Fans of hit series Victoria took to the internet tonight to share their delight at the continuing drama chronicling the life and loves of Great Britain’s beloved 19th-century Queen.

Tonight’s episode aired to bubbling excitement surrounding the recent announcement that ITV’s latest success will be returning for a second season next year, and it’s not hard to see why.

Followers took to Twitter in anticipation of another action-packed episode, amid disgruntlement from some that Rufus Sewell’s character, Lord M, had departed in the previous episode.

It’s clear that his absence was keenly felt by some.

But for those who stuck with it, it wasn’t long before devotees got some welcome light relief in the form of a quip regarding a “muffin man”.

Shrek fans may remember that the animated film included a back-and-forth skit between a Gingerbread man and an evil King, regarding the presence of – yup. You’ve guessed it – The Muffin Man.

Well, in a twinkly-eyed nod to the 2001 DreamWorks production, Jenna Coleman’s Victoria and Tom Hughes’s Albert repeated the lines: “The muffin man?” to much frivolity.

And we really do mean MUCH frivolity…

Perhaps not quite as much as what came next, however.

It seems that dear old Victoria didn’t fancy getting pregnant so early into her marriage with the great Prince, so she asked around for advice on how to dodge the trials of pregnancy without skimping on… well. Marriage stuff.

If you didn’t guess it from that last tweet, perhaps this will give you more of a clue.

Still confused? Well, we were too initially.

It turns out that Victoria’s great advice was to jump up and down on the spot shortly after love-making, in the hope that it would decrease her chances of conceiving.

Obviously, from our 21st-century ivory tower, we think we know better.

Okay – we DEFINITELY know better.

Well, mostly.

Fans were also treated to a cameo from the show’s writer, Daisy Goodwin, who made a brief appearance as the Duchess of Inverness.

Good spot to those who got it.

And it doesn’t end there.

If you’re already gripped, the good news is there are still two episodes left to air before season one concludes in a couple of weeks’ time – and if you haven’t already seen it, it’s time to binge on Victorian costume drama heaven to catch up.