Downton Abbey executive producer Gareth Neame revealed some new information, including Maggie Smith reprising her role as Violet Crawley in season 5 and the series finale.

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On Monday, Hollywood Reporter posted an interview with executive producer Gareth Neame, who revealed that Smith will be on the show for as long as she wants.

"She'll be back this coming season," Neame said. "She's a huge part of the show, and I think she enjoys doing it. I think it's remarkable for someone who's had such a long and illustrious career to be still delivering work of this caliber. One has also really got to make reference to the remarkable combination of Julian Fellowes and Maggie Smith. She's almost like a muse to him."

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While the series just ended its fourth season, Neame mentioned the possibility of the PBS show coming to an end sometime soon. It's a question Neame said he gets asked often.

"The more people enjoy something, the more they want to know when it will end. Maybe they want to plan accordingly. There's definitely an obsession," Neame said.  

"If we were to end the show now, the show is still growing and playing in new territories around the world, but I would never want anyone to think we went too long... It's about us trying to find a balance and calling things at the right time."

Downton Abbey's season 5 is expected to premiere in January 2015.

Tags: downton abbey television PBS Maggie Smith