Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes is working with Simon Cowell’s production company to develop a new royal drama.

The actor and screenwriter is reported to be collaborating with Syco to produce a new series based on portraits in the Royal Collection.

It will be a first foray into scripted television for Cowell’s production company, as the stories behind royal portraits are told on screen.

According to first reports on entertainment website Deadline, each episode of the series will tell the dramatic story behind a portrait from the Royal Collection, which is owned by the Queen.

Fellowes has had enormous success with previous period dramas, and is preparing a big-screen adaptation of Downton Abbey.

The series ended in 2015 but Dame Maggie Smith and the cast are set to return for the feature-length production.