Mum's the word for Victoria: Jenna Coleman portrays queen as a 'working mother' in Christening scene as eagerly-awaited second series of ITV's hit royal drama begins filming
Viewers were left on tenterhooks after Queen Victoria gave birth to her first child in the eponymous ITV drama's action-packed last episode.
And fans won't have long to wait now for the second series, as real-life and onscreen lovers Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes arrived on set for filming a christening scene in Yorkshire on Friday.
The new series of the historical drama will be set in the 1840s, the decade where Victoria gave birth to six of her nine children.
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Reigning supreme: Real-life and onscreen lovers Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes arrived on set in Yorkshire on Friday to film the second series of Victoria
According to screenwriter Daisy Goodwin, the series will focus on Victoria's struggle to balance family and work life, like a modern woman.
She told the Radio Times in October: 'Even though she reigned in the 19th Century, Victoria is a heroine for our times.
'In the next series she faces the very modern dilemma of how to juggle children with her husband and her job.
'As Victoria will discover, it's hard to be a wife, a mother and ruler of the most powerful nation on earth!'
The series is set to air this autumn.
In December, Jenna Coleman told Digital Spy: 'It's really exciting. 'There's so much story. It's a case of pacing it and working out where to go with it.
'There are nine children to have, so there is a long way to go.'
Lavish: Wearing her raven tresses coiled into an intricate braided updo, Jenna, 30, stunned in the off-the-shoulder creation which she teamed with a diamond necklace. She arrived at Beverly Minster to film a christening scene for the new series
Looking resplendent in an ivory gown and opulent tiara, Jenna fully embodied the role of the iconic monarch, while her 30-year-old boyfriend kept things casual in jodhpurs.
Wearing her raven tresses coiled into an intricate braided updo, Jenna, 30, stunned in the off-the-shoulder creation, which she teamed with a diamond necklace.
Jenna arrived at Beverly Minster, Yorkshire, to film a christening scene.
It is possible that she could be filming the baptism of her first child, also called Victoria, who was born at the end of the first series.
Last series, Beverly Minster was used as a stand-in for Westminster Cathedral.
Real-life lovers: Tom and Jenna have been keen to keep their romance under wraps, despite the rumour mill having first gone into overdrive nearly a year ago
In the second series, Victoria will face the Irish potato blight of 1845, where more than a million people died.
Even though locals labelled her the 'famine queen', the queen is said to have donated £2,000 to help with relief.
Fans of Tom Hughes' Prince Albert will be pleased to know that his character will not die in the second series of the TV show.
In real life, the Prince consort died in 1861.
Ready for her close-up: The brunette beauty seemed to be in great spirits as she mingled with the cast and crew
Tom and Jenna have been keen to keep their romance under wraps, despite the rumour mill having first gone into overdrive nearly a year ago.
The good-looking couple have kept fans happy by reprising their roles as the titular Queen and her consort, Prince Albert.
The drama is likely to air in Autumn after ratings averaged 7.7 million viewers and the show took a 29.7 per cent share of viewing figures.
Characters looking lavish in full period costume arrived at Beverley Minster in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, which is standing in for Westminster Abbey.
Ravishing: Wearing her raven tresses coiled into an intricate braided updo, Jenna, 30, stunned as she rehearsed her lines on set
Playful: The beauty cheekily stuck her tongue out inbetween takes
The action-packed final episode of the drama saw Victoria give birth to her first child, Victoria.
The show, up against Poldark, took a 25 per cent share of the audience and saw the number of viewers peak at six million.
The average was 4.8 million viewers - its best overnight figures since the launch episode.
On Twitter, history fans poured out their grief that the show had finished, with many questioning how they'd fill the Victoria-shaped hole in their lives.
@KrystenSwin wrote: 'So sad that @ITV #Victoria has finished! It's been the best Sunday night viewing in a long time!'
Exquisite: Jenna looked sensational as she later changed into an Oriental-inspired green embroidered jacket over a cream full-skirted gown
In great spirits: Jenna flashed a relaxed grin as she strode onto the set
Fresh-faced beauty: The former Doctor Who star showed off her striking looks with just a subtle sweep of mascara as she arrived onset
Rugged good looks: Tom is reprising his role as Queen's consort, Prince Albert
Getting into character: Cemetery Junction star Tom wore a casual navy denim jacket over his costume
Dynamic duo: The pair later headed to set together arm-in-arm
In her first role since Doctor Who, Jenna plays the British monarch from her ascension to the throne at the tender age of 18 through to her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert, played by Tom Hughes.
BAFTA-nominated actor Rufus Sewell, who has himself played a royal on screen in the 2003 TV drama Charles II: The Power and The Passion, is cast as Lord Melbourne, Victoria's first prime minister and close confidant.
The pair's friendship became a popular source of gossip that threatened to destabilise the Government – angering both Tory and Whigs alike.
Showstopping: Characters looking lavish in full period costume arrived at Beverley Minster in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, which is standing in for Westminster Abbey
Setting the scene: The characters looked impossibly lavish in their decadent ball gowns
Extravagant: The last episode saw the number of viewers peak at six million as Victoria gave birth to her first child
Victoria began with a 90-minute episode followed by seven one-hour episodes.
The series has been created and written by acclaimed novelist Daisy Goodwin, in her screenwriting debut, who will also serve as executive producer alongside Dan McCulloch (Indian Summers) and Damien Timmer (Poldark).
Torchwood star Eve Myles and The Sarah Jane Adventures actor Tommy-Lawrence Knight also joined the stellar line-up.
Speaking at the announcement of her role last year, Jenna gushed: 'I am delighted to be cast as Queen Victoria in this ambitious drama of her life.
'She is a vivid, strong, inspirational and utterly fascinating woman in British history and I can't wait to tell her story.'
Successful: The drama is likely to air in Autumn after ratings averaged 7.7 million viewers and the show took a 29.7 per cent share of viewing figures
Left on tenterhooks: On Twitter, history fans poured out their grief that the show had finished, with many questioning how they'd fill the Victoria-shaped hole in their lives
Big budget drama: Characters were decked out in decadent military costume complete with medals
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