Victoria

It’s official: The highly-anticipated second season of popular period drama Victoria will premiere in January 2018 on Masterpiece.

Victoria’s first season was quite a success here in the U.S., clocking in at over 16.2 million viewers. That’s the second highest-rated PBS drama in 20 years – second, of course, only to the mega-popular Downton Abbey. So it probably shouldn’t surprise anyone that Victoria is getting the exact same scheduling treatment Downton did.

Sadly, Season 2 of the hit television series Victoria is still months away. Fill the void with these, engaging and enlightening Victoria-themed books.

In honor of Victoria Day, ITV and Masterpiece released a first look clip at the highly anticipated second season of the period drama that bears the queen’s name, Victoria. Still celebrated in various places around the world – it’s an actual federal holiday in Canada – Victoria Day marks the anniversary of the British monarch’s birth.

The footage, featuring stars Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes in their roles as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, is the first we’ve seen to date from Victoria Season 2.

The big period drama news of the moment is that Claire Foy is planning to hang up her crown. Yes, the actress who won all sorts of critical and fan acclaim playing Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix original series The Crown will depart the series following its second season. Apparently the show’s going to jump forward in time during Season 3, and will require the use of older actors to play Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh. (Sniff.)

Understandably, this news has left some fans full of worry that the other big period drama telling the story of a queen’s reign might follow suit in the near future. But fans of Victoria can rest easy – star Jenna Coleman, who plays the titular queen has no plans to go anywhere just yet. (And it sounds like the show itself really doesn’t want her to.) 

Previously on Victoria: The queen discovers – to absolutely no one’s surprise – that she’s pregnant. Everyone’s thrilled, although Victoria’s less than thrilled with the fact that everyone thinks her pregnancy should incapacitate her. She must name a regent, in case she should die herself, but a battle with Parliament looms when she picks Albert. Or at least it does until Sir Robert Peel – who’s now basically BFFs with Albert – decides to back the queen’s choice. Meanwhile, Albert very much wants the crown to embrace technology, particularly locomotives. (No, seriously, Albert is obsessed with trains.)  Victoria, for her part, finally allows Albert to have some input in governing, and puts him in charge of her “industry-related” stack of government paperwork.

This week is the Season 1 finale of Victoria. As with all good period dramas, it feels as though the season has positively flown by. (In case you were worried, the series will return for second season, and production is already under way.) And as finales go, it’s a pretty great one. This episode has a little bit of everything – romance, intrigue, childbirth, tension, and a happy ending. Even the squabbling servants end up making up. It’s a nice note to wrap the season up on. 

Big news for Victoria fans! Acting legend Dame Diana Rigg is officially joining the cast for the period drama’s second season, making an already buzzy series even more exciting.

Rigg is probably best known these days for playing the sharp-tongued Lady Olenna Tyrell on HBO megahit Game of Thrones. (Think a more medieval, weaponized sort of Dowager Countess from Downton Abbey, if you’re not familiar with the show.) But her acting resume is massive – and extremely impressive – including everything from Bleak House to The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries to her starring role as the original Emma Peel in The Avengers. In short: Dame Diana is incredible. 

But who will she be playing? 

The first season of period drama Victoria is drawing to a close. The season finale will air on PBS stations nationwide on Sunday, March 5.

But don’t worry. That’s not going to be the end of the story. Not by a long shot. The show was renewed for a second season last Fall and production has already started on the new episodes. Plus, it’ll get a bonus Christmas special later this year. If all goes according to series creator Daisy Goodwin’s plan, we’ll be seeing a lot more of this story over the next few years.

We’re far from finished in the world of Queen Victoria’s court.

To celebrate the drama’s successful – and, honestly, super entertaining – first season, we made a brand new character quiz that’s meant to determine your alter ego from the world of Victoria. 

Previously on Victoria: The queen and her new husband return from their honeymoon, where they’ve discovered they quite enjoy being married. So much so, that Victoria would also like to discover how to not get pregnant just yet. (She wants children, of course – just, not right now.) Unfortunately, Lehzen gives her completely ridiculous advice on the subject.  Albert struggles to find something to give his new life in England purpose, while Victoria does her best to get him the respect her deserves from her court.  

This week’s episode is quiet, but generally charming, and for all that Victoria and Albert may not exactly be a sweeping romance, they’re becoming a pretty great partnership. And that may be a better thing, in the end. 

Previously, on Victoria: Victoria and Albert tell everyone about their engagement. The queen faces off with her ministers and Parliament itself about what Albert’s title might be, and how much of an allowance he’ll be allowed. The amount ends up being less than he wants, and Albert frets that he’ll be dependent on Victoria for everything. Despite several setbacks, including everyone in the queen’s life explaining to her that aristocratic men tend to have mistresses after they’re married, Victoria and Albert’s wedding takes place. Victoria and Lord Melbourne say a rather heartfelt and heartbreaking goodbye, as he decides to go run the government from Brocket Hall. We’ll miss you, Lord M!

This week’s episode is much slower than last week’s, which is probably natural, after all that romantic excitement. 

Season 1 of Victoria may still be airing on PBS’ Masterpiece, but production on the period drama’s second season is about to get under way across the pond.

The cast gathered this week to read through the first scripts of the new season. Several members shared their excitement about getting back to work, and posted a variety of snaps on social media.