Dame Maggie Smith bluntly said she ‘never watched Downton Abbey’ and admitted she was ‘delighted’ when it ended in resurfaced clip – following the actress’ death aged 89

Maggie Smith admitted during Graham Norton’s hosting that she ‘never watched Downton Abbey’ and was ‘delighted’ when it ended in a clip that has resurfaced following the much-loved actress’s death at the age of 89.

After the Harry Potter favorite died in hospital on Friday, the hilarious 2015 video from Graham Norton’s iconic talk show has been recirculated online.

The late British acting legend starred in the historical drama from 2010 to 2015 as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham – which is still remembered as one of her most prominent roles.

But despite continuing to be praised for her brilliant performances and witty one-liners, the Oscar winner admitted she was pleased with the series’ ending.

“So are you glad in a way that Downton is over?” the host asked, to which Maggie didn’t hesitate to reply, “Oh yeah.”

Causing host Graham to burst out laughing, she added: “No, that’s really me. To be honest, she was about, by the time we were done she must have been a hundred and ten, so I couldn’t go on any longer.

‘I couldn’t! It just wasn’t right.’

When asked if she had ever seen the British period drama herself, she hesitated and then looked cheekily at the presenter.

Graham struggled to contain his laughter as he insisted: “You didn’t do that?”, but Maggie confirmed that wasn’t the case by shaking her head.

“I have the box set. So I can watch it,” she added, leaving the audience in stitches.

The British star was known for prominent roles as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter franchise, as well as her Academy Award-winning performance in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie.

In tribute to his former co-star, Harry Potter star Rupert Grint – who played Ron Weasley in the franchise – he updated his Instagram profile photo with a sweet throwback photo of the pair.

Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville – who played her son in the show – also paid tribute.

He told the BBC: ‘Anyone who has ever shared a scene with Maggie will testify to her keen eye, sharp wit and formidable talent.

‘She was a true legend of her generation and will happily live on in so many wonderful film performances. My condolences to her boys and the rest of the family.’

Dan Stevens – who played Matthew Crawley in the period drama – spoke out on his Instagram Story, writing ‘Truly one of The Greats. RIP” alongside two photos of his former co-star.

Gyles Brandreth was also quick to pay tribute, calling the late actress ‘unique in every way’.

Brandreth shared a photo of him with Smith on

‘She was truly a wonderful actress, ‘one of the greats’ and simply the best company: wise, witty, lush, wonderful.

‘Unique in every respect and therefore irreplaceable.’

He also paid tribute on Times Radio, saying she was ‘a unique towering acting talent’. I just thought that one of the qualities we have as a country is our history with theater.

“Our actors are considered world class and if you look at the top of the world class, Maggie Smith is among the best. She’s one of the greats.

What’s remarkable about her, and the reason I say she’s one of the greats, is that she wasn’t just an exceptionally successful actress who could do it all. She had a unique quality.

“And I think that to join the pantheon of the greatest, you have to have something about your voice, your look and your demeanor that commands attention. She absolutely did, from the beginning.

“And she wouldn’t have considered herself a comedic actress or a classical actress. She could just do it all. She lacked personal vanity in the sense that she could play roles such as The Lady in the Van, based on Alan Bennett’s play, turned into a film, which was not a glamorous role. But she could also be incredibly glamorous… She was just an amazing star. She had star quality and set the highest standards.

‘People sometimes found her a bit intimidating, I think. Young actors, or even older actors, were a little nervous about her. They thought: what is she going to say, because she could be biting, she was witty. But if she was ever perceived as difficult, it was only because she set the highest standards, both for herself and for other people.’

American actress Whoopi Goldberg paid tribute to Dame Maggie Smith, saying she felt “lucky” to be working with her in Sister Act, where Dame Maggie played Reverend Mother Superior while Goldberg played Deloris Van Cartier.

Later in the day, numerous celebrities flooded Maggie’s social media accounts and paid heartfelt tributes to the star.

Dame Maggie won a Best Actress Oscar for the role in 1970.

Other film roles include her portrayal of a drunken Oscar loser in California Suite, the dying older lover in Love, Pain And The Whole Damn Thing, the tragic tenant in The Lonely Passion Of Judith Hearne, and the so-called ‘funny old bat’ . in Gosford Park, which earned her a sixth Oscar nomination.

She starred alongside Dame Judi Dench in the 2004 film Ladies In Lavender and on stage in David Hare’s play The Breath Of Life.

One of her best-known roles was as a bag lady in The Lady In The Van, the 2015 adaptation of Alan Bennett’s memoir.

She recently starred in 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era, where Violet’s health deteriorates and she dies in an emotional ending for her character.

The following year she appeared in The Miracle Club, which follows a group of Dublin women who go on a pilgrimage to the French city of Lourdes.

Dame Maggie’s second husband, the playwright Beverley Cross whom she married in 1975, died in 1998.

She had two sons from her first marriage, Stephens and Larkin, both of whom are actors.