Historical drama. Anne gives birth to a baby girl. Aware that her power in court rests on producing a male heir, she becomes increasingly paranoid.
Anne gives birth to a baby girl, Elizabeth, and Henry does little to hide his disappointment. Anne is aware that her power in court rests on producing a male heir and in her paranoia cracks appear in her relationship with Cromwell.
The 'Holy Maid of Kent', Elizabeth Barton, has been prophesising that if Henry marries Anne Boleyn he will die within the year. Cromwell's spies know that she is touting new candidates for the throne - the old Plantagenet families whom the Tudors displaced and supporters of Katherine who are loyal to Rome. Cromwell interviews the Holy Maid but counsels the king to show mercy to her supporters. However, until Henry has a male heir, the Tudor line remains vulnerable. Cromwell decrees that everyone in public life must take an oath to recognise Henry's supremacy as head of the church and the legality of his marriage to Anne Boleyn.
Thomas More advises his family to take the oath but, despite pressure from Cromwell, will not take it himself and is committed to the tower. More is tried, found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. Cromwell did not want him dead - he wanted to bend More's will and make him take the oath, but More's stubbornness left him with no choice. Recovering from serious illness, Cromwell plans the king's royal progress to include a trip to Wolf Hall, the home of Sir John Seymour and his daughter Jane.
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Clips
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"I'll have no peace until More is dead"
Duration: 02:04
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"Fright can unmake a man"
Duration: 01:50
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"I will not yield"
Duration: 01:48
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Thomas Cromwell | Mark Rylance |
King Henry VIII | Damian Lewis |
Anne Boleyn | Claire Foy |
Duke of Norfolk | Bernard Hill |
Thomas More | Anton Lesser |
Rafe Sadler | Thomas Brodie-Sangster |
Jane Rochford | Jessica Raine |
Johane Williamson | Saskia Reeves |
Richard Cromwell | Joss Porter |
Gregory Cromwell | Tom Holland |
Liz Cromwell | Natasha Little |
Jane Seymour | Kate Phillips |
Thomas Wriothesley | Joel MacCormack |
Thomas Cranmer | Will Keen |
Duke of Suffolk | Richard Dillane |
Frances Weston | Jacob Fortune-Lloyd |
Mark Smeaton | Max Fowler |
George Boleyn | Edward Holcroft |
Sir Thomas Boleyn | David Robb |
Solicitor Gen Richard Rich | Bryan Dick |
Lord Chancellor Audley | Tim Steed |
Edward Seymour | Ed Speleers |
Thomas Seymour | Iain Batchelor |
Sir John Seymour | Paul Ritter |
Alice More | Monica Dolan |
Writer | Peter Straughan |
Producer | Mark Pybus |
Director | Peter Kosminsky |
Production Company | Company Pictures |
Writer | Peter Straughan |
A critically acclaimed cast
Wolf Hall stars Mark Rylance, Claire Foy, Damian Lewis and Jonathan Pryce.
How did one family shape modern Britain?
The Tudor dynasty introduced huge changes to England that are still with us today.