Popular British TV exports like Downton Abbey push collaborations forward. Photo: IC

Bedecked in 1920s dresses, feathered hats and three-piece suits, visitors from across the world have flocked to England's Highclere Castle, scene of the "Downton Abbey" smash TV drama - and now, at last, a film.

The setting of one of the most popular TV series ever made will appear on the big screen when the very first "Downton Abbey" movie opens in Britain on Friday, and globally later this month.

Winner of dozens of awards since its UK debut in 2010, the period drama about early 20th century aristocrats has mesmerized Yifan Gao, a Chinese student attending university in Scotland.

"Everyone our age knows Downtown Abbey" in China, the 25-year-old said, posing for a photograph in a vintage dress, a glamorous necklace draped around her neck.

Boasting 200 rooms, four chefs and four gardeners, the estate is now home to George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon, and Lady Fiona Carnarvon, his wife.

The running costs of the estate are huge, the earl tells AFP, without going into specifics.

AFP