DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON FINALE DRAWS BIGGEST 2013 RATINGS IN U.K.

About 40 percent of the entire British TV audience tuned in for Sunday night’s season finale of the hit ITV drama Downton Abbey. ITV said that the average 9.8 million viewers that the show attracted represented the largest audience for any dramatic TV program this year. The telecast peaked with 10.5 million viewers, according to ratings data. The season ender received solid reviews. In the London Daily Telegraph, critic Ben Lawrence wrote, “Downton has always operated with a large ensemble cast and multiple plot strands which makes it hard to achieve a satisfactory finale. So all praise to Julian Fellowes for writing something that not only wove together the loose ends but also created a piece of sugar-coated, but ultimately enjoyable, TV.” Earlier in the day, ITV and producers Carnival Films, a unit of NBCUniversal, announced that the costume drama would be renewed for a fifth season.