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"Tom Ellis is reportedly being lined up to star in the next series of Downton Abbey. The Miranda actor auditioned for the role of Lady Mary&amp;#039;s new love \u00ADinterest and has since been shortlisted for the part by producers, the Sunday Mirror reports.   An ITV source said: &amp;quot;Tom has always been popular but he has really become hot property since his role as Gary in Miranda. &amp;quot;He really showed his versatility and he&amp;#039;s also incredibly popular with the female viewers. It was an absolute no-brainer to get him in for an audition. &amp;quot;We know that Tom&amp;#039;s got a lot of other options at the moment but if he does get the role it will be an incredible opportunity for him. A lot of the current cast have become global superstars. &amp;quot;And it is always a bit of a coup for us to attract a \u00ADmajor BBC star to a flagship ITV show like Downton \u00ADAbbey.&amp;quot; Lady Mary, played by Michelle Dockery, seemingly lost husband Matthew (Dan \u00ADStevens) in a car crash during Downton Abbey&amp;#039;s Christmas special. Her new romance will be a key plot in the next series. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/downton-abbey/news/a459423/miranda-star-tom-ellis-for-downton-abbey/>