‘Downton Abbey” is about to get integrated.
The British drawing-room series, which airs on ITV and PBS, will feature its first black character next season — as part of a storyline about race relations, according to The Sun in London.
The character, Jack Ross, will be a jazz singer.
In casting notes sent to actors’ agents recently, the character is described as “Male, 25-30. A musician (singer) at an exclusive club in the ’20s,” according to the report.
“He’s black and very handsome. A real man (not a boy) with charm and charisma.”
The actor who wins the role needs to “ideally be able to sing brilliantly . . . Overall he should be a very attractive man with a certain wow factor.”
The fourth season of “Downton Abbey” begins filming next month and is expected to air in the fall in Britain before premiering early next year on PBS here.
According to The Sun, there will be several other new characters next season, including a love interest for Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery) named Lord Anthony Gillingham — who’s described as “dashing” and “good looking, very charismatic” and between 35 and 45 years old.
“Downton Abbey” is PBS’s biggest series since “The Civil War.”