AceShowbiz -

Fans of "Downton Abbey" will be treated to a Christmas special which has a new winter setting. Hugh Bonneville, who plays Lord Grantham in the ITV period drama, revealed that the series would have festive events in an episode scheduled to air on Christmas Day.

"We span several months in the Christmas episode," Bonneville told the Radio Times. "We're going grouse shooting in the north so we filmed at Alnwick Castle for a couple of weeks, which was just incredible. I mean, Highclere's pretty incredible, but Alnwick makes it look like a portacabin - it's vast, amazing."

He added, "We had the privilege of filming inside their state rooms, which was incredible. And the story does - I think viewers will be delighted to know - have a Christmas theme towards the end." The actor also said in an interview with "The Graham Norton Show" that the special, titled "A Moorland Holiday", would be "very heart-warming" to the point that "you'll have a lump in your throat, but in a very nice way."

"Downton Abbey" ended its fifth series on ITV earlier this month. Stateside, the latest season will air Sundays, January 4 to March 1, 2015 on MASTERPIECE on PBS.