Masterpiece: Victoria

Daisy Goodwin wrote this instead of Julian Fellowes. So, the story is not as tight or marvelous. The first two episodes are regrettable while Ms. Coleman gets going. But, when Albert enters the stage, this series rises to a whole new level. The romance of Victoria and Albert was epic in reality and this presentation is just as wonderful as the real thing. Ms. Goodwin throws in a hearty mixture of real history and emotional drama.You wind up wishing for Prince Albert to save the day. And he delivers. Hooray! Well worth watching.The series rolls in computer graphics. It seems to be everywhere and is really good. But, having seen the real Ms. Coleman, you realize theyworked on her too. The young 18 year old Victoria is flawless. You can not believe it is the 30 year old Jenna Coleman, though she is beautiful enough. The graphics does not beat you over the head but blends with the story so that you wonder where they found this 1830's England.Still I long for Fellowes to give some humanity below stairs. Ms. Goodwin relegates the servants to thievery, chicanery, and bone headed mistakes.Don't have any historical notes about the servants. But, really, did they lack all honorable attributes?

I watched this series on Amazon Prime Video. It is on Prime in its entirety labeled, Full UK length edition. I decided to write a review as opposed to just giving it the five stars it deserves because another review was from a woman who'd loved the series so much she ordered the DVD set and was sadly disappointed that scenes, for whatever reason, had been cut. I do not know why whomever's decision it was to do so chose to but I agree it is a most unfortunate thing. This series was amazing! I have a Great Love for Historical Fiction, best when done as close to the true story as is possible to do so (as historical records do not provide all details, often only a few details, and some creative liberties must be made) and this was a VERY entertaining honest presentation. I absolutely LOVED this series, I admit I binged it in a single day lol!! Worth every second and I am sure I will indulge in rewatching it several more times. In conclusion I write this not only to suggest it as an excellent entertaining viewing but also to advise that people be careful to find it in the FULL version! LOVE IT!

Great pageantry! Wonderful way to learn about Queen Victoria's reign.She's very clever and brave. She adores her husband, Alfred, has lots of children all while ruling the greatest nation in her time. If i had a daughter I would name her Victoria.

Loved watching this story.

For those who think of Victoria as an old austere looking woman who would seem to look down her nose at those she felt beneath her, it seems the real Victoria wasn't at all like this in her youth. As a little girl who lost her father so young, and having to endure a solitary, cloistered, lonely childhood, where she wasn't even free to walk on the stairs by herself. She's depicted as strong willed with definite ideas on how she wants to run her monarchy, and when she comes under pressure to marry so that a husband may assert control over her, she digs in firmly and marries who she wants and knows someday they'll rule together, not as a puppet controlled by a behind the scenes puppeteer. I feel she may have assumed the unsmiling stern persona we have come to recognize after the loss of her beloved Albert @ the age 42 years old.It's about time that we get to know the beautiful young women who became known as one of great women rulers of the British monarchy.

Our family loves historical dramas and Victoria is one of the best we've seen in a while. The acting is top-notch. The sets and costumes are very authentic. You can really get lost in this show, binging episode and episode.

I think the pivotal moment of the superfluity of monarchy is shown in the final episode, where, after being peeved at Albert "leaving her" to go ride the locomotive with Robert Peel, a pregnant Queen Vic herself pops in for a ride. Admiring the speed, we see Albert running alongside. Jenna Coleman (who is real life is much more intelligent) plays V with the right amount of simplemindedness, yet is pretty, and I'm afraid too nice (that is her personality, not V's) enough to make her somewhat likable, even in scenes where she is most obtund and bratty. In many of the scenes with Albert (the dishy Tom Hughes), she's either trying to seduce him--or mostly a nag. Perhaps that's true to life? When she dresses in costume as Elizabeth I, one is struck by how much more interesting was ER she was than this dullard. Thus, 350 years later, the monarchy was going nowhere, as it is now. (I do know lots of Brits who'd do away with it, and others who like the history and pomp.) It's a relic of mostly bad for most of the people times.Still, V wasn't given any education to speak of (versus Elizabeth I), her mother was a poor relation who'd lost both highly-born husbands yet was little provided for; it was truly a (rich/white) man's world, and she had lots of enemies, including the monstrously-portrayed Duke of Cumberland, always hoping for her demise (before she has 9 children) so he could be king. (You might finally figure out what and where the heck the House of Hanover was.)And V's terror at childbirth was well-warranted, and finely played. Cousin Princess Charlotte's horrifying death (read about it) and her child's death revealed the lack of knowledge about OB care that plagued even the very rich.If you've ever visited Buckingham Palace (still a work-in-progress in Queen V's day, you will also understand that the Industrial Revolution is directly at odds with these ancient regimes). Certainly Versailles is fantastical, but BP is grand, not to mention the other great piles, some, but not all of which are open to the public. The English monarchy is the only one in the world (unless you count the Vatican with its priceless art), that still has great wealth in landholdings (as well as great gobs of art and other treasures). Don't be at all fooled by Elizabeth II's rather practical public persona with her sensible shoes. She's beyond rich. (You probably caught The Crown, and are now slogging through this series.) And, by the way, I doubt it she will every step aside unless Prince C were to go first.The scenes in Seven Dials (a notorious, disease-ridden London slum) with children starving and begging, were well-done. Those piles in the background during Miss Skerrett's visits to her cousin are likely trash and human waste. This, contrasted with the grandeur of the country houses (like the abominable Giffard's castle), as well as aristocratic and landed gentry entitlement, is a compact visual history lesson. It makes one understand more socialist movements (such as the Chartists, who are given a run here).All that privilege, will, of course begin to disintegrate with WWI (brought on, of course, by a lot of Queen V's descendants petty arguments--millions die as a result), and be swept away by taxes.This is a nice prequel to Downtown Abbey (which far too glamorizes the arrests), and, of course, The Crown.I recommend Manor House (a real-life family lives as Edwardians and the servants are always overworked) as you await Season 2 of Victoria.Prince Albert's speech to the Anti-Slavery Society was delivered here verbatim. (The "black stain" is an unfortunate metaphor, not noticed? by anyone at the time.)This series emphasizes his humanity. Had he lived longer, there is much more V would have been coerced to do in terms of progressive ideas. He might be more like Princes William and Harry, whose mum is currently being venerated as some sort of English saint. (She wasn't, but she did have some laudable charities, and gave a fresh face [and much more Englishness] to the old gene pool.)