ROYAL scandal

EMILIA SCHÜLE and LOUIS CUNNINGHAM on the looming crisis facing the doomed French monarchs

- NATASHA HOLT

MARIE ANTOINETTE NEW THU, 9PM, BBC2 DRAMA (BOX SET, BBC IPLAYER)

Perhaps not surprisingly, since she takes the title role in BBC2’s historical drama Marie Antoinette, Emilia Schüle has a different opinion from most on the much-maligned last queen of France.

‘Marie Antoinette is framed in this one particular way but there was so much more to it,’ says the German actor. ‘Having played her, I think she’s a very inspiring, even feminist, human being who was fighting for her personal freedom and for her family.’

As the 18th-century period drama returns for a second series, Marie Antoinette and her husband King Louis XVI (Louis Cunningham) are in the Palace of Versailles and at the height of their power and popularity. However, they still face treachery from their old foes, including Louis’ brother Provence (Jack Archer) and his cousin, the exiled Chartres (Oscar Lesage), while the ruthless Jeanne La Motte (Industry’s Freya Mavor) will pose a much greater threat than they could ever have imagined…

A confidence trickster, Jeanne plans to steal the world’s most expensive diamond necklace and blame the theft on the Queen, who is famed for her extravagant lifestyle. The real-life incident damaged Marie Antoinette’s reputation beyond repair and had fatal consequences.

Here, Emilia, 32, and Louis, 27, tell TV Times what to expect from the new eight-part run…

How does it feel to be back for a second season?