Julian Fellowes shocked by success of Downton

Julian Fellowes

Julian Fellowes has been shocked by the success of ITV1 period drama 'Downton Abbey' and admits he never imagined it would be such a huge hit.

Julian Fellowes is shocked by the success of 'Downton Abbey'.

The show's creator didn't anticipate how popular the ITV1 period drama would be and is still stunned by the affection people have for the series - which has now been sold to more than 100 countries, including America, Australia, Japan and Israel -

He said: "I thought we'd made a good show and people would enjoy it, but it was extraordinary. We were playing to something like a third of the adult population. I mean, nobody could expect that level of success, except for Simon Cowell. It was completely mad."

Julian insists the show has attracted a wide-ranging audience, not just the traditional older Sunday night viewers.

In an interview with Radio Times magazine, he said: "The demographics were very wide backgrounds, very wide social grouping, very wide age grouping and ethnic backgrounds. And I've had every type come up to me about 'Downton' - taxi drivers, shop assistants, not just people having lunch at Fortnums."

The second series returns to TV screens this Sunday (18.09.11) and Julian says the door is open for another run.

He said: "Unless you have a nuclear bomb go off, there's always an opening."

More: Celebrity gossip, TV gossip (Celebrity gossip), Downton Abbey, ITV1, Julian Fellowes, Period Drama, shocked, Success

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