An unconfirmed story in a London newspaper saying that Dame Maggie Smith had asked “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes to write her character, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, out of the sensational PBS costume drama has sent stricken fans to Twitter and Facebook.
Comedian Patton Oswalt tweeted, “Excuse me, Dame Maggie Smith? You are NOT leaving ‘Downton Abbey.’ ”
Smith, 77, along with co-star Dan Stevens, has not renewed her contract with the series beyond the third season, currently filming outside London.
Although “Downton” has a large cast, Smith’s Lady Grantham, renowned for her flinty stare and her disdain of anything modern, such as the telephone, is clearly one of the most beloved characters on the show.
In addition to the Emmy Award she won in September, Smith has received what is perhaps the ultimate embrace from the Internet generation — the creation of several YouTube videos that piece together her character’s most astringent remarks. One of them,“Downton Abbey: Top 10 Maggie Moments,” has received more than 300,000 hits.
Yesterday, a representative for Carnival Film and Television Limited, a co-producer of the hit drama, said, “There is no truth that Maggie is leaving the show.”
Smith’s own representatives in London did not comment.
Season 3 of “Downton Abbey” will return to American television screens in January 2013.