(Warning: This story contains some minor plot details, which readers may wish to avoid.)
The atmosphere in Downton Abbey will be lighter when the series returns, the producers have said.
Last year’s episodes saw the Crawley family torn apart by the death of Dan Stevens’ character, while a rape storyline drew hundreds of complaints.
But executive producer Liz Trubridge said viewers “can chortle” again at series five.
“Last series, it was straight after Matthew’s death and we couldn’t go in with great fun,” she said.
“We do not have that this year.
“There is, you will be happy to hear, great rivalry again between Mary and Edith.”
However, her fellow producer Gareth Neame promised there would still be “right-angle moments you don’t expect to happen”.
“There is, in all our series, a good mix of high drama and laughs, and there is certainly that mix this time,” he added.
Potential suitors
The first episode of series five was shown to the press on Thursday, and contained the usual mix of secrets. schemes, seduction and skullduggery.
Set in 1924, the programme reflects the election of the UK’s first ever Labour government – causing consternation for the Crawleys, who assume that a socialist ruling party will start to dismantle their estate.
“Those upstairs see it as a direct threat to their way of life,” said Neame. “The characters below stairs see it as an opportunity for huge change.”
The first episode also sees a dramatic night-time fire in the Abbey, with several secrets revealed as the occupants flee for safety.
Trubridge said the production team had been required to build a replica set for the sequence in Ealing Studios, as it was too risky to film the blaze at Highclere Castle – the Hampshire estate where the programme is usually filmed.
“Because it was a stately home we couldn’t set fire to it – the owners didn’t want smoke damage to their house.”
The new series also sees plenty of will-they-won’t-they relationships – with Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), Isobel Crawley (Penelope Wilson) and Tom Branson (Allen Leach) all receiving advances from potential partners.
Meanwhile, lady’s maid Anna Bates (Joanne Froggatt) is still struggling to come to terms with her rape, and the mysterious death of the man who attacked her.
The harrowing attack prompted more than 200 complaints to media watchdog Ofcom last year but the show, which was broadcast after the 9pm watershed, was cleared of breaching broadcasting regulations.
Froggatt said she had not received any personal criticism from the public.
“It’s all been positive in responses to the storyline,” she said. “I got a small number of letters from women who’d gone through similar experiences and felt Anna was a character they could connect with.
“That was very touching for me… It was a moving experience.”
In the new series, her character still finds it hard to contemplate a physical relationship with her husband John (Brendan Coyle), and closes down any suggestion of starting a family.
Meanwhile, some of the servants suspect John is responsible for the death of her attacker – but Froggatt insisted her character was not one of them.
“I don’t think Anna thinks for a moment that Bates is a serial killer,” she said. “What I’d like to see for Anna and Bates as a viewer is different from what I’d like as an actor, because you like to play the drama, but it’s important to have the happy times in between.
“They get moments of happiness and positivity for them, but it’s not an easy journey.”
Downton Abbey is set to return to return to British screens next month, with American fans having to wait until the winter to see the show, which will feature guest appearances from Anna Chancellor, Richard E Grant and Sue Johnston.
