Jenna Coleman turned down 'Victoria' twice before signing up for the show.

Jenna Coleman

Jenna Coleman

The former 'Doctor Who' star plays Queen Victoria in the ITV drama programme, but she was initially reluctant to accept the part because she didn't want to appear in another long-running show after the sci-fi series.

She said: "I had just finished doing nearly four years on 'Doctor Who' and I didn't want to do another long TV project.

"I wanted to do lots of different things, but now I'm doing 'Victoria', I find her quite addictive."

The 32-year-old actress will reprise her role as the late monarch in a third series in 2019, but admits there will "come a point in her story" where she can no longer take on the part.

She said: "We're deciding on a series-by-series basis.

"In the next one she's starting to look a bit more matronly, she's had six or seven children, so a bit wider, bit more of a bust, the make-up is more drawn ... but there will come a point in her story when no amount of prosthetic make-up or me lowering my voice will be convincing enough."

Should Jenna's titular part be re-cast, 'Victoria' will follow Netflix drama 'The Crown' in re-casting royal roles, after Claire Foy and Matt Smith's characters Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were recently taken over by Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies.

The 'Cry' star also admits she would've likely rejected the chance to appear in another sci-fi show after 'Doctor Who' - in which she played the Time Lord's assistant Clara Oswald - because she wanted to try her hand at other opportunities.

She added to Radio Times magazine: "'The Cry' is a real contrast to 'Victoria', and 'Victoria' was a real contrast to 'Doctor Who'.

"That was the attraction for me. If I'd been offered something sci-fi after 'Doctor Who' I probably would have turned it down.

"I've never done anything like a psychological thriller before."