Who doesn't love a great period drama? Following the epic success of Downton Abbey, ITV are taking over our Sunday nights once more with Victoria. Following the early years of the monarch, Jenna Coleman plays the young queen - and we see a very different side to Victoria than the dour, black-cad figure of her older years. This Victoria is fun, flirty and headstrong - an 18-year-old woman fighting to be taken seriously in a royal court and government full of power hungry men. Still need convincing? Here are five reasons we love Victoria (and you should, too)...
It looks beautiful
Think grand palaces in all their glory, with glittering chandeliers sparkling with candles. Elaborate costumes (shout out for Victoria's excellent braid work too), and dramatic exterior shots as people gallop on their shiny horses. It really is shot beautifully - exactly what you want from this kind of period drama.
Jenna Coleman is excellent
This is her first leading role but there will be many more to come. She plays Victoria as a feminist hero - commanding respect from her advisors and unafraid to stand up for herself and the sexism she faces. Wearing a pair of startling blue contact lenses, Coleman also captures how overwhelming it would be to find yourself queen of a country when you're just a teenager. And she plays the romantic scenes perfectly too (of which we hope there are many).
The handsome men
Rufus Sewell and Tom Hughes play the leading men: Lord Melbourne (Sewell), who is prime minister and Victoria's closest and most trusted confidant-come-mentor, and Prince Albert (Hughes), her future prince. They really are the definition of dashing in this show - so smart and polished but obviously besotted with Victoria. It's all very swoonsome.
All the scheming
Clearly the showmakers have taken some liberties (although writer Daisy Goodwin used Victoria's diaries as source material) and there is some Downton-esque melodrama, particularly with the 'downstairs' pettiness amongst the staff. The devious Lord Cumberland - who wants to pry power away from Victoria - is played like a proper villain, but it all adds to the fun. This is a Sunday night drama after all, not a BBC Four documentary.
It's a fascinating education
No, really. Did you know that Queen Victoria was actually called Alexandrina? And that she chose to use her middle name 'Victoria' (which was the equivalent of being called Beyonce today - a 'made up' name)? Or that she was only 4 foot 11? And that her overbearing mother wouldn't even let her walk down the stairs on her own in case she fell over? See, history = fascinating.
Watch Victoria on Sunday nights at 9pm on ITV1.
