Rob James Collier said he was unsure if his character was still gay in the third season of the hit period drama Downton Abbey.

The actor plays the villainous footman Thomas who had a sexual encounter with a Turkish male diplomatic visitor in series one.

However, there was no mention of Thomas’ sexuality in the script for series two which puzzled Rob.

Rob had to call the show’s creator Julian Fellowes to check if the character was still attracted to men.

The actor plays evil footman Thomas in Downton Abbey

The actor said: “I had to ring upstairs and ask Julian, ‘Am I still gay?’ I said, ‘Right, OK.’”

However, viewers can expect more action between the sheets from Thomas in the upcoming series.

“The gay thing comes back in this series. He stopped being gay in series two.

“Seriously, in series two the drama focused on the First World War and the huge impact it had on people back home in Britain in dealing with the dead and wounded. The gay thing was largely ignored.

“But Thomas has a beautiful storyline which evolves right through the new series and there is a massive pay-off,” he said.

Thomas will have a relationship with a man in series three of the show

According to The Irish Independent the character will fall for the new footman, Jimmy Kent played by Ed Spleers.
"Thomas takes him under his wing and looks after him. Knowing Thomas and knowing he has a preference for a certain type of person in life, I think Jimmy fits that bill perfectly, if you know what I mean."

Rob said that Thomas may even come out in the new series of the show despite homosexuality being illegal until 1967 in the UK.

“There are some very emotional scenes which were very challenging.

“I hope the audience will identify with why Thomas is the way he is – he has this secret that he can’t tell anyone about because it’s illegal.

“He has this burden which he wants to share and we see that explained in a lovely storyline, thanks to Lord Fellowes,” he said.

The new season of Downton Abbey will premiere on TV3 in the autumn.