Martin Clunes and Frances de la Tour steal the show in Vanity Fair episode 2

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.

• Meet the cast of Vanity Fair
• Bodyguard takes out Vanity Fair in Sunday night head-to-head
• How does ITV’s Vanity Fair compare to the original novel by William Thackeray?

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.

https://twitter.com/JessycaAnne89/status/1036721412457865216

https://twitter.com/HylandIan/status/1036720420660097024

Clunes even won over skeptics with his performance.

https://twitter.com/terrettcorey/status/1036713184521080832

https://twitter.com/janevaughanuk/status/1036709421752229888

https://twitter.com/katbrown/status/1036708068971765760

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.

https://twitter.com/kitty_kelliher/status/1036712676725010432

https://twitter.com/lukewhereford/status/1036733212532334593

https://twitter.com/SARamsay1/status/1036722119906865152

https://twitter.com/neilriach/status/1036715385561800704

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

https://twitter.com/ITV/status/1036721415347744768

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

https://twitter.com/AnthonySHead/status/1036733991007780871

This article was originally published on 4 September 2018