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Filming on Downton Abbey, which moved up to Durham this October, now has just a few more weeks left to run - and then its fans will have to wait patiently for the movie's big screen release next year.

They have already faced quite some wait for work to get under way on the long-promised film version of the ITV1 hit series after the drama about the aristocratic Crawley family household drew to a close in 2015, to viewers' collective dismay.

But the signs are that their patience will be rewarded because when Downton Abbey finally hits the big screen they will find that its makers have managed to assemble all its top cast - quite an achievement given the number of main actors and their other work commitments.

(Image: newcastle chronicle)

There was excitement in the region when we broke news earlier this October that filming for the Downton Abbey movie had moved north to Durham.

Cast and crew came to Beamish Hall Hotel and Beamish Museum - where filming on the TV series has also taken place in the past - and photographs were snapped of actors Allen Leech who plays Tom Branson, husband to the late Lady Sybil, and Stephen Campbell Moore who is one of several new faces to join the established cast.

They were busy shooting scenes in the main street at the outdoor museum, which also featured in the 2015 TV series finale as the location of Talbot and Branson Motors: the car business set up by racing driver Henry Talbot - Lady Mary's new husband who is played by Matthew Goode - and the former family chauffeur.

(Image: newcastle chronicle)

Leech, Goode and Dockery all appeared in the scene there at the time and all three are said to be now busy with the movie.

So, as its filming approaches its final stages, here's a look back at previous Downton Abbey filming in the North East and what we know so far about the new film.

Where has previous Downton Abbey filming taken place in the North?

While the Downton Abbey family home is, of course, actually Highclere Castle in Hampshire, the Crawley family and staff do get themselves out and about.

And The Alwnick Castle in Northumberland has doubled as so-called Brancaster castle in festive specials of the Bafta-winning drama.

In the 2014 and 2015 episodes, the central family members headed north for a visit.

In 2014, Alnwick Castle’s State Rooms, its grounds and the nearby Hulne Abbey on the Duke of Northumberland’s parklands were used over two weeks from July to August.

This castle was supposedly being hired for the grouse-hunting season with the family attended a shooting party, in which North East actor Alun Armstrong had a role as an awkward servant.

Filming also took place around the ramparts and in nearby Bow Alley and St Michael’s Church Hall.

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And, again, in 2015 filming took place over the summer and cast and crew were spotted around town in chilly-looking scenes which saw fake snow scattered around for a winter-warmer of a story that set Lady Edith’s love life on firmer footing as her then-estranged lover Bertie (Harry Hadden-Paton) became the new 'Lord Hexham' in charge of the castle.

(Image: newcastle chronicle)

The cast were spotted around town and Allen Leech (Branson) and Rob James-Collier, who plays Thomas Barrow, even popped into a local pub, the Tanners Arms, for a pint where they chatted to locals posed for a photograph.

Also, that year, during the Beamish filming, its famous sweet shop featured prominently in the background.

This October, besides the action at the museum, Beamish Hall Hotel saw some action, posting afterwards on its Facebook page: "It was so exciting to have the Downton Abbey stars filming with us. The cast reunited at the Hall."

Which original characters are in the new film?

Expect all the top Crawley family cast - Hugh Bonneville as Robert, Earl of Grantham; Elizabeth McGovern as his wife Cora, Countess of Grantham, plus Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael as daughters Lady Mary and Lady Edith who were left finally on the cusp of a happy life when the series ended, thanks to their other halves Henry (Matthew Goode) and Bertie (Harry Hadden-Paton).

A special treat is set to be the return of Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley, Dowager, acid-tongued Countess of Grantham. And joining her is Penelope Wilson, as Isabel Crawley.

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And then, of course, there will be the familiar faces of those playing the downstairs staff, including Joanne Froggatt - as Anna Bates - who in 2016 was back filming in the region for TV drama Dark Angel, starring as infamous County Durham's serial killer Mary Ann Cotton.

What is the story about?

While the storyline is kept under wraps, creator Julian Fellowes is known to have been working on it for a long time and no doubt has shaped a tale that advances the Crawleys and their household further in time.

The TV series started in 1912 and wrapped up in 1925 - with some fabulous fashions captured along the way - and, from the glimpses we've had of current filming around the country, it seems from the actors' costumes that the film is set in the 1920s and perhaps the early thirties.

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And we've heard that the Crawleys get to mix in some pretty impressive company: royalty no less.

Said to be playing Queen Mary in a scene with George V is Helen McCrory - a far cry from her role as Polly in Peaky Blinders.

Where have they been filming this time?

Highclere Castle has been back in action, of course, as has Bampton in the Thames Valley, which doubles as the fictional village of Downton, where Maggie Smith has been seen filming scenes.

There has been lots of filming in Yorkshire, including Wentworth Woodhouse, near Rotherham; Harewood House near Harrogate and also in Bradford.

Who are the new faces in the cast?

There are some more famous names adding to the impressive cast.

Among the new members, besides McCrory, are David Haig and Imelda Staunton, who is married to Jim Carter who plays Downton's Mr Carson.

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When will the film come out?

The Downton Abbey film is due for release in 2019.