Victoria & Albert

Dramatic interpretation has not been kind to Queen Victoria, traditionally portraying her as the austere black-weeded widow who reigned with an iron hand. But a new BBC One drama is out to change all that, showing her as a hot-headed, often vulnerable, young woman passionately in love. The two-part series Victoria & Albert, stars Victoria Hamilton and Jonathan Firth - younger brother of Colin - with support from Diana Rigg, Nigel Hawthorne and Peter Ustinov. When her doctor told her about the 'change of life', she said: 'Does that mean I won't be able to have fun in bed any more? David Cunliffe, TV producer Like any good screen romance, it concentrates on the developing relationship between first cousins Victoria and Albert, from cool indifference through to deep love. "I wanted to get beyond the politics, paint a more rounded, human picture of Victoria and show what her relationship with her husband was really like," says producer David Cunliffe. "It was definitely stormy and passionate - her diaries, even though edited by her daughter, tell us that. She had tantrums, loved partying - and felt much stronger about him than he about her." Even in its early stages, the drama caused a stir amongst purists, when Cunliffe announced he wanted to show the royal couple in bed on their wedding night. Cunliffe added fuel to the fire when he remarked that throughout their relationship - until Albert's death in 1861, aged 42 - Victoria and Albert were a "lusty couple". Now the series is about to air and Cunliffe is unrepentant about his portrayal of the queen. "She definitely enjoyed sex. When her doctor told her about the 'change of life', she said: 'Does that mean I won't be able to have fun in bed any more?," says Cunliffe. "She loved Albert with a passion and was struck with horror when he moved out of the marital bedroom when so ill before his death." It was Albert's death that sent Victoria wild with grief and into the "unamused" state tirelessly peddled by TV and film. "But there was much more to her than that. She loved having fun but was also very much in need of a strong man to give her emotional support." Victoria died in 1901 but it was not until more than 20 years later that the royal family would allow any drama about her to be performed. These have included Anna Neagle's starring roles in the movies Victoria the Great followed by Sixty Glorious Years. Patricia Routledge starred in the four-part TV series Victoria Regina in 1964 and Annette Crosbie played the queen in TV's 13-part Edward the Seventh in 1975. Then in 1997 the hit British film Mrs Brown came along. The presence of acclaimed actress Dame Judi Dench in the lead role of Victoria undoubtedly drew people to the film. Though heavy with mourning, reclusive and terse of tongue, the widowed queen gradually melted to the charms of her devoted groom, played by Billy Connolly. Cunliffe concludes that he hopes his drama will also stand out among the usual portrayals of the queen. "More than 100 years after Victoria's death, her reign is being re-evaluated.