Victoria Season 4: Is it Renewed?
The show Victoria is about the erstwhile Queen of Great Britain, Ireland, and Empress of India. She is also the great-great-grandmother of the current Queen Elizabeth.
Coming back to the show Victoria depicts the life of Princess Victoria from when she was crowned at the age of 18.
The show was first aired on ITV to fill the slot left behind by Downton Abbey. It premiered in the United Kingdom in August 2016.
Later it also aired in the United States as part of the PBS Masterpiece series in January 2017. The show continued on ITV and PBS for two more seasons.
Each of the three seasons of the TV show Victoria contains eight episodes. You shouldn’t miss the Victoria series if you enjoy historical dramas.
Many readers already love this show. For those, who are just now realizing what you missed, ENTOIN is here with all the information you need to know.
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Everything You Need To Know About Victoria so far
Daisy Goodwin created this historical drama for ITV to fill the slot left behind by the highly successful Downton Abbey.
Owing to the success of historical dramas, ITV wanted another period drama. They planned to fill this slot with a series on British royalty.
The show was announced by ITV in September 2015. As Jenna Coleman had recently finished her role on Doctor Who, she readily agreed to play the role of Queen Victoria in the TV series.
The production promptly started, and the series began with Princess Victoria crowned as the New Queen of England at the tender age of 18.
The first season follows the queen coming out of the shadows of her mother and the oppressive Sir John Conroy.
Her mother, under the influence of the corrupt Sir Conroy, wants to limit the powers of Queen Victoria.
She feels Victoria is far too independent thinking. While Queen Victoria is disgusted with the wily Sir John Conroy.
She plots his removal from the palace. The queen begins to rely significantly on Whig Prime Minister Lord Melbourne for political and national interests counsel.
In the hopes of curtailing her friendship with Lord Melbourne, the queen’s mother and her maternal uncle, King Leopold, suggest her marriage to Prince Albert Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Despite all opposition from the Tories, the Queen and Prince Albert wed in 1840. By the end of season one of Victoria, we see the queen and the prince consort have settled into marital bliss and are expecting their first child.
Season two of Victoria follows the queen trying to find a balance. She has to find a balance between homely life with a husband and children while being a queen.
She has to find a balance between relations in the country and with foreign countries etc.
The Anglo-Afghan War’s consequences, a catastrophic famine in Northern Ireland, and deteriorating relations with Germany and France are all things Queen Victoria must deal with in the second season.
During this time, the Great British was introduced to locomotives, and the railways were gaining popularity.
Season three is the last so far. In this season, we see a lot of internal drama.
Multiple subplots run parallel to the royal family.
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Victoria Season 3 Ending Explained
After season two ends and in the first episode of season three, the royal family has grown significantly.
The season starts with the Queen and Prince Consort with their six children. Like any normal marriage, they struggle to balance work and home, struggling to pick the issues to stand firm on and those to let go and compromise.
The prince’s consort Albert is trying to find his place in the monarchy. He wants to have a voice that is heard and have his opinion considered as well.
His effort to find his place resulted in the Great Exhibition of 1851. The Great Exhibition was Prince Albert’s attempt to usher in modernization, new technology, new ideas, etc.
He put his emphasis on the need for scientific progress that comes from across the globe.
In the third season, while the main focus is on the role and relationship between the queen and Prince Albert, multiple subplots attempt to besmirch the monarchy.
There is an increasing influence of Lord Palmerston on the queen and her policies. He supports Napoleon III and wants the monarchy to strengthen its ties with him, much to the chagrin of the parliament.
The queen’s estranged half-sister, Princess Feodora, comes to visit. While introducing her to the royal family, Prince Albert and Queen Victoria attempt to marry her daughter into the German royal family.
However, Lord Palmerston convinces the princess to choose to marry her daughter to Napoleon III.
In the third season, we witness all the messed-up relationships and friendships in the palace.
While some are resolved amicably, some need to be cut short unceremoniously. While all this drama takes place, in the last episode of season 3, we are shown Prince Albert collapsing in the palace.
This is an indication of his failing health.
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Official Announcements and Release Date of Victoria Season 4
With the cliffhanger in the finale of season 3, there has been much talk about the next season of Victoria.
Fans and regular viewers were waiting with bated breaths to watch what happened next. The first season aired in August 2016 and ended in October 2016.
ITV commissioned the second season in September of the same year and gave the go-ahead for a special Christmas episode.
The second season aired from August to October 2017. There was a Christmas special on the 25th of December that year.
In December, they also renewed the show for a third season. This third season was telecast from March 2019 up to the end of May 2019.
At the end of the third season, Jenna Coleman stated that the show was taking a short break while the creators worked on the plotlines for the fourth season.
The show creator, Daisy Goodwin, confirmed that the fourth season was an explosive, drama-packed season.
Yet, ITV has still not renewed the show for season 4.
Having said this, they have not cancelled the show either. They have only confirmed that Victoria was taking a long hiatus and could be back shortly. Fans have made different speculations but there are nothing new updates for season 4.
With the show currently available on Amazon Prime, they can reach a far greater audience around the world.
With just the right amount of encouragement from viewers, we can expect the next season of Victoria to be out in late 2023.
Goodwin has confirmed that the plot for the next season is under construction, so all hope is not lost yet.
The inspiration for Victoria TV Series
When the prime hour slot was available on ITV with the end of Downton Abbey, the channel was looking for another historical drama that showcased the upper class and the nobility of English society.
During this time, the success of the Netflix show The Crown inspired the channel to look for a story on British Royalty.
The show creator, Daisy Goodwin, was inspired to take up the story of Queen Victoria as the queen had a very keen habit of maintaining a thorough account of her day in her diary.
As a child, the queen received a diary from her mother as a gift. Since then, she maintained the habit till her death in 1901.
This material helped Goodwin get insight and inspiration from this historical figure who reigned over Great Britain during a particularly prosperous and relatively peaceful era.
Moreover, people have an evergrowing fascination to peek into the life of the rich and famous.
This curiosity will never die. These reasons were the driving force behind the success of the show.
Popularity details of Victoria Season 4
The series has caught the fancy of global audiences and has created a loyal fanbase for itself.
The show is available on Amazon Prime, and its global reach has increased. It has spawned fans in countries like India, Australia, Canada, South Africa, and more apart from the US and the UK.
Twitter account
All fans of the series can find a home on Twitter at their official handle @VictoriaSeries.
You can get all the latest updates and news right from the mouth of the horse on their page.
With its followership of over 37 thousand, you can also find a kindred spirit.
Reddit community
On Reddit, you can get many dedicated fans who discuss the positives and negatives of the show.
There are discussion boards on each episode of all seasons. It is fun reading comments from fans who are so invested in the show that they feel betrayed by Prince Albert and his manipulative ways.
There are also comments on how the queen was afraid to have children but could not avoid her duty.
Google Trends
To get an accurate measure of the consistent dedication of fans of Victoria, you just need to follow Google Trends for an update on the number of followers of the show.
These are the trends of followers waiting for the next season, from when season 3 has ended.
Google Search
The number of Google searches for the query “Vicotria Season 4” across the globe appears to be 11K which is far less for such a popular series.
These monthly searches are not exactly accurate and may vary on a monthly basis. But we can still conclude that fans are not actively looking for season 4.
Expected Plot Of Victoria Season 4
Season three of Victoria left us with a cliffhanger. We see that Prince Albert has unceremoniously collapsed, and Queen Victoria is calling out to him to wake up.
Additionally, Princess Feodora plans to go against the queen and get her daughter married to Napoleon III.
We are also not clear on the fate of Sophie, the Duchess of Monmouth, who plans to elope with her footman, Joseph.
With all these plotlines that need a conclusion in season 4, we can expect new story developments too.
Historical events that stand out include the growth of the Republican movement, the murder of Prince Albert, the monarchy’s decrease in favor, assassination attempts on her life, etc.
So we can expect a dramatic and eventful season 4. If you are still wondering what more could happen, here are some reasons.
Why watch the next season of Victoria?
For all the regular followers of the show, the new season will answer many of the questions left behind in the third season.
There are many changes in the internal palace affairs. Many events take place after the great exhibition of 1851.
They will be quite interesting to watch. You also have other international events like the Crimean War, the first Indian revolution in 1857, the Incorporation of the Indian subcontinent into the British Empire, the Anglo-Zulu wars, the Second Anglo-Afghan War, and more.
It will be interesting to watch the developments during these important historical moments.
Online Reactions to Victoria Season 4
The series Victoria has attracted many loyal viewers and fans since its first telecast in 2016 on ITV and later on PBS.
As the show progressed from season 1 to season 3, the popularity fluctuated from high to low and back again.
Here are some of the common audience reactions to the show.
Quora reaction
Several Quora users are curious to discover whether the TV show’s historical authenticity is accurate. The truth underlying the alleged relationships between the various characters featured has been a topic of much discussion on Quora.
Many readers also questioned whether Prince Albert was an adopted child, as suggested by the television series. It is safe to say that the show used some artistic license when developing the characters.
The program is referred regarded as historical fiction for this reason.
Reddit Reaction
On Reddit, you can find many threads discussing the developments from one episode to the next.
The romance between Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, was adored by many people. The scandal between Prince Ernest and the Duchess of Sutherland was likewise eagerly gobbled by them.
However, some complained about the historical inaccuracies. Some felt that creative liberties were taken in character depiction.
For example, the relationship between the queen and her half-sister was very close and loving.
The show portrayed Princess Feodora as a manipulative, cunning lady who is hungry for power.
Twitter reaction
Twitter is awash with images of the happy family of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria.
Many tweets praise the loving declaration made by them. However, there are just as many tweets criticizing the manipulative behaviour of Prince Albert.
Twitter users felt that some of the more controversial behaviours and attitudes of that era were glossed over by the show creators.
Victoria Ratings and Reviews
The Victoria TV series was telecast in the UK on ITV and in the USA on PBS Masterpiece.
Later, viewers could also watch the show on Amazon Prime Video. The show started in 2016 with the highest viewership of 8 million UK viewers during the first season.
During the later seasons, the viewership dropped to an average of 6.5 million in the second season.
In the third season, it dropped further to below 5 million viewers.
Ratings
Although the viewership figures might have dropped, the rating of the show was above 8 on IMDb.
|
Site |
Rating |
|
Rotten Tomatoes |
87% |
|
IMDb |
8.2 |
|
Metacritic |
67/100 |
Reviews
The reviews were also generally positive, with many critics praising the strong performances of the cast.
Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe described the show as “Captivating and unforgettable”. Rotten Tomatoes critiqued the performances of Jenna Coleman and Rufus Sewell as powerful.
They felt that the show could be a potential Downton Abbey with its period drama feel.
The second season was also praised for being as absorbing as the first.
Top 5 Best-Rated Episodes
| Episodes Name and Number | Ratings (IMDb) |
|---|---|
| Faith, Hope & Charity (Episode 6, Season 2) | 8.6/10 |
| The King Over the Water (Episode 7, Season 2) | 8.5/10 |
| The Clockwork Prince (Episode 4, Season 1) | 8.5/10 |
| Foreign Bodies (Episode 4, Season 3) | 8.4/10 |
| Warp and Weft (Episode 3, Season 2) | 8.3/10 |
Awards and Recognitions of Victoria
The show enjoyed high praise and love from the audience. It was also praised and appreciated by its critics.
The series has been nominated multiple times for awards. The show was recommended 18 times over the three seasons, and it won 11 awards.
Here I will list out a few awards wins and nominations:
|
Awards |
Category |
|
Primetime Emmy Awards -Nomination 2017 |
|
|
BAFTA Awards -Nomination 2017 |
|
|
BAFTA Awards, Scotland -Nomination 2017 |
|
|
Monte-Carlo TV Festival -Nomination 2017 |
|
|
Royal Television Society, UK -Winner 2017 |
|
|
New Zealand Cinematographers Society -Winner 2018 |
|
|
Australian Cinematographers Society -Winner 2018 |
|
|
Australian Cinematographers Society -Winner 2018 |
|
Production and Success of Victoria
In 2015, Daisy Goodwin created the show based on the life of Queen Victoria, and ITV commissioned it for one season.
The production house, Mammoth Screen, picked Screen Yorkshire’s Church Fenton studios for the filming location.
The Buckingham Palace set was set up in Tadcaster, and they did most of the filming there in North Yorkshire.
After the success of the first season, ITV renewed the contract. They approved a second season in September 2016.
In the following year, the show was picked up by PBS Masterpiece and telecasted in January 2017 in the US.
In Canada, the show was telecasted in April 2017 on VisionTV. The show was met with success in all three countries.
Mehera Bonner from Marie Claire described the show as stunning, addictive, and ridiculously romantic.
Popular Victoria Characters
The series is filled with royal characters from history and they have been beautifully portrayed. We have discussed some of the popular characters from the series below.
Jenna Coleman as Queen Victoria
Jenna Coleman played the young Queen Victoria. She became the queen at the young age of 18 years and stood strong and independent despite the persistent pressure to undermine her rule among the courtiers.
She reigned over Great Britain for the longest period of over 63 years. Her rule was marked by industrial, medical, and scientific progress across the kingdom.
After her husband died, despite doing her royal duties, she went into a deep state of mourning for the rest of her life.
Tom Hughes as Prince Consort Albert
Prince Consort Albert was played by Tom Hughes. He was born in the duchies of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and was the maternal first cousin of Victoria.
In the show, it was implied that he may have been the illegitimate son of the first wife of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.
As Prince Consort, Albert supported many public reforms like the abolition of slavery worldwide and educational reforms.
He also ushered in scientific progress by endorsing and organizing the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Peter Bowles as the Duke of Wellington
Peter Bowles played the part of the Duke of Wellington. Arthur Wellesley was a decorated military figure who was one of the commanders who won the Napoleonic wars.
Before that, the Duke was also famous for leading the Battle of Seringapatam against Tipu Sultan in India.
After returning to England, he became an influential political figure with an affiliation with the Tories.
He served twice as the Prime Minister and supported Sir Robert Peel as the Tory prime minister under the monarchy of Victoria.
Catherine Flemming as the Duchess of Kent
The Duchess of Kent is the mother of Queen Victoria. She was a German princess and the widow of the Prince of Leiningen.
In 1818, she married Prince Edward, the fourth son of King George III of the United Kingdom.
Her daughter rose to the position of third in line for the throne after Prince Edward passed away in 1820 from pneumonia.
Hence, the Duchess became the regent, and Sir John Conroy served as the comptroller. They kept a tight rein on the education, movements, and friendships of the future queen, thus making her resentful of them.
Daniela Holtz as Baroness Lehzen
Baroness Lehzen was played by Daniela Holtz. The Baroness was the governess of young Victoria.
She taught her to be strong, and independent, and to withstand the control of her mother and Sir Conroy.
Later, she became the private secretary to the ruler and enjoyed a status higher than the Duchess of Kent in the household.
Alex Jennings as King Leopold
King Leopold, played by Alex Jennings, is the King of the Belgians. He is the brother of the Duchess of Kent and the maternal uncle of the queen.
Leopold introduced his nephew, Prince Albert, to Victoria as a prospective groom. In 1831, Leopold received the crown of the King of Belgium.
Rufus Sewell as Lord Melbourne
Rufus Sewell plays the role of Lord Melbourne, the Whig politician and prime minister of England.
He was a guardian and mentor to Queen Victoria during the early days of her reign.
He heavily influenced her policies and decisions during the first six years of her rule.
Nigel Lindsay as Sir Robert Peel
Sir Robert Peel, played by Nigel Lindsey, was a Tory politician during the reign of Queen Victoria.
He went on to become the Prime Minister while also serving as the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
In the series, Peel is a prominent Tory leader. He ushered in industrial growth and reformation in England.
Laurence Fox as Lord Palmerston
Laurence Fox played Lord Palmerston. He was the foreign affairs minister and later the home secretary during the reign of Victoria.
In the series, he is shown to have influenced Princess Feodora to get her daughter married to Napoleon III.
Later, Lord Palmerston also became the Prime Minister of the UK.
Kate Fleetwood as Princess Feodora
The character of Princess Feodora, the half-sister of Victoria, has been controversial in the series.
Although, in real life, she was very close to the queen, in the series, Princess Feodora is shown as a manipulative and cunning figure.
Recurring Characters in all three seasons:
- Nell Hudson as Nancy Skerrett
- Ferdinand Kingsley as Mr. Francatelli
- Tommy Knight as Archibald Brodie
- Lily Travers as Sophie, Duchess of Monmouth
- David Oakes as Prince Ernest
- Adrian Schiller as Mr Penge
Historical Inaccuracies and Controversies In Victoria
The story of Queen Victoria as portrayed in the series is different from her real-life character.
The show’s creator took many creative liberties with the characterization, age, and role played in the life of Victoria.
While some characters were different from reality, some were completely made up without any historical truth.
Here are a few characters where Daisy Goodwin took creative liberties.
- The romance between the Duchess of Sutherland and Prince Ernest of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was a false claim. The Duchess had a happy married life with Duke Sutherland, and Prince Ernest was also married.
- Princess Feodora is shown as a spiteful schemer, while she was a very dear sister to Victoria. She was, in fact, one of her few childhood friends of Victoria, and they remained in contact through the mail all through their life.
- During the Great Irish Famine, Victoria is shown as very compassionate and ready to help them to a greater extent. Historians who have studied the diaries of the queen claim that she was not very keen to rescue the Irish people.
- Lord Alfred Paget is shown to have a gay relationship with the private secretary of Sir Robert Peel. This story has no historical evidence whatsoever.
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Conclusion
While we at ENTOIN cannot vouch for the veracity of the stories or the validity of the claims, we can only recommend that you watch the show and decide for yourself.
Having said that, Victoria is historical fiction, and it has taken liberties to create drama to entertain the audience.
The show gives us a tremendous deal of joy. Victoria has consistently impressed its audience, whether through Jenna Coleman’s riveting performance, Tom Hughes and Jenna Coleman’s poignant romance, palace intrigue, or any other narrative.
The show has not been renewed on ITV as yet. Originally it was slated for 7 seasons, depending on the scope of the story.
So we can hope for a new season soon.
