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"Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes has revealed that he is interested in creating a prequel to the series. Fellowes explained at the Bafta Screenwriting Lecture that he would like to focus on the beginning of the relationship between Cora and Robert, according to The Daily Telegraph.  He added that he originally planned the spin-off as a novel, but that ITV would adapt it for television. &amp;quot;I do actually have an idea of doing a prequel of the courtship of Robert and Cora, when all those American heiresses were arriving in London - the Buccaneers, as they were called,&amp;quot; Fellowes explained. &amp;quot;They had a slightly troubled courtship, because she was in love with him before they married, as we know, and he married her entirely for her money. I sort of feel there&amp;#039;s something quite nice in there because he&amp;#039;s a decent [man], and so he feels rather guilty about this.&amp;quot; Robert and Cora are played in the original Downton Abbey series by Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern, although a pair of young actors would take on the roles for the prequel. However, Fellowes revealed that he does not want to air the prequel until Downton Abbey has ended, saying: &amp;quot;I don&amp;#039;t think you can continue a narrative in more than one area at once.&amp;quot; Downton Abbey airs on Sundays at 9pm on ITV1. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/downton-abbey/news/a408881/downton-abbey-prequel-planned-by-julian-fellowes/>