Downton Abbey’s Ratings Fall and Fail to Meet Last Year’s Record Breaking Season Opener

Downton Abbey returned to ITV last night, but the ratings shadowed in comparison to last season’s gripping opener.

Despite the drop in ratings, the popular period drama still drew double the amount of viewers than rival network BBC.

Nine million viewers tuned in to watch Lady Mary marry Matthew Crawley

Nine million people tuned in to watch the Emmy Award-Winning programme last night but the figure was down from 9.6 million viewers who tuned into the first episode of season two this time last year.

The new series has drifted in to the 1920s and promises to be filled with just as much drama and scandal as previous seasons.

Lady Mary appears on the staircase at Downton in her wedding dress

Last night, fans of the series watched as Lady Mary finally married her love Matthew Crawley, proving that everyone really does love a wedding!

The 90-minute episode also provided viewers with the much-anticipated encounter between Martha Levinson (Shirley MacLain) and Dowager Countess Violet (Dame Maggie Smith).

Viewers watched Shirley MacLain and Dam Maggie Smith on last night's show

The programme has been nominated for sixteen awards at this year’s Emmys with Michelle Dockery and Hugh Bonneville up for Best Actor and Actress.