'Once Upon a Time' books 'Downton Abbey's' Lesley Nicol as ...

"Once Upon a Time" is ringing in the new year with some British style. The fairytale drama has booked "Downton Abbey" star Lesley Nicol, ABC confirms to Zap2it.

The news broke when "OUAT" star Josh Dallas tweeted Wednesday (Jan. 2), "As a Huge #DowntonAbbey Fan I'm very excited @lesley_nicol is coming to #OnceUponATime! #dontgeekout #becool #getyourtweetsright."

Nicol responded, "@joshdallas Hi there - I am looking forward to it!! See you all soon."

But who will "Downton's" Mrs. Patmore play when she comes to Storybrooke and/or Fairytale Land? ABC tells Zap2it Nicol's character "has a special connection to the Snow White family."

That doesn't necessarily mean she's a character from the Snow White story, however. On "OUAT," the writers love a good character mash-up. So who would be your ideal character for Nicol? We'd love to see the writers delve into the L. Frank Baum world -- perhaps Mrs. Patmore moonlights as a wicked witch?