Victoria (British TV series) explained

Genre:Historical drama
Creator:Daisy Goodwin
Theme Music Composer:Martin Phipps
Composer:Ruth Barrett
Country:United Kingdom
Num Series:3
Num Episodes:25
List Episodes:
  1. Episodes
Location:United Kingdom
Runtime:46–89 minutes
Company:Mammoth Screen
Masterpiece
Network:ITV

Victoria is a British historical television drama series created and principally written by Daisy Goodwin, starring Jenna Coleman as Queen Victoria. The series premiered in the United Kingdom on ITV on 28 August 2016 with eight episodes, and in the United States on PBS on 15 January 2017; PBS supported its production as part of the Masterpiece anthology. The series follows Victoria's early life, including her relationship with her husband Albert and her political responsibilities of the 1830s to the 1850s.

A second series was broadcast on ITV in 2017, including a Christmas special that aired that December; PBS broadcast followed starting in January 2018, with the special belatedly airing in March. In December 2017, Victoria was renewed for an eight-episode third series, which premiered on PBS on 13 January 2019, and on ITV on 24 March 2019 before concluding on 12 May 2019. As of July 2021, ITV confirmed that there were no active plans for a fourth series.

Premise

The first series (covering 1837–1840) depicts the first few years of the reign of Queen Victoria (portrayed by Jenna Coleman), from her accession to the British throne at the age of 18 (1837), to her intense friendship and infatuation with her favourite advisor Lord Melbourne (Rufus Sewell), to her courtship and early marriage (1840) to Prince Albert (Tom Hughes) of Germany, and finally to the birth of their firstborn child and eldest daughter, Victoria, Princess Royal (born 1840).

The second series (covering 1840–1849) follows Queen Victoria's struggles to balance her queenly role as the youngest monarch with her duties to her husband and children, various dramas within the English and German branches of the royal family, international relations with France, and such crises as the Anglo-Afghan War (1838–1842) and the 1840s Famine in Ireland (1845–1849).

At the beginning of the third series (covering 1849–1851), Victoria and Albert have six children and have just entered their early 30s while navigating difficulties in their marriage; as the series progresses, these tensions ebb and flow. Subplots in the third series include Albert's ongoing efforts to find his place, culminating in The Great Exhibition (1851), and his efforts to mould his eldest son (ages 7–9) into a king; Victoria's political relationship with the charismatic Lord Palmerston; the sudden arrival of Queen Victoria's estranged maternal half-sister, Princess Feodora, at the palace; and a forbidden romance between one of the Queen's ladies and a footman. The onset of Albert's health issues are also referenced, leading to the series ending in a cliffhanger.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Series 1

Series 2

Series 3

Episodes

Series 3 (2019)

Production

Development

The series was announced in September 2015, following Coleman's decision to leave Doctor Who to join the cast as Queen Victoria.[7] [8] Daisy Goodwin said in October 2016 that a Christmas special episode for the 2016 series had been proposed and was rejected by ITV; one was subsequently commissioned for 2017 after the rising ratings popularity for Victoria.[9]

In September 2016, ITV renewed Victoria for a second series, followed by a Christmas special.[10] [11] In December 2017, Victoria was renewed for a third series, with Coleman and Hughes set to return.[12] Beyond the renewal, ITV administration reportedly expects Victoria to run for a total of six series, although whether Jenna Coleman would remain as the lead actress as the series moves into depicting Victoria's later years was uncertain.[13] After the conclusion of the third series, Coleman stated that the programme would "take a break" while a fourth series was planned.[14] In July 2021, ITV confirmed that there were no active plans for a fourth series.[15]

Producers Mammoth Screen picked Screen Yorkshire's Church Fenton Studios which is in Tadcaster North Yorkshire, as the central base for the recreation of Buckingham Palace. Church Fenton Studios recently launched, so Victoria subsequently became the first production to film there. It is the first time Yorkshire has needed a large scale studio space to host a major drama. Mammoth Screen spent seven months filming the first series in Yorkshire.[16]

Filming

Much of Victoria is filmed in Yorkshire. The interiors of Castle Howard double as Kensington Palace, Harewood House stands in for Buckingham Palace, with Bramham Park and Wentworth Woodhouse also being in use for both royal residences. Carlton Towers is in use as Windsor Castle, while Beverley Minster replaces Westminster Abbey. Other locations include Raby Castle, Allerton Castle, Newby Hall and Whitby West Pier. Church Fenton Studios, a converted aircraft hangar at Leeds East Airport near Selby, was in use to recreate some interiors of Buckingham Palace.[17] [18] Parts of Liverpool's Georgian quarter were used for exterior locations for the filming of the third series.[19]

Filming for first series began in early 2016. The second series was filmed in early 2017 and the third series began filming in May 2018, after filming for The Cry, another series that Coleman starred in, commenced in Australia in February 2018,[20] [21] and concluded in May 2018, so that production on the third series of Victoria could commence.[22]

Music

Victoria (Original Soundtrack)
Type:soundtrack
Artist:Martin Phipps and Ruth Barrett
Cover:Victoria soundtrack.jpg
Genre:Soundtrack
Length:28:03
Label:Dubois
Chronology:Victoria music
Next Title:Victoria, Vol. 2 & 3
Next Year:2021

The theme song is by Martin Phipps, sung by the Mediæval Bæbes. Phipps also wrote and conducted incidental music for the early episodes. For later episodes the conducting role was undertaken by Ruth Barrett.[23] An official soundtrack for the first series was released digitally on 12 January 2017.[24] [25] A CD issue followed in 2018.

Victoria, Vol. 2 & 3
Type:soundtrack
Artist:Ruth Barrett
Cover:Victoria, Vol. 2 & 3 soundtrack.jpg
Genre:Soundtrack
Length:52:49
Label:Dubois
Chronology:Victoria music
Prev Title:Victoria (Original Soundtrack)
Prev Year:2017

On 23 February 2019, Barrett posted via her Instagram she would be releasing a second official soundtrack to accompany the second and third series.[26] The second official soundtrack was released 22 February 2019 via Amazon for the United States and will be released at a later date for the United Kingdom.[27]

Release

Broadcast

The eight-episode first series premiered on ITV on 28 August 2016 in the UK, and on PBS on 15 January 2017 in the United States as part of Masterpiece.[28] The series premiered on 4 April 2017 in Canada on Vision TV,[29] and January 2019 on ViuTV6 in Hong Kong.

The eight-episode second series premiered on ITV on 27 August 2017, and on PBS on 14 January 2018.[30] [31] The second series premiered in Canada on 26 September 2018 on Vision TV.[32]

The eight-episode third series was broadcast on PBS from 13 January to 3 March 2019,[33] before the series was broadcast in the UK,[34] where it aired on ITV from 24 March to 12 May 2019.[35] [36]

Home media

In Region 2, the first series of Victoria was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 10 October 2016.[37] The second series was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 13 November 2017.[38] The 2017 feature-length Christmas Special was released on DVD 26 December 2017.[39]

In Region 1, the first series of Victoria was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 31 January 2017.[40] The second series of Victoria was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 30 January 2018.[41]

Reception

Critical reception

The critics' reviews of the first series have been positive. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a rating of 80%, based on 40 reviews, with an average rating of 6.77/10. The site's consensus reads: "Strong performances by Jenna Coleman and Rufus Sewell hint at Downton-esque potential for Victoria, but the narrative falls just shy of that soapy mark."[42]

The second series holds a rating of 87%, based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 6.17/10. The site's consensus reads: "Victoria's sophomore series finds this striking period drama returning with a second batch of episodes that are just as absorbing as its first." On Metacritic, the first series has a score of 67 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".[43]

Mehera Bonner of Marie Claire wrote: "Stunning, addictive...and ridiculously romantic".[44] Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe wrote: "Captivating [and] unforgettable".[45] In contrast, Hank Stuever of The Washington Post wrote of the first series "Predictable to the bone", and Verne Gay of Newsday of the second series, "it feels like sanitized history".

Historical accuracy

Victoria's writer Daisy Goodwin said that the drama was inspired by real events: "...whether they are assassination attempts, the repeal of the Corn Laws, or the terrible potato famine...All the big building blocks of the series are true."[46]

The Duchess of Sutherland is inaccurately depicted as carrying on an improbable romance with prince (later duke) Ernest of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who is also inaccurately depicted as being unmarried at the time. Margaret Clunie told RadioTimes.com: "Harriet Sutherland had a famously happy marriage with the Duke of Sutherland and they had these 11 children and lived happily ever after. So we have slightly deviated away from the truth."[47]

The story lines are a blending of history, historical inaccuracies, and characters invented for dramatic purposes. In some cases, the historical figures are indistinguishable from invented characters in all but name, with the traits, actions, and experiences having little to do with the real lives of those supposedly portrayed. For example, Dame Diana Rigg was cast to play an elderly and curmudgeonly Duchess of Buccleuch even though the real woman was in her 30s when at court, and older sister Feodora is made into a spiteful schemer living for an extended period of some years with Victoria and Albert, although letters reveal the sisters seemingly had an affectionate bond that made them faithful correspondents across years and distance, with visits relatively rare.

Robert Peel's Private Secretary Edward Drummond is shown as having a relationship with Lord Alfred Paget, but there is no evidence that either of the men were gay or had any same-sex relationships. Drummond was fatally shot in 1843, not in 1846, as portrayed. His shooting was likely a case of mistaken identity, rather than his being shot when defending Peel. He was aged 51 when he died, so was considerably older than the character featured in the series.[48] Paget did not become the Queen's Chief Equerry until 1846.[49] He was born in 1816, so at the time portrayed he would have been of an age similar to the character in the series.

Frances Mulraney wrote on IrishCentral that "Faith, Hope & Charity" episode "overplays the extent to which Queen Victoria sought to aid the famine Irish in the 1840s, exaggerating her interest in Ireland." English-born historian Christine Kinealy, founding director of Ireland's Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University, who has studied Queen Victoria's diaries and the writings of Prime Ministers Peel and Russell, said: "There is no evidence that she had any real compassion for the Irish people in any way."[50] Irish clergyman Robert Traill, who wrote a letter that makes it to the newspapers, never met Victoria.[51] The creator of the show, Daisy Goodwin, said: "I thought [Robert Traill's] story would be a good way to illustrate the terrible way in which the Irish were treated by the British government."[52]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef
2017British Academy Television Craft AwardsBest Make Up and Hair DesignNic Collins[53]
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)Martin Phipps, Ruth Barrett, Natalie Holt for "Doll 123"[54]
Outstanding Main Title Theme MusicMartin Phipps

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 21 October 2015. Rufus Sewell to join Jenna Coleman in major new ITV drama Victoria. ITV Press Centre. ITV.
  2. Web site: 14 December 2015. Tom Hughes to star as Prince Albert in major new ITV drama Victoria. ITV Press Centre. ITV.
  3. Web site: Tartaglione. Nancy. Rufus Sewell Joins ITV's 'Victoria' As Period Drama Adds More Cast. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media, LLC. 29 August 2016. 21 October 2015.
  4. News: It was impossible to turn down Victoria, says Jenna Coleman. The Indian Express. PTI. 29 August 2016. 14 August 2016.
  5. Web site: Eve Myles and Tommy as Mrs Jenkins and Archibald Brodie in Victoria....enjoy!! . Tommy . Knight . 5 June 2016 . Facebook . 10 January 2019 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190331040002/https://www.facebook.com/341799168722/photos/a.443244568722/10153729115158723/?type=3 . 31 Mar 2019 .
  6. Web site: Leane. Rob. 22 October 2015. Victoria: first pic of Jenna Coleman, Eve Myles joins cast. Den of Geek. . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20171129041343/https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/victoria/37461/victoria-first-pic-of-jenna-coleman-eve-myles-joins-cast . 29 Nov 2017 .
  7. Web site: Jenna Coleman is Leaving Doctor Who . . 18 September 2015 . 18 September 2015 .
  8. Web site: Leo. Barraclough . Jenna Coleman Leaving 'Doctor Who' to Play Queen Victoria . . 18 September 2015 . 18 June 2016 .
  9. Web site: Frost . Caroline . 14 October 2016 . 'Victoria' Drama Christmas Offer Turned Down By ITV, Reveals Creator Daisy Godwin . The Huffington Post.
  10. Web site: Hallelujah! Victoria to return for a second series . RadioTimes . Ben . Dowell . 23 September 2016 . 23 September 2016.
  11. Web site: ITV's Victoria gets a 2017 Christmas special, reveals screenwriter Daisy Goodwin . RadioTimes . Susanna . Lazarus . 6 October 2016 . 9 October 2016.
  12. Web site: Clarke . Stewart . 12 December 2017 . Jenna Coleman Returning for Series Three of 'Victoria' . Variety . 12 December 2017.
  13. News: https://archive.today/20161229203057/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/victoria-six-series-jenna-coleman_uk_57fcbc87e4b01fa2b9052a64 . 'Victoria': ITV Bosses 'Considering Six Series in Total, But Swapping Jenna Coleman Halfway Through . Frost. Caroline. 11 October 2016 . The Huffington Post . 29 December 2016 . live .
  14. Web site: Victoria will "take a break" following series 3 finale says Jenna Coleman. Ben. Allen. Radio Times. 13 May 2019. 24 November 2020.
  15. Web site: ITV confirms there are "no plans presently" for Jenna Coleman's Victoria to return amid cancellation rumours . Radio Times . Morgan . Jeffery . 25 July 2021 . 26 July 2021.
  16. News: 'VICTORIA' - Screen Yorkshire. Screen Yorkshire. 26 April 2018. en-GB.
  17. Web site: 25 September 2016 . Where was Victoria filmed? . Radio Times.
  18. Web site: Penfold . Phil . 27 August 2016 . Filmed in Yorkshire, could Victoria fill the gap left by Downton? . The Yorkshire Post.
  19. Web site: Kirkham . Jenny . This is what they were filming in Liverpool's Georgian Quarter today . liverpoolecho . 12 June 2018 . 12 June 2018.
  20. Web site: First look at Jenna Coleman in BBC One's The Cry and further casting . BBC . 20 February 2018 . 25 September 2018.
  21. Web site: Australia's finest join the cast of new drama The Cry. Kentera. Yasmin. 26 February 2018. ABC. 25 September 2018.
  22. Web site: When is Jenna Coleman's child abduction thriller The Cry coming to TV? . Radio Times . Eleanor . Bley Griffiths . 25 September 2018 . 25 September 2018.
  23. Web site: What is the Victoria title music? Who wrote the theme? Who sings it? Was it played at her wedding to Albert?. Dowell. Ben. 25 September 2016. Radio Times. 25 September 2016.
  24. Web site: Well we have rather excellent news... It's here... Head over to Spotify #Victoria #Soundtrack . Facebook . 13 January 2017 . 18 January 2017.
  25. Web site: Victoria (Original Soundtrack) . . 18 January 2017.
  26. Web site: Music from series 2&3 ready for anyone who fancies more Victoria tunes. . https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/ruthbarrettmusic/1985705585975664426 . 2021-12-23 . subscription. . 25 February 2019.
  27. Web site: 'Victoria' Series 2 & 3 Soundtrack Released . Film Music Reporter . 13 March 2019.
  28. Web site: US start date confirmed for Jenna Coleman's 'Victoria' series . CultBox . 12 August 2016 . 7 September 2016 . William . Martin.
  29. Web site: Episodes - Vision TV Channel Canada. Vision TV Canada. 13 May 2017.
  30. Web site: JK Rowling and Jenna Coleman set for Bank Holiday Sunday clash . . Sarah . Doran . 17 August 2017 . 18 August 2017.
  31. Web site: 'Victoria' Gets Series 2 Premiere Date On PBS . Deadline . 16 August 2017 . 17 August 2017 . Denise . Petski.
  32. Web site: Episodes - Vision TV Channel Canada. Vision TV Canada.
  33. Web site: Victoria - MASTERPIECE on PBS . PBS . 14 December 2018.
  34. Web site: Harp . Justin . Victoria Series 3 will air in the US before ITV – and fans aren't happy . Digital Spy . 8 January 2019 . 9 January 2019.
  35. Web site: Official Victoria via Instragram: 'Destiny means that #Victoria will return to UK screens this month on @ITV!. https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/victoriaseries/1995983769920532343 . 2021-12-23 . subscription. . 9 March 2019.
  36. Web site: Official Victoria via Twitter: 'Royal announcement! #Victoria will be returning to @ITV on 24th March at 9pm. . . 13 March 2019.
  37. Web site: Victoria [DVD] [2016] ]. . 2 November 2017. 10 October 2016 .
  38. Web site: Victoria Series 2 [DVD] [2017] ]. . 2 November 2017.
  39. Web site: Victoria - The Christmas Special: Comfort and Joy [DVD] [2017] ]. . 22 March 2018. 26 December 2017 .
  40. Web site: Victoria - PBS Press Release for DVDs, Blu-rays of the Upcoming 'Masterpiece' Show . David . Lambert . TVShowsOnDVD . 17 November 2016 . 2 November 2017 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20171107020614/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Victoria-Press-Release/22820 . 7 November 2017 .
  41. Web site: Victoria - Release Date, Box Art for 'The Complete 2nd Series' on DVD, Blu-ray . David . Lambert . TVShowsOnDVD . 1 November 2017 . 2 November 2017 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20171105165816/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Victoria-Season-2/23774 . 5 November 2017 .
  42. Web site: Victoria: Series 2 (2016). Rotten Tomatoes . 23 November 2018.
  43. Web site: Victoria (2016) . Metacritic . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231008103500/https://www.metacritic.com/tv/victoria-2016/ . 8 Oct 2023 .
  44. Web site: Exclusive First Look: 'Victoria' Is About to Become Your Biggest Non-Guilty Pleasure. Bonner. Mehera. 28 November 2016. Marie Claire. 30 December 2019.
  45. Web site: In its second series, 'Victoria' reigns supreme - The Boston Globe. Gilbert. Matthew. 31 January 2018. The Boston Globe. en-US. 30 December 2019.
  46. News: How accurate is ITV's Victoria series three? . The Week . 25 March 2019.
  47. News: Victoria: Who was the real Harriet Duchess of Sutherland – and did she fall in love with Prince Ernst? . RadioTimes . 15 April 2019.
  48. Bolitho, H. and Peel, D. (1967) The Drummonds of Charing Cross, London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd, pp 101-103.
  49. Web site: What really happened to Edward Drummond? The tragic case of Robert Peel's Private Secretary. Radio Times. Eleanor. Bley Griffiths. 20 October 2017.
  50. News: Mulraney . Frances . The real story of Queen Victoria and the Irish Famine on the anniversary of her Irish visit . IrishCentral . 11 February 2018.
  51. News: Fact or Fiction: Inside Episode 4 . PBS.
  52. News: Victoria: what is the truth about the Irish Famine, and who was Robert Traill? . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2017/10/02/victoria-truth-irish-famine-robert-traill/ . 12 January 2022 . subscription . live . The Daily Telegraph . 2 October 2017.
  53. Web site: Television Craft Awards Winners 2017. British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). 19 June 2017. 26 March 2017.
  54. Web site: 69th Emmy® Awards Nominations. 13 July 2017. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 13 July 2017.

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