Viewers were shocked by Victoria's "brutally honest" depiction of the potato famine

Episode six of Victoria saw the young queen struggling to deal with the ever-worsening potato famine across in Ireland – and viewers were blown away by the show's heartbreaking depiction of events.

The episode saw Jenna Coleman's Queen Victoria locking horns with Prime Minister Robert Peel, who was reluctant to send aid to Ireland for fear it would destabilise his party and put his political career in jeopardy. Line of Duty star Martin Compston appeared in the show as Dr Robert Traill, an Irish reverend who appealed to Queen Victoria for help on behalf of his people.

• Meet the cast of Victoria series 2
• Victoria series 3 will explore sexual tensions in Royal marriage says Daisy Goodwin
• Victoria series 3 confirmed with Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes both returning

Viewers were shocked to learn the extent of the damage caused by the famine, which was the result of a failed potato crop between 1845 and 1849, leading to widespread starvation, emigration and the death of over one million people. Many took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the episode, and to praise Victoria creator Daisy Goodwin for highlighting the issue.

Goodwin joined the conversation too, bemoaning "ignorance" surrounding the issue in the UK.

The Victoria creator also revealed that Traill is her own distant relative.