Victoria gets Christmas special...

It has been confirmed ‘Victoria’ is to get a Christmas special – in 2017.

The hit period drama came to an end on the weekend to the dismay of its huge army of fans, who took to Twitter late last night to moan about how they’ll now fill their Sunday evening. The grief was coupled with the knowledge that they’ll have to wait a year to see Jenna Coleman star as Queen Victoria again in the next series. However, there was an extra treat dished out during a Twitter Q&A with RadioTimes.com when screenwriter Daisy Goodwin was asked had she begun work on the new episodes.

She said: “yes I have! much to the producer’s relief. it’s not easy, but hope you will approve when it airs next year, autumn 2017 +xmas special.”

The story of Victoria’s appointment to the monarchy and early reign supported by her German husband Prince Albert – played by Tom Hughes – has won over hoards of fans of period dramas and bosses announced the programme had been commissioned for another series last month after it jumped ahead of the its rival, BBC’s ‘Poldark’, in the ratings war.

ITV’s Director of Television, Kevin Lygo said: “We’re thrilled with the reception for ‘Victoria’. We’re pleased to be able to confirm that Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes will return to continue the story on ITV.”