Downton Abbey 3 star Phyllis Logan gets candid about working with husband Kevin McNally

Phyllis Logan is busier than ever! After wrapping production on Downton Abbey 3 last year, the actress has appeared alongside her husband, Kevin McNally, in Miss Austen, and she’s also been shooting a project called The Puzzle Lady. 

Taking a break from her non-stop schedule on Sunday, Phyllis, 69, was joined by Kevin, 68, for a rare appearance on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, where they opened up about sharing the screen.

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Enjoying a sun-soaked interview in an idyllic English garden, the loved-up couple, who married in 2011, dished on their roles as Mrs Hughes and Horace Bryant. 

Phyllis was ’embarrassed” when her husband Kevin joined Downton Abbey 

Recalling what it was like to collaborate on Downton Abbey, Phyllis clarified that it was never “competitive” between them. Joking that it was “impossible” for Kevin to have delivered a better performance than her, the actress explained that it was “so funny” that their characters had so many scenes together. She quipped that the crew also saved money on getting them to the set as they could share a car. 

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Meanwhile, Kevin told Alan, 75, about the moment he found out about his casting in Downton. “There’s a very funny story about when I got it,” he began. “I came home and came to the house and I said, ‘Oh Phyllis, I’ve just been offered a job,’ and she said, ‘What is it?’ and I said ‘Downton Abbey’. 

“And she said, ‘No, no, no, what is it?’ and I said ‘Downton Abbey’ and she said: ‘Oh, that’s so embarrassing. It’s like bring your husband to work day, I don’t come spoiling Pirates of the Caribbean for you! I don’t know what she got up to on the set when I wasn’t there,” laughed Kevin. 

Phyllis is back in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

While Phyllis is expected to appear in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, Kevin will not reprise his role. Set to premiere on 12 September 2025, the third and final film in the franchise was shot last year, with the cast spotted in their Edwardian costumes at Yorkshire’s Ripon Racecourse. 

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In an exciting development, the official poster for the movie was shared this week, giving fans a glimpse of Michelle Dockery – aka Lady Mary Crawley – as she walked the halls in a scarlet floor-length gown. The caption noted that: “The time has come to say goodbye”. 

The final film was written by the franchise’s creator, Julian Fellowes, and stars the likes of Michelle, Laura Carmichael, Joanne Froggatt, Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern, while also welcoming newcomers, Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale and Arty Froushan. 

According to Downton’s executive producer, Gareth Neame, the period drama will also honour the late, great Maggie Smith, who passed away in September 2024. Given that her on-screen counterpart, Lady Violet, had been written out in Downton Abbey: A New Era, Gareth explained that both the character’s and Maggie’s real-life passing had impacted scenes. 

“The fact that Dame Maggie herself has now passed away since that time, I do think, has given a real added poignancy to a story that we would have planned anyway,” he told TV Line. 

“The loss of the Dowager [in Downton Abbey: A New Era], it now feels far more significant that you see actors playing characters mourning the family matriarch. But I also see actors mourning the matriarch of the show, and it feels more genuine and more meaningful.”