Jenna Coleman plays Queen Victoria in the historical television drama Victoria, developed and primarily written by Daisy Goodwin. The show’s eight-episode first season was aired on ITV in the UK on August 28, 2016, and PBS in the US on January 15, 2017. PBS supported the show’s development as a Masterpiece anthology. The show focuses on Victoria’s early years, including her marriage to Albert and her involvement in politics from the 1830s through the 1850s. ITV aired a second season in 2017, including a Christmas special in December. PBS showed the second season starting in January 2018, with the Christmas special showing in March. A Christmas special from the second season was aired on ITV in 2017, and a PBS broadcast of the series began in January 2018, with the special showing in March.
LET’S DIG INTO THE PLOT OF VICTORIA S:2 DEEPLY
THE STAR CAST INVOLVED IN THE SERIES VICTORIA S:2
Jenna Coleman portrays Victoria. Tom Hughes plays Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert. The Duke of Wellington, a former British prime minister, is represented by Peter Bowles. The Duchess of Kent, Victoria’s mother and the widow of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, is described by Catherine Flemming. Baroness Lehzen, Victoria’s governess, is played by Daniela Holtz. Nell Hudson plays Nancy Skerrett, the Queen’s top dresser. Ferdinand Kingsley as Mr. Francatelli, Royal Chef to the Queen Tommy Knight as Archibald Brodie, Bell Boy to the Queen. Nigel Lindsay portrays British Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel. Eve Myles shows Mrs. Jenkins, Senior Dresser to the Queen, in series 1 and 2. David Oakes portrays Prince Ernest, the Queen’s first cousin, and Albert’s brother. The Duchess of Kent’s comptroller, Sir John Conroy, is played by Paul Rhys. In series one, Adrian Schiller is Mr. Penge, the Queen’s equerry.
LET’S HAVE A GLANCE AT THE FILMING LOCATIONS OF VICTORIA S:2
Victoria spends a lot of its time in Yorkshire. Castle Howard’s interiors are used in both Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace, while Harewood House, Bramham Park, and Wentworth Woodhouse also are used as the interiors of both royal houses. Beverley Minster serves as Westminster Abbey, and Carlton Towers serves as Windsor Castle. Newby Hall, Raby Castle, Allerton Castle, and Whitby West Pier are different places. Some of the interiors of Buckingham Palace were imitated at Church Fenton Studios, a former airplane hangar at Leeds East Airport close to Selby. The third season of outdoor filming venues included a part of Liverpool’s Georgian district. After filming for The Cry, another series Coleman showed up in, started in Australia in February 2018 and ended in May 2018, so that production on the third season of Victoria could begin; filming for the third season of Victoria began in May 2018.
WHAT WAS THE RESPONSE OF VIEWERS REGARDING THE SERIES VICTORIA S:2
The starting series has got good reviews from critics. Based on 40 reviews and an average rating of 6.77/10, the show’s first season has an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Strong performances by Jenna Coleman and Rufus Sewell suggest that Victoria may have Downton-esque potential. Still, according to the site’s consensus, the narrative falls just short of that soapy mark. Based on reviews with an average rating of 6.17/10, the second season has an 87% rating. According to the site’s consensus, Victoria’s sophomore season sees this historical drama return with a double batch of episodes that are just as entertaining as its first. According to Metacritic, which gave the first season a score of 67 out of 100 based on 22 reviews, it has garnered “generally great reviews.”