Downton Abbey series 5: Lady Edith set for more anguish after pregnancy

The unlucky Crawley sister gave birth to an illegitimate child in Season 4

Lady Edith Crawley is braced for more misery (ITV screenshot)

Fans hoping for a happy ending for Downton Abbey’s Lady Edith are set to be sorely disappointed in the forthcoming fifth season.

Despite being perpetually unlucky in love, culminating in her giving birth outside of wedlock and struggling to decide what to do with the child, the middle Crawley sister will not be getting respite anytime soon.

The cast and executive producer Gareth Neame gave reporters a taste of what’s to come this autumn in a PBS Downton Abbey panel held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.

And the downtrodden Lady Edith, played by Laura Carmichael, will not be finding compassion for her situation from those within her close circle.

Michelle Dockery, who plays Edith’s sister Lady Mary, said: “Mary doesn't know Edith has a daughter. So Edith certainly won't get any sympathy from her unknowing sister.

“Mary's mean to Edith especially in this season - me and Laura love it when they're mean to each other, it's more fun to do.”

But things are looking up for Mary, as she recovers from the untimely death of her husband Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens).

"She's embracing her new life, really,” said Dockery.

“She's through the grief now and I kind of see (Season) 5 as the new Mary. She's got a bit of her bite back, which we had in (Season) 1.”

The Downton cast answer questions about the forthcoming series (Getty)

The real star of the series will be Maggie Smith’s Dowager Countess. Neame said in a previous interview with TV Line that the Downton matriarch will have a “brilliant” storyline, adding: “It’s Downton at its best, this storyline. It’s fantastic.”

The new season, which takes place six months after the Season 4 Christmas special, will air in the United States on 4 January.

It returns to ITV in the autumn, but an official date has not yet been announced.