Dan Stevens has apologised for the way he left 'Downton Abbey'.

The actor, whose character Matthew Crawley was killed off in the 2012 Christmas special of the hit ITV period drama, admits the timing of his departure may not have been appropriate viewing for the festive season.

Dan's on-screen alter-ego died in a car crash after visiting his wife Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and their newborn baby, and the dramatic scenes led to a passionate outcry from fans of the show.

In an interview with the Radio Times magazine, he said: "I'm sorry about that. I think what emerged is that it's an unwritten rule that you're not supposed to die on British television on Christmas Day and that, specifically, was not my doing."

The 30-year-old star - who decided to leave the hit show to pursue a movie career - was unsure how his beloved character would exit the series and reveals the cast and crew began taking bets on how writer Julian Fellowes would pen his exit.

He added: "We didn't see that script until the very last minute, so we didn't know exactly how they were going to do it. There was a bit of a sweepstake going on and all sorts of speculation, like, would he be gored by a stag in the Highlands? Or was some masonry going to fall from a parapet and hit him on the head?

"I didn't have any say in the matter in which he went. Ultimately, it was in the hands of Julian and the producers."