Downton Abbey star Jim Carter has revealed the finale of the show will be tearful and “muted”.

The actor, who plays Carson in the period drama, said the ending is “satisfying” and ties up all the stories.

“All the servants were together in the servants’ hall,” he told The Mail on Sunday.

“It was New Year’s Eve, it was candle-lit, there were little Christmas decorations left over, it was dark and we were quietly singing Auld Lang Syne.

“That was a nice, low-key rather muted end to the thing.”

Carter, 67, admitted that he and the rest of the cast and crew were “a mess” and burst into tears after filming the last episode in series six.

“I felt I should say something to the crew on behalf of the cast,” he added.

“I said, ‘Guys, I can’t thank you enough.’ Then I completely choked up.”

The finale will see butler Charles Carson and housekeeper Elsie Hughes finally getting married.

Carter described the two characters, whose first names will be revealed for the first time in the final episode, moving towards each other “like a pair of glaciers”.

The ITV show began as a low-key series when it first hit British screens five years ago.

It is now an international sensation, particularly in America, and is broadcast in 220 countries to 120 million people around the world.