The Insider.com

We certainly haven't seen the last of the Crawley family. As the third episode of season three's Downton Abbey opened to record ratings in the U.K. this Sunday, show creator Julian Fellowes disclosed that he's penning a prequel to the wildly popular series.

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Though still in its infant stages, the story would follow the courtship of Earl and Countess of Grantham, played by Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern on the Downton show. "I do actually have an idea of doing a prequel of the courtship of Robert and Cora, when all those American heiresses were arriving in London," Fellowes revealed at a Bafta Screenwriters' Lecture series (via BBC News). "They had a slightly troubled courtship, because she was in love with him before they married, as we know, and he married her entirely for her money."

According to BBC, the prequel, if aired, would cast a younger Robert and Cora Crawley.

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For now, the prequel seems to be coming out in book form, but we can only assume, given the popularity of Downton, that it's bound to hit the small screen. "For me, any other books or plays or films should follow after the end of the television show. I don't think you can continue a narrative in more than one area at once."

Would you watch a Downton Abbey prequel?