Certainly m’Lady! Michelle Obama requests Downton Abbey series three early

Having been so busy on the campaign trail up until last week, you can understand why America’s First Lady Michelle Obama is keen to curl up on the sofa with a decent box set.

She is so desperate to know what happens in Julian Fellowes’ hit series Downton Abbey that she wrote to ITV1 requesting to see series three before it airs in America on 6 January 2013.

An ITV source told The Sun: “We know it’s very popular in America as it’s so quintessentially British. We’d heard the Obamas liked to watch it but we were very surprised when someone from the First Lady’s office got in touch asking for the series.”

“They were very polite and we were more than happy to sort out some DVDs for them to send over. Obviously we hope they keep the spoilers to themselves as our US fans may not know about... well, you know what!”

Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern star in the Sunday night drama which charts the upstairs, downstairs goings on in a great British household. The first series started prior to the outbreak of the Great War and the third series includes plenty of social and political upheaval with the onset of the roaring ‘20s, plus the demise of a significant character.

In September writer Fellowes announced he is planning to pen a prequel to the hit period drama centred on a younger Lord Robert and Lady Cora Grantham played by Bonneville and McGovern – both of whom were invited to Obama’s White House dinner for David Cameron in March.

Last week Fellowes suggested the show needs more ethnic diversity. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph he said it would "be rather nice to open it up ethnically a bit", adding: "You have to work it in in a way that is historically believable, but I am sure we could do that."

"[The show] certainly ought to have an Indian character from that period.”