There was a strong reaction to it…
There was a public outcry on Twitter this week as many people realised the extent and horrors of the Irish Famine when it was portrayed in the hit series, Victoria.
The show is in its second season and as you can guess from the name, Victoria is about the monarch of the same name and focuses on the first few years of her reign, which happens to coincide with the Irish Famine.
It was discussed prior to the second season whether or not the series would address the event in detail and in this week’s episode, fans were given their answer.
The episode focused on Queen Victoria’s reaction to the Irish Famine where one million people died and a further two million left the country.
It showed Jenna Coleman’s Queen Victoria clashing with Prime Minister Robert Peel, who was reluctant to send aid to Ireland over fears it would destabilise his party and weaken his position.
The episode was written by Daisy Goodwin, who is the great-great-great granddaughter of Dr Robert Traill, a real-life campaigner for famine victims in Ireland, and is portrayed in the show by Martin Compston.
Speaking to Radio Times, Goodwin said, “I thought his story would be a good way to illustrate the terrible way in which the Irish were treated by the British government.”
The ignorance in U.K if what happened in the Famine is shocking #Victoria #lessonsofhistory
— Daisy Goodwin (@DaisyGoodwin) October 1, 2017
Attitudes to Potato Famine in U.K. Classic example of #victimblaming #victoria
— Daisy Goodwin (@DaisyGoodwin) October 1, 2017
Viewers were shocked to learn the extent of the damage caused by the Irish Famine, and many took to Twitter to voice their opinions on the matter and praise Goodwin for her writing of the horrific period in history.
Very powerful episode tonight about the Irish potato famine, very personal to @DaisyGoodwin, and directed by Jim Loach …
— Paul Frift (@pfrift) October 1, 2017
Quite emotional watching #Victoria, my ancestors came to England to escape the Irish potato famine. Well done itv.
— Angela Scott (@angel103) October 1, 2017
:Watching #Victoria.1 million people died in the Irish potato #Famine?!!Heartbreaking.Powerful episode,@VictoriaSeries,@DaisyGoodwin.
— SarahTonin #GTTO #FBNHS #ProEU #SaveOurNHS #BLM (@I_am_SarahTonin) October 2, 2017
https://twitter.com/Ms_Sel01/status/914593337524604928
If you missed it on ITV earlier this week, it will air on Thursday on TV3. You’ve no excuse to miss it.
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