A Seattle public television station’s love affair with Victoria has inspired a local fundraising gala première of Victoria, the new Masterpiece series about our royal namesake’s ascension to the throne.
KCTS 9, the PBS station that has hosted several Downton Abbey galas at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel, is returning on Sunday to give locals a chance to see Victoria before it airs.
Screening Victoria here two hours before its North American première at 9 p.m. on PBS stations is “a perfect fit,” said KCTS 9 marketing and communications director Kelsey Tomascheski.
“KCTS 9 sees Victoria as an important market for our viewership,” she said, noting more than 50 per cent of the 2.2 million viewers who watch the station on average each week are Canadians. There are more than 30,000 Canadian donors, with Victoria and Vancouver Island second only to Metro Vancouver in terms of donations from B.C.
The seven-part series that will fill the Sunday night slot occupied by Downton Abbey for six years stars Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who) as young Victoria, the neglected teenager who became Queen. It dramatizes the monarch’s tumultuous reign, from her coronation in 1837 through her relationship with Lord Melbourne (Rufus Sewell) and her marriage to Prince Albert (Tom Hughes).
“The British shows are overwhelmingly popular here, and the Victoria connection makes it even more so,” said Diana Barkley, executive director of Pacific Coast Public Television Association.
“We just wanted to have a way of saying thank-you to our audiences here by giving something back. We always get such a warm welcome.”
The hit series has already been released in the U.K. to rave reviews, noted Oak Bay Beach Hotel marketing manager Kris Morash.
“The connection between the show’s name and our city was easy to make,” he said, adding the hotel’s Victoria première will be more casual than its Downton Abbey dinners.
A dinner reception with a host bar, circulating hors d’oeuvres and food stations will take place at 6 p.m. in the hotel’s theatre wing, with live entertainment and door prizes that include a trip to Seattle.
The two-hour première screening will follow at 7 p.m. in the David Foster Foundation Theatre.
The Downton Abbey galas held since the hotel reopened in 2012 became dress-up affairs, with many patrons showing up in Edwardian attire.
While guests are welcome to dress in period garb for the $79-per-person Victoria première, Morash said there is no period dress code. “Don’t feel like you need to go out to the costume shop,” he said. “We’re getting further into history here, so we don’t want to make it too difficult.”
Tourism Victoria is also capitalizing on excitement over the new series with a promotional campaign, including themed spots that will air during and around the broadcasts.
Chief marketing officer Trina Mousseau said it was serendipitous that Victoria’s North American première airs during the time of year Tourism Victoria is promoting romantic getaways leading up to Valentine’s Day.
“It will tie into the content about Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and their love affair,” Mousseau said.
“Seattle is our key market,” she said. “It’s a really affluent audience, definitely the types of consumers we want to reach.”
While there was a lot of media coverage last year about Victoria’s hipness, hot tech sector, culinary highlights and creative riches, with Vogue calling it “America’s capital region of cool,” its royal allure remains.
“We’re a little bit more British in our ancestry and heritage than some other parts of Canada,” said Bruce Hallsor, chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada’s Victoria chapter.
Hallsor said even non-monarchists enjoy celebrating this aspect of our heritage.
“Those who are indifferent are usually happy to join in the fun,” he said. “Victorians vote with their feet every time there’s a royal visit.”
Reservations for Oak Bay Beach Hotel’s Victoria gala can be made at oakbaybeachhotel.com or by calling 250-598-4556.