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"Downton Abbey exec Gareth Neame has hinted that the show will &amp;quot;turn in a whole different direction&amp;quot; in the new series. The hit period drama&amp;#039;s 2012 Christmas special concluded with the shock death of Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens).  Neame told E! Online that Matthew&amp;#039;s wife Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) will attempt to &amp;quot;rebuild her life&amp;quot; in the 2013 episodes. &amp;quot;This is a lesson in something that seems like a really big loss in the moment, but will actually turn into a great opportunity... which it will also be for the show, to take a turn in a whole different direction,&amp;quot; he said. It was recently confirmed by Neame that Dame Maggie Smith will reprise her role as the Dowager Countess in Downton&amp;#039;s fourth run. The new series is expected to debut on ITV in the autumn, with a 2013 festive special to follow this Christmas. In the US, the third series is currently airing on PBS. &amp;gt; Apple pips PBS to Downton Abbey series three finale in US &amp;gt; Maggie Smith wins Golden Globe for Downton Abbey role Watch a promo for Downton Abbey&amp;#039;s 2012 Christmas special below:      "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/downton-abbey/news/a451827/downton-abbey-to-take-different-direction-in-fourth-series/>