See George Clooney Do Downton Abbey For Text Santa

Downton Abbey welcomed some very special guests last night (19 December) in the form of George Clooney, Jeremy Piven and Joanna Lumley.

The celebs brought some festive fun to the period drama, poking fun at events in the main show, to raise money for ITV's Text Santa appeal.

The one-off skit sees Lord Grantham receive a telegram telling him that he’s squandered the family fortune, causing him to wish he had never been born.

He plans to "take the car for a spin" and never come back. But before he can get far, a Christmas Carol-inspired angel (Lumley) shows him what life at the manor would have been like if he had never existed.

Piven appears as Mr Selfridge in one supernatural premonition, with his department store underwear causing a stir upstairs as a game of strip-poker takes place among Downton's staff below stairs.

With Grantham gone, it turns out that Clooney has married Cora and now runs the estate. Shocked by the vision, Grantham agrees that Downton does need him after all.

Other highlights of Text Santa saw McBusted take on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!-style jungle tasks, while Phillip Schofield climbed the London's Shard and Alesha Dixon and Paddy McGuinness faced off in a rap battle. 

Paul O'Grady made an appearance as an unlikely Santa in Birds Of A Feather and Mel B, Warwick Davis and Jonathan Ross paid a visit to Coronation Street.

Viewers were treated to musical performances by Olly Murs, X Factor winner Ben Haenow and McBusted, who closed the telethon with a cover of I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day.

The Text Santa appeal raised £5,503,065 on the night - it's highest total ever.