PRESS RELEASE:

Carnival Films, MASTERPIECE and PBS announced that six new names are joining Downton Abbey, and Shirley MacLaine will reprise her role for season four's finale. MacLaine guest-starred in the first episode of season three as Martha Levinson and proved to be a huge hit with viewers when she joined the cast for Lady Mary's wedding to Matthew Crawley. Her sparky relationship with Violet delighted audiences around the world. The series has won nine Emmys, two Golden Globes and a coveted Screen Actors Guild Award for the ensemble cast, which is the first time the cast of a British television show has won this award.

Managing Director of Carnival Films and Executive Producer Gareth Neame says, "Downton Abbey has seen many great characters visit the house over the years, and we couldn't be more thrilled to welcome the new faces that will be joining the regular cast of Downton in series four. We hope audiences will be as excited about them as we are."

MASTERPIECE executive producer Rebecca Eaton says: "The addition of these characters can only mean more delicious drama — which is what Downton Abbey is all about."

The new cast and characters include:

Tom Cullen as Lord Gillingham, an old family friend of the Crawleys who visits the family as a guest for a house party

Nigel Harman as Green, a valet

Dame Harriet Walter as Lady Shackleton, an old friend of the Dowager

Joanna David in a guest role as the Duchess of Yeovil

Julian Ovenden as aristocrat Charles Blake

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa as a guest who sings at the house