The new Downton Abbey film is hitting cinemas tonight. 

In Downton Abbey: A New Era, the Crawley family journeys to the South of France.

Dame Maggie Smith will return as Violet Crawley, revealing to Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) that she's inherited a villa on the French Riviera.

READ MORE: Living in the real Downton is 'like living in a zoo' says resident 

Meanwhile, Hollywood comes to Downton when a film crew want to use the big old house to shoot a silent picture.

Just some of the other stars to return are Paddington star Hugh Bonneville, who is back in his role as Robert Crawley, Samantha Bond is returning as Lady Rosamund Painswick, Laura Carmichael as Edith Pelham, Jim Carter as Charles Carson, Raquel Cassidy as Phyllis Baxter. 

READ MORE: See Buyagift's Downton Abbey inspired experiences for fans of BBC series as new film airs

It is a huge cast.

The last Downton Abbey film came out in 2019, and centred around the Crawley family preparing for a royal visit from King George V and Queen Marya to their stately home in Yorkshire.

It was a box office smash.

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