A few weeks ago, I asked my instagram followers to send their questions for Daisy Goodwin, which I was to ask her during an instagram live Q&A. While your questions failed to disappoint, technology certainly didn’t. When setting up for the Q&A, we were faced with lack of sound, causing us to abort mission. After discussing with Daisy, we agreed to record the Q&A over video call, which I then planned to post. However, after the call, I realised that it hadn’t saved any of the audio! As a result, I have made notes and typed up everything I can remember from the call so that you can read part of her responses.
Many of you will recognise Daisy Goodwin as the creator of TV series, ‘Victoria’. For many people interested in Queen Victoria, including myself, her work is inspiring and has certainly helped to bring the young Queen Victoria back to life. When we began the video call, we immediately began chatting about Queen Victoria and she asked how I became interested in Victoria. I admitted that I couldn’t fully explain it but admitted that ‘Victoria’ had certainly helped fuel my passion. During that conversation, I mentioned how I have been brought up to believe Victoria hated children so much that she hadn’t had any of her own. Of course, this is incorrect as she had a total of nine children! But, Daisy made a good point that “Victoria didn’t hate children, as evident in her sketches and journals. I think she just had the courage to admit that she didn’t particularly enjoy infants”.
After a quick chat, we plunged into the questions that you had sent in. In total, I had received about 30 questions but I had to narrow this down to about 10 (it ended up just being 9 as two overlapped).
Question 1
What inspired you to begin your research and create a show about Queen Victoria?
Like most of us, Daisy grew up around the idea that Queen Victoria had been “frozen at about sixty”;as an elderly, fat, grieving Widow. But, her opinion soon changed when she studied Victoria at university. Through reading the Queens famous diaries, Daisy, who was in her early twenties at the time, realised that “she had once been my age”. This new perspective helped Daisy to see Victoria as an ordinary young woman, who just happened to be queen, adding that “she liked sex” just like anyone else would.
The screenwriter highlighted one of her favourite journal quotes about Prince Albert:
He looked so handsome in his white cashmere breeches, with nothing on underneath.”
Queen Victoria, November 1939
Through her knowledge, Daisy decided to write a script all about the early years of Victoria’s reign and submitted her idea. “It happened quite quick, but only now I realise it is quite rare for shows to go into production so fast”. ‘Victoria’ had clearly caught the eye of producers and by summer 2016, it had captivated the hearts of viewers all around the world.
Question 2
Do you think Queen Victoria’s reign would have been as popular if she hadn’t ascended the throne at such a young age?
This is a question that I personally get asked quite a lot so I was excited to see what Daisy had to say on the matter. In short, her answer was a solid “no” but there is good reason. As she explained, Daisy spoke about how Victoria’s five predecessors had been controversially German, elderly, fat men. This, and the length of King George III’s record breaking reign, meant that there hadn’t been a Queen Regnant in living memory; let alone such a young and unmarried Queen. Aged just 18, Victoria faced much criticism, with some believing her to be an “erratic young woman” as Daisy described it. Despite this, Daisy believes that most people viewed Victoria’s age as “fresh and exciting”, similarly to how she imagines it was “when the late Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1852”.
Another thing she think helped was photography, “it allowed people to see her as a woman”. Victoria was still in her thirties when photography became popular so people were able to see their queen as an ordinary other, who just happened to be running the country. Even now, many historians believe photography helped to humanise the monarchy by making them much more accessible to everyone.
Question 3
How many researchers did you use for ‘Victoria’ and what we’re your main sources?
“I think we used two or three but I mostly referred to Victorias journals, they’re always the best place to start”. Daisy also mentioned that there are lots of great books about Queen Victoria, including: ‘Queen Victoria: Daughter, Wife, Mother, Widow’ by Lucy Worsley and ‘The Young Victoria’ by Alison Plowden. These three are just a few of the countless books available about Queen Victoria. While discussing books, Daisy noted how books about Queen Victoria are changing as new information and perspectives are discovered. Although she didn’t give me any details, she hinted that she is writing a new book about Queen Victoria, which will give readers an “new” and “fascinating insight” into whatever the mystery topic may be. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait!
Question 4
Did you play an active part in casting? If so, what was the process like for Key characters, such as Queen Victoria and Lord Melbourne?
As the creator of ‘Victoria’, Daisy Goodwin played a key role in the casting process. She told me how “we were lucky. We got all the main actors we wanted first time”, adding that she had “always wanted Jenna” to play Queen Victoria as she had the “height” and “persona”, and “of course is an amazing actor”. As with Victoria, Daisy had always hoped to cast the incredible Rufus Sewell as Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne. She mentioned how “even though he was playing much older than he actually is”, “he played it perfectly”. Another key character that we can’t forget is of course Prince Albert. Tom Hugh’s was once again the first choice to play the role and did it spectacularly. I personally believe, and I’m sure many of you would agree, that Tom pulled off his character the best, particularly his realistic German
Question 5
Which of the costumé balls retired in the show was the most fun to film?
Anyone who has seen ‘Victoria’ will be familiar with the Elizabethan, Plantagenet and most certainly the Georgian Ball, all of which were accurately portrayed throughout the three seasons. As the balls play such an entertaining part in the show, I was excited to see which one daisy picked as her favourite. She spoke about how they were all “great fun” to film but she laughed how the cast would complain at each different ball as it meant long days and heavy costumes! “It was interesting and funny to see the 1840s take on 14th century dress” for the Plantagenet ball, but the 1845 Georgian ball was a clear favourite; particularly for its eccentric costumes and tall, powdered wigs.
Which would you say was your favourite? Let me know in the comments section below!
Question 6
What would you say is the most important moment of the Victorian era?
With so many incredible moments and events taking place in the Victorian era, I was expecting this to be a difficult decision. However, Daisy had an easy favourite, which she herself described as “controversial”. No, it wasn’t the invention of the electric corset, it was in fact the release of the first modern cook book. In 1896 , Fannie Merritt Farmer made and released the first cookbook containing the exact weights and measurements for each ingredient. Linking the event to her new book, Daisy spoke about how the cookbook changed daily life for everyone, “anyone that could read was now able to cook”. Before that, people had to guess quantities and relied on certain individuals to prepare and cook their meals. It’s amazing to think that something as simple as a cookbook could change love so dramatically!
Question 7
Why was there such a dramatic cliffhanger at the end of season 3 and is there hope of a fourth season?
Out of all of the questions, this is certainly the one I got asked the most. When Daisy was writing the third season, she wanted to show people just how much the Great Exhibition, and it’s planning, impacted on Prince Albert’s health. “I think he was ill a lot longer than many people think”, and she is right as many historians believe he may have suffered from a condition similar to Crohn’s disease. Although the final scene takes place ten years before the Princes death in 1861, many fans were left fearing for his life as he collapsed right before the final credits rolled. As with all fans, I was itching to know if we could expect another season. “I’d never say never” was her main response. After about three years working on the show, Jenna understandably “wanted to take some time off to work on other things” but hope isn’t completely lost as Daisy has already prepared a couple of scripts! In terms of timeframes though, she said that filming wouldn’t begin this year or next year “but possibly the year after”, so stay tuned for any future updates!
Question 8
What was your career like before ‘Victoria’ and how has it changed since?
Having worked in television prior to the show, Daisy is the proud inventor of the popular TV show ‘Grand Designs’. She has also written multiple books and has written about tv show, which is possibly about to go into production.
Question 9
What would you say I’d your best memory from the research and filming process?
During her research, Daisy discovered many new things but the most memorable was “learning Victoria had a Nigerian goddaughter”. Many viewers will probably be familiar with Sarah Forbes Bonetta, the little girl that Victoria takes in during the 2017 Christmas special. The creator was surprised to find that she was treated the same as the royal children and was also given gifts. At the time, racism was at a heigh and so, Queen Victoria didn’t see race as a barrier and instead developed many close relationships with people from multiple different cultures.
As with the costume balls, Daisy’s favourite part of filming was watching the characters she had written, and Victorias journals, come to life on screen.
I’d like to say a huge thank you to Daisy Goodwin for joining me for this Q&A. Although it didn’t go to plan, I hope you have still enjoyed reading about what was said. Hopefully at some point we will be able to do it again with everything working properly! If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section below or send them to me on instagram. You can also support my research by visiting and subscribing to my Ko-fi page. Don’t forget, you can also subscribe to by blog for email updates about new blogs! Thank you again, Shannon x
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