facial expressions does not help.)
However, once my tears dried, and I watched a second time, I also realized that Lady Mary in her red dress and tiara looks like she is about to perform on stage in 1930s London. Actor Michelle Dockery is an accomplished singer, a talent that Downton has only occasionally taken advantage of.
Perhaps she will sing "Did I Make the Most of Loving You?" Check it out below.
The full-length trailer is accompanied, at long last, by an actual synopsis with plot points.
The cinematic return of the global phenomenon follows the Crawley family and their staff as they enter the 1930s. When Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace. The Crawleys must embrace change as the staff prepares for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future.
Downton Abbey’s final cast starts with Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern as Lord and Lady Grantham; Dockery and Laura Carmichael as daughters Lady Mary & Lady Edith, and Allen Leech as son-in-law Tom. Later additions include Harry Hadden-Paton as Lady Edith’s husband, Bertie, and from Downton Abbey: A New Era, Dominic West returns as Lady Mary’s next love interest, Guy Dexter.
Original series star Penelope Wilton also returns as Lady Merton, Lady Mary’s ex-mother-in-law, and later addition Douglas Reith as her new husband, Lord Merton. Season 3 Christmas special guest star Paul Giamatti also finally gets a turn on the big screen, reprising his role as Cora’s brother, Harold Levinson. The late Maggie Smith's character, the Dowager Countess Violet, will be honored in the film.
Downton stalwarts Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan return as Carson & Hughes; Brendan Coyle and Joanne Froggat as Bates & Anna; Raquel Cassidy and Kevin Doyle as Baxter & Molesley; Robert James-Collier and Michael Fox as Barrow & Andy; and Lesley Nicol and Sophie McShera as Patmore & Daisy.
Guest stars for the third film include Joely Richardson (Renegade Nell), Simon Russell Beale (Mary & George), British-American actor Arty Froushan (House of the Dragon), and American actor Alessandro Nivola (Black Narcissus). As always, Julian Fellowes wrote the screenplay, with director Simon Curtis once again at the helm..
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale will premiere with special advanced screenings on Wednesday, September 10, before opening globally in theaters on Friday, September 12, 2025.
