Downton does disco: The girls of the Abbey ditch their pinafores and gowns for a festive photoshoot

By Andrea Magrath

Last updated at 3:30 PM on 14th November 2011

Season Two of their hit series went out with a bang this month. And so the girls of Downton Abbey have ditched their pinafores and gowns for sequins and hot pants in a glittering new photoshoot.

The actresses get their disco on for a festive feature for Marie Claire magazine's December issue.

Jessica Brown-Findlay and Amy Nuttall bring out their Dancing Queen moves for the shoot, which sees the stars shake a leg in a downpour of christmas confetti.

Dancing queens: The girls of Downton Abbey (L-R) Clare Calbraith, Amy Nuttall, Jessica Brown-Findlay, Laura Carmichael, Zoe Boyle, Joanne Froggatt, Michelle Dockery and Sophie McShera, ditch their uniforms and gowns for some festive sparkle in a glamorous new photoshoot

Laura Carmichael is almost unrecognisable without her ladylike frock, opting instead for glittering tights, sequinned hotpants and purple platform heels.

Clare Calbraith, who joined the series this season as Jane Moorsum rocks a feathered skirt and sparkly heels.

Zoe Boyle, whose character Miss Lavinia Swire fans watched die at the end of season two, is alive and kicking as she strikes a pose in gold trousers.

Head housemaid Joanne Froggatt has turned party girl for the shoot, shot by John Wright, dancing in a fringed LBD.

Michelle Dockery, better known as Lady Mary Crawley, lets her hair down in a star-spangled gold frock.

The actress has had plenty of practise in transforming herself for her role as Pea in stage play Jerusalem of late.

The second season has barely left our screens but Downton fans have a Christmas special to look forward to - and the just-announced season three, airing in 2012.

'The new series will be set in 1920 and 1921, and the drama will cover a period of 18 months in the lives of the Crawley family and the servants who work for them,' ITV announced.

Audience figures for the second season increased by over 21 percent on season one, with an average of 11.5 million viewers.

To read the feature in full feature, see the December issue of Marie Claire, on sale now, or visit www.marieclaire.co.uk