Victoria: The Christmas Special (2017)

Victoria: The Christmas Special – Comfort and Joy was shown on British television (ITV) and released on DVD in December 2017. Here is some basic information about this historical and biographical drama which is set in December 1846:

** Created and written by Daisy Goodwin

** Directed by Jim Loach

** Run time: 88 minutes

The cast includes the following:

** Jenna Coleman as Victoria (1819-1901) – queen of England 1837-1901

** Tom Hughes as Prince Albert (1819-1861) – Victoria’s husband

** David Oakes as Prince Ernest (1818-1893) - Albert’s brother

** Alex Jennings as Leopold (1790-1865) - king of Belgium 1831-1865

** Margaret Clunie as Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland (1806-1868)

** Diane Rigg as Charlotte, Duchess of Buccleuch (1811-1895) – Mistress of the Robe 1841-1846

** Ferdinand Kingsley as Charles Elme Francatelli (1805-1876) – a member of the royal staff, Victoria’s cook 1840-1842

** Nell Hudson as Marianne Skerrett (1793-1887) - a member of the royal staff, Victoria’s dresser 1837-1862

** Zaris-Angel Hator as Sara Forbes Bonetta (Aina) (1843-1880)

Since this drama is based on a true story, the basic facts are part of the public record. They are not a secret. Therefore I feel free to mention some of them here in this review.

While this drama is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Not everything happened exactly as shown in this drama, but the basic story-line is true.

What do reviewers say about it? On IMDb it has a rating of 81 per cent, which corresponds to four stars on Amazon. What do I think about it? I think there are two ways to look at this drama:

# 1. If you just want to be entertained for an hour or two, if you do not care much about historical accuracy, then this item does an excellent job. For entertainment and a romantic story-line this item deserves a rating of five stars.

# 2. If you want more than entertainment, if you care about historical accuracy, then the situation is different, because historical truth has been violated on several occasions. I have to go with the second option. For me, historical accuracy is important.

What does the creator Daisy Goodwin say about historical truth and historical dramas written for television? In a statement to “Radio Times” (October 2017), Daisy Goodwin explains how she works when she has to write a script for the series about the famous queen:

“My challenge in Victoria is always to keep the balance between [romantic] drama and [historical] accuracy. My rule is that I can change the odd date, move people around here and there, as long as I am faithful to the emotional truth of the characters.”

If you ask me, Goodwin has broken her own rule on several occasions, not only in season one (from 2016) and in season two (from 2017), but also in the Christmas special. Here are some examples from the Christmas special:

** Francatelli was Victoria’s cook 1840-1842. He does not belong in the Christmas special which is set in December 1846. The chronology connected with this character is completely false.

** In the drama, Francatelli and Skerrett have romantic feelings for each other. However, there is no solid evidence to support this idea. Besides, it is not relevant for the main story about Queen Victoria and the royal family.

** King Leopold wants to find a bride for Albert’s brother Ernest. This is odd, because Albert had married Princess Alexandrine of Baden in 1842. But the creator pretends he is still a bachelor four years later.

** Ernest and Harriet have romantic feelings for each other. In season one, Harriet explains that she cannot give in to him, because she is a married woman. In season two, we are told that her husband is killed in a hunting accident. Now she is a widow. Maybe they can get married now? In the Christmas special (set in 1846) the creator still toys with this notion, even though it is completely false. For two reasons:

(a) As stated above, Ernest was not a bachelor. He was already married and had been married since 1842. He was no longer a bachelor.

(b) Harriet’s husband George Sutherland did not die in 1845, as stated in the drama. He was born in 1786 and lived until 1861. Harriet did not become a widow until 1861. But the creator decided to let him die in a hunting accident in 1845!

** Sara Forbes Bonetta, who was born in Africa in 1843, came to England in 1848 when she was five years old. She was presented to Queen Victoria in 1850 when she was seven years old. In the Christmas special she is supposed to be seven years old, but the special is set in 1846. The creator has moved the story of the African princess four years backwards; from 1850 to 1846.

It gets worse: Zaris-Angel Hator, who plays Sara, was born in 2004. In 2017, when the Christmas special was filmed, she was 13. She was almost twice as old the character she was supposed to portray.

** The Christmas special includes a dramatic episode connected with ice-skating. The episode is real. but it took place in 1841. The creator has moved this episode five years forward; from 1841 to 1846.

** Albert and Ernest speak English when they are alone and there is no one else around. This is not realistic. They would have spoken German to each other.

** King Leopold, who is played by a British actor, speaks English with a phoney German accept. He speaks English when he is alone with Albert or with Ernest or with both of them. This is not realistic. They would have spoken German to each other.

As you can see, there are some flaws here and there. Some of them may seem minor, but when you consider how many cases there are, it becomes difficult to regard the total sum as minor.

I like this drama and I want to give it a good rating, but I cannot offer five stars for this drama. However, in the spirit of Christmas, I do not want to be too harsh: I will remove only one star because of the flaws mentioned above. Therefore I will offer a rating of four stars.

PS. Season one (from 2016) covers the time 1837-1840, while season two (from 2017) covers the time 1841-1846.

*****