Looks Like Jenna Coleman Will Reign on Victoria for a Long While

Don’t worry Victoria fans, it looks like the show plans to keep Jenna Coleman around for quite some time to come.

With Netflix drama The Crown preparing to recast its royals as the series jumps forward in time, some fans ostensibly worry that another regal period drama could head down the same path. But, breathe easy, Victoria fans, star Jenna Coleman has no plans to go anywhere just yet. And the folks in charge want to make sure you know that fact.

At recent BFI and Radio Times Television Festival in London series creator Daisy Goodwin reassured the Radio Times (and the world), that there’s still a long way to go before Victoria has to get any older.

"“I think we’ve got quite a long way to go before we need to re-cast Jenna; we’re moving quite slowly through the 1840s. […] We haven’t even caught up with her real age, so I think Jenna will be on our screens for some time to come.”"

Coleman and Goodwin have both spoken before about the fact that Victoria has the potential to continue for quite some time to come. The series’ second season is currently filming, with a 2017 Christmas special still in the works. It seems almost impossible that Victoria won’t receive a third season renewal when the time comes. (It’s a ratings hit.) But happily, there’s still a ton of story to tell. And many of the most famous and interesting moments of Victoria’s reign are still to come. (She was on the throne for over 63 years, after all.)

Season 1 followed the young queen through the first three years of her reign. And as Goodwin mentioned, Season 2 will pick up immediately afterward. The new episodes will apparently cover some portion of the 1840s. Since Victoria gave birth to six children between 1840 and 1848, the season will largely focus on the queen’s attempt to balance her duties as a mother and a queen. (It’s unclear as yet just how far into the decade the story will make it.) However, it doesn’t sound like we’ll be anywhere near the point where Coleman needs to put on any aging makeup.

Next: Diana Rigg Joins Victoria’s Court for Season 2

Victoria returns later this year on UK network ITV. It airs on PBS in the US. And, if history is anything to go by, may hit our screens in January.