Is the audience-grabbing Victoria the new Downton Abbey?
ITV has definitely come up trumps during the last few days with their new period drama VICTORIA – and with production costing £1 million an episode, there was a lot of heavy expectation on their shoulders with this one…
However, after debuting on Sunday evening with a feature length episode and with Monday evening’s one-hour episode continuing to pull in the audience, the show has more than lived up to its hype and passed its first test with flying colours.
The lavish ITV drama withstood competition from the BBC’s remake of ARE YOU BEING SERVED? when it went head to head at 9pm with the return of the comedy favourite. Former DOCTOR WHO star Jenna Coleman made her sublime debut as the monarch, in the opening episode, which saw her inherit the throne at 18.
Starring alongside Coleman in VICTORIA is the outstanding Rufus Sewell as prime minister Lord Melbourne and in the next episode we finally get to see Tom Hughes as Prince Albert – however I do secretly wish that Victoria courted Sewell’s Lord M as they make such a delightful pair!
Figures showed an average of 5.4 million people watched Jenna Coleman in Victoria, excluding +1.
Are You Being Served?, in which Sherrie Hewson donned Mrs Slocombe’s pink wig, was seen by five million viewers.
It was followed by an updated Porridge, which attracted 4.4 million.
Derren Litten, creator of comedy Bendiorm, who penned the new Are You Being Served?, wrote on Twitter: “Overnight viewing figures are in. ITV’s Victoria was always the one to beat but she only just nicked it!”
The second episode of VICTORIA was screened on Monday evening. However, next Sunday at 9pm is being seen as the real test when it goes head to head with the BBC’s hugely popular period drama POLDARK, being shown at the same time. Last year Poldark, starring Aidan Turner, launched with nearly seven million viewers. It was a smart move by ITV to air the two back-to-back episodes before the second series of POLDARK commences, so that viewers are enticed into the series already – I know I certainly am!
Daisy Goodwin, the creator of VICTORIA, said she would be flattered if the show can enjoy the same success as Downton Abbey, which came to an end last December.
“It’s very big shoes to fill, but I love Sunday night telly, so if people enjoy watching this as much as they did Downton, then I will feel our work is done.”
Last year POLDARK launched with nearly seven million viewers. It will certainly be interesting to see if they can retain their loyal audience or whether VICTORIA has captivated them enough to with the ITV show instead.
In period drama stakes, VICTORIA seems to have filled a very big DOWNTON ABBEY hole that is not only a natural successor to much-loved series, but may just be big enough to rival the BBC’s POLDARK.
