LONDON — "Downton Abbey," the world's favorite country-house soap, is getting a dose of opera.
Producers say soprano Kiri Te Kanawa will appear in the upcoming fourth season as real-life diva Nellie Melba.
The New Zealand-born singer says "I couldn't say yes fast enough" to appearing in a show she loves — and enjoyed her time on set so much she named her new dog Abbey.
Te Kanawa sang for journalists at a preview of the new season on Tuesday. In the new series, Melba — a huge star of the early 20th century — joins the aristocratic Grantham clan for a house party.
The costume drama about the family and servants in an English stately home returns to British television this fall, and airs in the U.S. on PBS in January.
