Downton Abbey actor faces setback as BBC axes show after just one season

Michelle Dockery’s latest TV venture, This Town, brought the 1980s music scene to life, but sadly, the series won’t be returning for a second season.

The anticipated six-part drama by Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight debuted on BBC One last year with 3.2 million viewers, but was unable to maintain its initial audience and lost a significant portion of it by the end of its run, failing to match the huge popularity of Downton Abbey.

In a statement, the BBC said: "We're hugely grateful to Steven Knight and the cast and crew for bringing This Town to life - in no small part due to Steven's passion for the West Midlands. 

"We look forward to working with him on new projects in the future, and we're in talks about what's next."

What is This Town about?

© Banijay Rights/Kudos/Robert Viglasky

The series is set in 1980s Birmingham and Coventry in a world of "family ties, teenage kicks and the exhilarating music of a generation". 

According to the synopsis, “The series tells the story of "a band's formation against a backdrop of violence, capturing how creative genius can emerge from a time of madness. Both a high-octane thriller and a family saga.” 

Speaking about the series, Steven Knight explained: "This Town opens in 1981 at a moment of huge social tensions and unrest. Against this backdrop, it tells the story of a group of young people fighting to choose their own paths in life, and each in need of the second chance that music offers." 

© BBC

He continued: "You might say it's about music or it's about people who are drawn to a certain type of music, but I've tried not to do that. 

"I didn't really want to do a thing about people who form a band, which is part of what it is, I wanted to create a group of people who have no choice other than to form a band because all the other options are so bleak."

The series starred Dockery as Estella, alongside Levi Brown (Loss and Return) as Dante, Ben Rose (Line of Duty) as Bardon, Eve Austin (You) as Jeannie, Freya Parks (Here We Go) as Fiona, Jordan Bolger (The Woman King) as Gregory, Nicholas Pinnock (Marcella) as Deuce, Peter McDonald (The Batman) as Eamonn Quinn, Shyvonne Ahmmad (Annika) as Matty, and David Dawson (My Policeman) as Robbie Carmen. 

Who is Michelle Dockery?

© Sky

She is a British actress better known for her role as Lady Mary Crawley in the acclaimed series Downton Abbey, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe. 

She is set to come back to the screen as Lady Mary in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, currently scheduled for release in September 2025.

She also appeared in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen, Defending Jacob and Anatomy of a Scandal, as well as appearing in the thriller Non-Stop alongside international stars such as Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore.

She has been married to Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s brother, Jasper Waller-Bridge, since 2023, after four years of dating.