The Queen's Royal Art Collection is inspiring a scripted series from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes and Simon Cowell

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“We’re doing story behind portraits in the royal collection. This came out of conversations about every great film like The Duchess. The portraits hang in the royal collection and there’s incredible stories behind them,” says Nigel Hall, the head of TV for Cowell's Syco production company. “Every episode, which is Julian’s idea, ends with the portrait being painted. For instance, one of the stories is a servant who worked for three kings and the queen. It’s a bit like The Butler. They’re all fascinating stories.”