Downton Abbey will return to ITV on the 21st of September, a new trailer for the show confirmed last night.

The trailer for the hit period drama, written by Julian Fellowes, gave us more than a taste of what's to come in the new series, with new faces, affairs, secrets and culminating in a fire.

It showed a return for all of the show's beloved characters, as Downton enters a new era. The plots of the new series will show the Abbey and some of its residents struggling to cope with the modernisation of the world around it.

The trailer hints at tension for in the servants' world, with Daisy commenting she "can't take orders for the rest of my life" and a good deal of upstairs-downstairs flirting.

We also get a glimpse of new characters, including Simon Bricker, played by Richard E Grant and Sarah Bunting - a potential love interest for Tom Branson who we met in the Christmas special - played by Daisy Lewis. And, of course, Lady Mary is never short of a crop of suitors, and we see her trying a new interest of horse racing.

There's still plenty of Downton humour with shots of Maggie Smith's Dowager Countess making her usual pithy remarks, and Carson's endearing reluctance to step into the modern world.

The trailer premiered during The X Factor last night, and confirmed that the show will return to its Sunday night 9 o'clock spot when it starts on the 21st of September. So that's our Sunday nights - and Monday morning conversations - sorted for the next couple of months. We can't wait.

Watch the trailer below:

The trailer for the new series of Downton Abbey is here