Downton Abbey has a premiere date. The fourth series kicks off on ITV on Sunday the 22nd September at 9pm, directly after the X Factor. Mark it in your diary!

The fourth series will focus heavily on Lady Mary and the aftermath of Matthew's death and how it has affected the house. We are very excited about the return of the popular ITV series. So what can we expect from the new series?

Dan Stevens is not coming back, sniff, and either is Mrs O'Brien played by Siobhan Finneran. The fourth series picks up six months after the accident and Matthew's untimely death. While we don't get to see the immediate aftermath or the funeral, not much as changed in the six months as Mary is still in mourning. Matthew's death affects the whole house, upstairs and downstairs alike. Mr. Carson’s concerned because he's rather fond of Mary as we all know, unlike Mrs. Hughes, who's not and doesn't mind telling him very often, much to his chagrin,' said Phyllis Logan. 'It’s affected him quite badly and he hates, obviously, seeing her in such grief. However despite the fact one of the top characters has been written out of the soap the writers are confident that Matthew's death means even more storylines for the show. And more shock deaths they promise.

We can expect lots of tears and sadness for Lady Mary in series four, as she comes to terms with the death of Matthew. Motherhood also seems to be taking its toll on Mary. But while she might be mourning, we see a whole host of potential suitors lining up to try to win her heart. Too soon some might say. 'Mary’s not really open to moving on from Matthew at all, [but] that doesn't mean that there isn't interest from other men in her,' said producer Gareth Neame.

The fourth series will bring us a whole host of new faces to Downton and some rather interesting faces. Every new character seems to be potential suitor for Mary. Tom Cullen plays the role of Lord Anthony Gillingham, Julien Ovenden plays aristocrat Charles Blake. Nigel Harman will also be joining the cast, and his character is going to prove a bit troublesome. Harman describes the character as having no redeeming characteristics whatsoever. Charming. Other new characters include the shows first ever black character. Jack Ross, played by Gary Carr, arrives in Downton with his jazz band and no doubt causes a bit of a stir.  Dame Kiri Te Kanawa will also be appearing on our screens. 'When they asked me to do it, I nearly choked. I couldn't say yes fast enough,' she revealed at the press launch. She will play legendary opera singer Dame Nellie Melba.

Lady Rose will become a permanent fixture in the house this series as she moves in with Lord and Lady Grantham. The teen will no doubt bring some interesting storylines to the house and plenty of drama with a potential love interest in the shape of Jack Ross. Which will no doubt bring some controversy to the house. Looks like everybody is getting a piece of the action, romance might also be on the cards for Branson, Allen Leech, who lost his beloved Sybil in the last series. Branson seems to be moving on as we see him plant a kiss on some woman's mouth. Who might she be? Well, we will just have to wait and see.

Trouble might be afoot for Bates and Anna's marriage though, as if they haven't had enough drama last series. Series three we saw Bates being cleared of his wife's murder after a brief stint in prison. However Brendan Coyle says about his character, 'We see a darker and a more determined side to Bates than we've seen before in series four,' meaning we can expect to see Coyle in some darker storylines perhaps?

We don't know about you but we are extremely excited for the new series of Downton Abbey. Series four kicks off at 9pm on 22nd September. In the meantime you can check out the trailer below.