Downton Abbey star Dan Stevens keeps plot secret

Downton Abbey heartthrob Dan Stevens says the toughest part of the job is keeping the plot a secret from his wife.

The actor, who plays the heir to the family fortune Matthew Crawley, admitted he enjoyed teasing viewers with the latest twist in his relationship with Lady Mary played by Michelle Dockery.

He said: "It's fun and it's part of the fun of the show as far as I'm concerned. Our storyline, that will they, won't they element is one of the enjoyable things about being part of Downton.

"It's the game you play outside of it. Trying to keep the scripts from my wife is the biggest challenge."

Stevens said he was "amazed" at the international appeal of the hit ITV1 country house show, but laughed off questions about his legion of female admirers.

He said: "The female attention I have to struggle hardest with is my two-year-old daughter. She's just entered the terrible twos so that's my biggest challenge at the moment."

Co-star Brendan Coyle, who plays valet Mr Bates, shrugged off criticism of the number of advertisements viewers had to sit through in the latest series.

He said: "It's the nature of the beast. We rely on revenue to pay for the programme so that's just simply the nature of it."

A two-hour special of the show, set over Christmas 1919, will be on ITV1 at 9pm on Christmas Day.