The Hollywood Reporter‘s interview with the executive producer Gareth Neame about the Season 5 storyline and the ever evolving character arcs.

‘Downton Abbey’ Postmortem: EP Talks Departures and What to Expect From Season 6

“The show has always been about the end of this era, so we are seeing the decline of this family and great stately homes of this kind,” Gareth Neame tells THR.

11:00 PM PST 3/1/2015 by Scott Huver

With the U.S. broadcast of the fifth season of the beloved British import Downton Abbey now complete, the curtain is ready to be thrown back by one of the only people with a significant say in the fate of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants who isn’t creator/sole screenwriter Julian Fellowes: executive producer Gareth Neame.

The Emmy-winning Naeme — who first pitched the notion of chronicling a declining English manor during the transition from the Edwardian era into the modern age to Fellowes — joined The Hollywood Reporter to look back at a season packed with family intrigue (Mary finally picked a suitor, then didn’t, then found an intriguing new candidate), unexpected romances (the Dowager had a spicy past, while Isobel’s future looked tormented), lingering consequences (Edith laid greater claim to her illegitimate daughter Marigold, while Anna and Bates continued to pay for the sins of Mr. Green), new family members (Rose got married), poignant departures (Branson and Sybbie left for America, while Isis went to doggie heaven); surprise unions (Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes, together at last!) and the continued, inevitable move forward from an increasingly bygone time.

Click here to read more.