YORK and North Yorkshire will have starring roles when the new series of ITV drama Victoria begins on Sunday evening.

Filming for the lavish, eight-part period drama, starring former Dr Who actress Jenna Coleman as Queen Victoria and Tom Hughes as her husband Albert, was filmed at a number of locations across the region last summer.

Stars, including Coleman, Hughes and co-star Laurence Fox, who plays Lord Palmerston, were spotted filming by excited locals during August and September.

Prominent locations include York Guildhall and York Minster School, which forms the backdrop for the House of Lords, York Crown Court, the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, Castle Howard and Newby Hall, which double for Kensington Palace, Carlton Towers, which is used as a stand-in for Windsor Castle, Whitby Harbour and Beverley Minster, which will become Westminster Abbey.

This third series picks up the story of the young queen in 1848, at a time of turbulence and uncertainty for both Europe and the monarchy.

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With revolutions on the continent and the Chartist movement reaching its peak, Victoria is under pressure from her government to leave London for her own safety.

Other stars include John Sessions, as Prime Minister John Russell, and Kate Fleetwood, as Victoria’s mysterious half-sister.

In an interview last year, Jenna Coleman described the role as “addictive”, even though she had not wanted to do another long project after Dr Who.

She also insisted that she loved the ageing process involved in playing the queen over a long period of time, although she is roughly the same age as Victoria at the start of this series.

Victoria starts on ITV on Sunday night at 9pm.