The cast of the popular British-American period piece Downton Abbey has been spotted filming scenes for its very first episode of Season 4.

Digital Spy had released some pictures taken straight from the set, and the show appears as though it will be returning with the funeral for Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens).

Matthew had been involved in a terrible car accident during the 2012 Downton Abbey Christmas Special. Leaving his new wife, Mary (Michelle Dockery) widowed along with their newborn son.

In other Downton chatter, executive producer Gareth Neame recently told the New York Daily News that he thinks that the show may have six additional years of high quality stories to tell following Season 4.

However, while Neame would prefer that the series go 10 seasons, he would much rather it finish out on a high note than wear out its welcome.

"I would rather that we picked the right year [to end] and that in 20 years time the show was loved rather than we went on a season too long and people fell out of love with it," he said while in Los Angeles this past weekend for Santa Monica's Britweek.

Downton Abbey, which airs in 219 countries across the world, follows the ups and downs of the royal Crawley family and their staff in the 1920s.

The series is set to premiere its fourth season in the U.S. on Jan. 5, 2014, according to The Huffington Post. Keep checking back for more of the latest details on the popular series.

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Downton abbey, Television