If you just can’t wait for the first full episode of the last season of “Downton Abbey,” you’ll be in the right place at the right time at the Suffolk Cultural Arts Center on Dec. 17.

A free premiere of the episode will take place at 7 p.m. that day, more than two weeks before the general public will be able to watch it on television. The event is presented by WHRO in partnership with the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts and Suffolk Tourism.

The arts center will also sell tickets to a VIP reception beforehand, which includes tea, reserved seating for the screening and a “Downton Abbey” keepsake.

The VIP tickets are going fast, though. Executive Director Jackie Cherry said 25 of the 100 available sold out in the two hours after they became available Friday.

“It was crazy,” Cherry said, noting people were calling from all over Virginia to get tickets.

The tea will include a scone, a sandwich and a sweet in addition to tea.

“I think it will be a really nice thing that people wouldn’t normally do,” Cherry said. “I’m real excited about the tea itself, because we’ve not done anything quite like this before. I think it will bring new faces to the city.”

Cherry said Katie Kelley with the city’s Tourism Division got wind of the opportunity and called Cherry about it. Other screenings are taking place in Norfolk and Newport News the same week.

The wildly successful series that debuted on PBS in 2011 follows the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era, with the great events in history having an effect on their lives and the British social hierarchy in general. Season 6 opens in 1925, finding the Crawley family clinging to an ever-changing world stage.

The show is widely credited with reigniting American viewers’ passion for British drama. It is the top PBS drama of all time and has been nominated for 51 Emmy awards.

Admission to the Dec. 17 screening is free, but tickets are required. They can be obtained at whro.org/downtonscreening.

Tickets to the special VIP tea reception are $30 and benefit the Suffolk Center Foundation. They can be obtained by calling 923-2900.

Seating is limited, and tickets are expected to go fast, so get yours now. Period attire is encouraged but not required at the event.