Brendan Coyle

‘Downton Abbey’ star Brendan Coyle has been banned from driving for over four years, after he was discovered to be nearly three times the drink-drive limit when he was pulled over by police in Norfolk on New Year’s Day.

A court heard how Coyle, 52, who plays the loyal Mr Bates in the successful ITV series which concluded in December, was arrested after being followed by police when he was spotted driving erratically on the A149 near King’s Lynn on January 1st. Given a breathalyser test, he was found to have 98mcg in 100ml of breath (the legal limit is 35mcg).

Appearing during the hearing under his real name, David Coyle, he was given a 50 month ban from driving and ordered to 100 hours of unpaid work, as well as 15 days rehabilitation activity and told to pay £85 costs, plus a £60 victim surcharge.

Continue reading: 'Downton Abbey's Brendan Coyle Handed Four Year Driving Ban

Downton Abbey will conclude after its sixth season, the ITV show's producers have confirmed. Producer Gareth Neame made the announcement during a press conference on Thursday (26th March). "It's a very emotional day for all of the people involved in the show," Neame said at the press conference.

Maggie Smith stars in Downton Abbey.

See More: The Cast Of Downton Abbey Filming (March 2015).

Continue reading: Downton Abbey Will Conclude After Sixth Season - Movie Or Spin-Off Series To Follow?

Rupert Grint, AKA Ron Weasley, will be putting his Potter days behind him as he makes his stage debut on the West End. The prestigious theatre circuit will be a baptism of fire for the 24 year-old actor who has never performed on stage before, having captured the attention of the Warner Bros. producers when he submitted a rap, aged 11, proclaiming how much he wanted the part of Harry Potter's best friend, Ron.

Grint: Eyeballing A West End Role.

It has been confirmed to BBC News that Grint will star alongside Ben Whishaw (Skyfall, The Hour) in a gritty play entitled Mojo that was originally performed at the Royal Court in 1995, followed by a film adaptation in 1998. Opening at the Harold Pinter theatre in October, black comedy Mojo will be set in a seedy 1950s Soho nightclub with Grint playing 'Sweets' who has a penchant for amphetamines and dark humour. The Thunderpants actor will star alongside Whishaw, Downton Abbey's Brendan Coyle and Made in Dagenham's Daniel Mays.

Continue reading: Rupert Grint To Make West End Debut Alongside Ben Whishaw

Downton Abbey star Brendan Coyle nears a half century of years on this green earth, he’s still looking for ‘the one’ despite a strong female fan base, The Telegraph reports.

In-between breaking hearts of British middle age woman, Coyle, who portrays wonderfully the character of John Bates, spoke openly and honestly about his love life, or lack of it: “I'm going to be 50 soon. I'm single, I'm looking for something meaningful," he said. "By the time you've been single for quite a long time, you can get quite specific about what you can and can't put up with. If this TV success had come in my twenties and I'd become a heart–throb, I would have been very stupid. I would have got into a lot of situations that I really wished I hadn't. But in my forties, that's not going to happen." Coyle is fresh from an on screen marriage, as his romance with on-screen partner Anna, the housemaid in Downton Abbey, became official in the eyes of the church. If only there were a real life Anna for Coyle to settle down with.

The 48–year–old actor has had many long–term girlfriends but never married. "I don't know if it's a good or bad thing, but only now am I truly ready for a relationship," he said.

Downton Abbey’s Brendan Coyle has told Radio Times that the stars of the show know exactly when it’s going to end. So, if you were hoping that Downton Abbey would somehow evolve into a soap opera, with no shelf life, then we’re afraid you must be prepared to be disappointed. “I can pretty much say all of [the cast] know when Downton is going to end,” revealed Coyle, whose character Mr. Bates is currently serving time for allegedly murdering his wife. “This is a show with a finite life,” he stressed. “If we bring this into the 50s, it’s Emmerdale. Though I really like Emmerdale…”

What you can look forward to – even if it’s not endless episodes of Downton Abbey from now until kingdom come, is more drama and more ambiguity. “If you think it’s ambiguous now, it gets more ambiguous,” Coyle explains, teasingly. “Bates has been in the Boer War… he would have killed a lot of people. Does that mean he can kill his wife? What does it do to you?” Bates’ innocence, or otherwise, is currently one of the central debates of the show.

Last weekend, social networking sites were ablaze with misery as one of Downton Abbey’s best-loved characters, Lady Sybil (played by Jessica Brown Findlay), died shortly after childbirth. With Downton Abbey Season 3 in full swing in the UK, Julian Fellowes’ period drama has become a favourite both at home in the UK and across the pond in the United States. But just when, exactly, will its lifespan come to an end?