The first images of the Gisborne-born talent dressed in 1920s finery as real-life character Dame Nellie Melba were revealed yesterday.
The episode screens in Britain on Monday.
Dame Kiri reportedly brought the cast of the period drama to tears with her performance as the Australian soprano who was one of the world's most famous singers in the early 20th century.
Her appearance in the fourth season of the Golden Globe Award-winning show is as its first non-fiction character.
Dame Nellie performs Giacomo Puccini's 'O Mio Babbino Caro' and Antonin Dvorak's 'Songs My Mother Taught Me' for an intimate gathering of guests during a house party thrown by the Earl of Grantham (played by Hugh Bonneville).
Dame Kiri has previously described "nearly choking" when she was asked to take the part, and the "excitement but fright" of being on stage with the famous cast.
In New Zealand, the show screens on Prime TV. A spokeswoman for the channel said Prime had not confirmed a start date for the new season, but expected to announce it soon. Morgan Tait
- NZ Herald
