One of Downton Abbey's main characters could soon quit the show in order to concentrate on trying to forge a career on Broadway.

Actor Dan Stevens, 29, who plays Matthew Crawley, heir to the Downton estate, has reportedly refused to sign up for a fourth series next year.

Later this month Mr Stevens will appear in Broadway play The Heiress.

He said: ‘New York for me is going to be one big adventure. I will be taking the whole family out and we will be there for six months.‘I don’t know if I will be returning to Downton.’

The loss of one of their pivotal stars would be a blow to Downton Abbey’s producers.

But his departure would present an even greater challenge to the show’s scriptwriter Julian Fellows.

As the heir to Lord Grantham’s house and fortune, Matthew Crawley is integral to the show’s plot.

The drama’s credibility has already been stretched in recent weeks with its fourth premature death in just three series.

Lady Mary’s sister Sybil -played by Jessica Brown-Findlay - passed away in a fit of convulsions as her family wept by the bedside.

Previous episodes have seen young fiancée Lavinia Swire succumb to a deadly flu virus, footman William Mason die in the Battle of the Somme, and Turkish diplomat Kemal Pamuk suffer a fatal heart attack in Lady Mary’s bed.

An ITV spokesman said: ‘We don’t discuss an actor’s individual contract or storylines.’

Mr Steven's departure would be a double blow to fellow Downton star Michelle Dockery, who plays his on-screen wife.

In real life the 30-year-old actress - who plays Lady Mary in the hit ITV1 series - has ended her five-month relationship with fellow actor Joseph Millson.

Miss Dockery, 30, started dating Mr Millson, 38, after she split from her long-term boyfriend Trent Davies earlier this year.

Last month, the pair attended the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, where she was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

【娛樂快訊】《唐頓莊園》又爆出重磅消息！在第三季失去三小姐Lady Sybil 后，飾演男主角“大表哥”的丹·史蒂文斯昨日承認(rèn)，他沒有跟《唐頓莊園》劇組簽約第四季，這也就意味他飾演的角色“Matthew Crawley”將缺席第四季。沒有了大表哥的《唐頓莊園》劇情將如何繼續(xù)？

據(jù)悉，丹·史蒂文斯做出此決定主要是因?yàn)樽约旱陌倮蠀R事業(yè)。下個月他將在百老匯舞臺上出演戲劇《女繼承人》。丹·史蒂文斯的退出將給編劇朱利安·費(fèi)羅斯帶來嚴(yán)峻的考驗(yàn)，劇中他的妻子Lady Mary戲份也必然受到影響。而在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中，飾演 Lady Mary的女演員米歇爾·道克剛和交往五個月的男友分手。