'Downton Abbey' Shocker: George Clooney Kisses the Dowager Countess

Romance, longing glances, stolen kisses — they're the bread and butter of Downton Abbey. This time, though, the intrigue doesn't involve Lady Mary and one of her numerous suitors, but rather the Dowager Countess… and George Clooney!

No, the debonair actor-director isn't guest-starring on the hit PBS British drama as Lord Clooney (bummer). Instead, Clooney visited Downton Abbey's set last May to tape a brief sketch that will air as part of Text Santa, a holiday charity telethon that airs in the United Kingdom. While he was at Highclere Castle, though, he very gallantly bestowed a smooch on the Dowager Countess, aka Maggie Smith. The  79-year-old actress was made a Dame in 1990 by Queen Elizabeth II for her services to the the performing arts.

We finally got the details of Clooney's visit from Tom Cullen, who plays Lord Gillingham (one of Lady Mary's aforementioned suitors).

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"I wasn't in on that day, but I know he gave Maggie a kiss, and she collapsed onto the sofa," he said on a British talk show, adding, "He's a very handsome man, isn't he?"

In the sketch, The Guardian reports that Clooney will play an American guest at a wedding held at thecountry estate where the Grantham family resides. He will be sharing screen time with actor Hugh Bonneville (Lord Grantham) and Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary). Clooney directed Bonneville in The Monuments Men, and the latter reportedly arranged his friend's cameo.

But could there still be hope that Clooney also shows up in Downton Abbey Season 5? And as Vanity Fair fancifully imagined, share tequila shots with the Dowager Countess? Perhaps; Clooney is reportedly a "big fan" of the show. And really, who could resist an opportunity to get cut down like this:

Downton Abbey returns for a fifth season on iTV in the U.K. on Sept. 21 and to PBS in the U.S. in early 2015.