Downton Abbey's Jim Carter and Gareth Neame have said they are proud that the programme doesn't just concentrate on romance for the younger generation.

The ITV period drama saw Jim's character Mr Carson getting closer to Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan) in the Christmas special and the latest series is rumoured to include love interests for the Dowager Countess (Dame Maggie Smith) and Penelope Wilton's character Isobel Crawley.

Jim said of a romance between Carson and Mrs Hughes: "I think it's got to be on the cards, Carson and Mrs Hughes, it's written in the stars and for me to work with Phyllis Logan anyway is such a treat. They're my favourite scenes really, so I hope so. Tell Julian (Fellowes, creator)."

He added of the Dowager Countess' love affair: "The Dowager, she's a saucy one. Yeah, she's kept her light under a bushel, hasn't she?"

Producer Gareth Neame wouldn't be drawn on whether the Dowager and Isobel would fight over the same man, saying: "You'll have to wait and see, but I think it's great that across the different generations of the show, romance isn't purely the preserve of the young.

"We've seen that in the last season with the attention that Isobel was getting and the generations all get their fair share of stories, and not always the ones you would expect them to have.

"The idea that love affairs and romance are only a part of your life when you're young isn't really accurate and it's quite fun to see that shared amongst older characters."

Downton Abbey returns to ITV on September 21.