Vanity Fair brought out the big guns for episode two, with both Frances de la Tour and Martin Clunes revelling in their roles in the ITV period drama.

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First Doc Martin star Clunes made an impact as the stingy Sir Pitt Crawley, before Harry Potter and The History Boys actress de la Tour stole the show as the fabulously wealthy – and fabulously dismissive – Matilda Crawley.

Viewers called the casting of de la Tour "genius" and Clunes "bloody brilliant", as the ITV drama continued following its opening episode on Sunday.

The ITV drama had struggled in the ratings on Sunday against BBC1 thriller Bodyguard, but viewers who stuck with the drama on Monday clearly warmed to the growing cast of characters.

Clunes even won over skeptics with his performance.

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Aunt Matilda is a firm favourite in Vanity Fair, but getting the casting right can be tricky. Thankfully, ITV looks to have found a winner in de la Tour.

The series continues this Sunday on ITV, with Olivia Cooke's Becky Sharp travelling with Aunt Matilda to London.

With two episodes now under its belt and more characters to discover, maybe it can bite back against Bodyguard?

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This article was originally published on 4 September 2018

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