Downton stars: 'We'd love to see Mrs Hughes and Carson get together!'

Will Mrs Hughes and Mr Carson ever get it together? British TV's answer to Ross and Rachel have kept us hanging on for five series now, but if you're desperate to see them tie the knot then you're not the only one.

Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan, who play the star-crossed duo, are also desperate for the Downton Abbey characters to take the plunge.

"We'd love to see them get together!" says Jim. "It's our chance to do something a bit different because a lot of what we do downstairs is duty. To open that little door into their personal lives is quite rare, they're precious moments and we like them!"

There have been signs of romance over the last series, with Mr Carson suggesting he and Mrs Hughes buy a property together to provide for their retirement, but Phyllis says she and Jim have no idea if Downton's housekeeper and butler will ever be a couple.

'That's a question for Julian Fellowes I'm afraid,' she explains. They are kindred spirits and it's encouraging to hear that the audience has as much interest in us as they do in the young gorgeous ones!"

Yet after watching the pair holding hands at the seaside in last year's Christmas special, there can be no doubt about which Downton wedding is the one viewers most want to see the most!

"That was simply Mrs Hughes saving Mr Carson from drowning,' says Jim, playing down their moment standing in the waves. "That tide is vicious at West Wittering!"

The Downton Abbey series finale screens on ITV at 9pm on Sunday, November 9

Downton Abbey's Jim Carter: 'Every dinner party scene is 10 hours of my life!'