The script for a Downton Abbey film is well under way, and cast members have been enthusiastic about the prospect of reuniting on the big screen.

But fans of the period drama could be in for a major disappointment after Dame Maggie Smith said that six series of the television show were quite enough and a film version would be “squeezing it dry”.

The veteran actress, who delighted viewers with her performance as the Dowager Countess, said the “meandering” plotlines of the series would not translate to film.