The ninth film by Quentin Tarantino: Downton Abbey?

Well, maybe, after the period drama’s creator Julian Fellowes welcomed the prospect in an interview on Russia Today’s Going Underground programme.

Fellowes was asked in the interview, to be broadcast on Saturday, whether a film version of the genteel period drama couldn’t, as well as bringing back Maggie Smith, also up the “interclass violence”.

“As a director you could get Quentin Tarantino,” suggested host Afshin Rattansi. “Or Brian De Palma?”

Fellowes replied that “he loved Tarantino” who “would be a natural” and that De Palma was “another good idea”.

“I’ll feed it all in,” he added, before going on to say how much he would like to satisfy fans’ demand for a film, but rounding up all the cast would remain a challenge.

It remains to be seen if anyone’s tongue has ever been further in their cheek than Fellowes at that particular moment, but we think probably not. Downton Dogs will have to wait.