Plastic bottle ruins Downton Abbey photo shoot

A plastic bottle can clearly be seen sitting on the mantlepiece in this promotional shot for Downton Abbey.

It's often credited for its realistic depiction of life in 1920s Britain.

But ITV hit Downton Abbey will lose serious authenticity after a plastic water bottle caused a very modern mishap.

The offending item, which has a blue bottle top, can clearly be seen in a promotional picture for the forthcoming fifth series.

The gaffe, which will surely enrage production staff on the smash-hit series, is evident behind Laura Carmichael posing as Lady Edith Crawley with Hugh Bonneville.

The continuity error is 40 years too soon because plastic bottles like the one seen weren't widely used in the UK until the early 1960s.

Fans noted the mistake when images were circulated ahead of the show's return in the autumn.

Thankfully, there aren't any other clangers in the shots - which see Richard E Grant, Penelope Wilton and Rob James-Collier pose in character.

Season five will see a greater presence from Master George Crawley, the young son of the late Matthew Crawley and Lady Mary, who is now three years old, while Miss Sybbie Branson, the daughter of the late Lady Sybil and Tom Branson is now four years old.

The children of Downton Abbey are set to play a central part in the action during season five, with ITV promising "touching scenes" between little Sybbie and her on-screen father, former chauffeur Tom Branson.

Downton Abbey has collected two Golden Globes, two SAG Awards, and 10 Emmy Awards since its 2010 premiere.

The fourth season broke records - scoring an average 11.8 million UK viewers and 24 million US viewers.

The fifth season of Downton Abbey will premiere later this year.

- Daily Mail