Anna Regina (Wolf Hall)

Last updated

"Anna Regina"
Wolf Hall episode
Episode no.Series 1
Episode 3
Directed by Peter Kosminsky
Written by Peter Straughan
Story by Hilary Mantel
Original air date4 February 2015 (2015-02-04)
Running time60 minutes
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Entirely Beloved"
Next 
"The Devil's Spit"

"Anna Regina" is the third episode of the BBC Two series Wolf Hall . It was first broadcast on 4 February 2015.

Contents

Plot summary

In 1531, King Henry VIII pushes his cause of marrying Anne Boleyn by proposing a bill that would make him, and not the Pope, the head of the Church in England. Thomas Cromwell's influence in the king's affairs continues to grow, but he seeks more power. [1]

Cast

Critical reception

"Anna Regina" received positive reviews. The Daily Telegraph again gave the episode 5/5. Reviewer Tim Martin wrote that "Wolf Hall is getting better, and darker, with each episode," and called it a "stellar political drama, with a thrillingly delicate feel for the weight of words." [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Boleyn</span> Queen of England from 1533 to 1536

Anne Boleyn was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that marked the start of the English Reformation.

<i>Anne of the Thousand Days</i> 1969 British film by Charles Jarrott

Anne of the Thousand Days is a 1969 British period historical drama film based on the life of Anne Boleyn, directed by Charles Jarrott and produced by Hal B. Wallis. The screenplay by Bridget Boland and John Hale is an adaptation of the 1948 play of the same name by Maxwell Anderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Seymour</span> Queen of England from 1536 to 1537

Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of her only child, the future King Edward VI. She was the only wife of Henry to receive a queen's funeral; and he was later buried alongside her remains in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII is a series of six television plays produced by the BBC and first transmitted between 1 January and 5 February 1970. The series later aired in the United States on CBS from 1 August to 5 September 1971 with narration added by Anthony Quayle. The series was rebroadcast in the United States without commercials on PBS as part of its Masterpiece Theatre series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford</span> English nobleman, courtier and politician

George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford was an English courtier and nobleman who played a prominent role in the politics of the early 1530s as the brother of Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII. George was the maternal uncle of Queen Elizabeth I, although he died long before his niece ascended the throne. Following his father's promotion in the peerage in 1529 to Earl of Wiltshire and Earl of Ormond, he adopted his father's junior title Viscount Rochford as a courtesy title. He was accused of incest with his sister Anne during the period of her trial for high treason, as a result of which both were executed.

Mark Smeaton was a musician at the court of Henry VIII of England, in the household of Queen Anne Boleyn. Smeaton, together with the Queen's brother George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford, Henry Norris, Francis Weston and William Brereton was executed for treason and adultery with Queen Anne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wives of Henry VIII</span> Queens consort of Henry VIII of England

In common parlance, the wives of Henry VIII were the six queens consort of King Henry VIII of England between 1509 and his death in 1547. In legal terms, Henry had only three wives, because three of his marriages were annulled by the Church of England. However, he was never granted an annulment by the Pope, as he desired, for Catherine of Aragon, his first wife. Annulments declare that a true marriage never took place, unlike a divorce, in which a married couple end their union. Along with his six wives, Henry took several mistresses.

<i>The Tudors</i> Historical fiction television series

The Tudors is a historical fiction television series set primarily in 16th-century England, created and written by Michael Hirst and produced for the American premium cable television channel Showtime. The series was a collaboration among American, British, and Canadian producers, and was filmed mostly in Ireland. While named after the Tudor dynasty as a whole, it is based specifically upon the reign of King Henry VIII.

<i>Henry VIII</i> (TV serial) British TV series or programme

Henry VIII is a two-part British television serial produced principally by Granada Television for ITV from 12 to 19 October 2003. It chronicles the life of Henry VIII of England from the disintegration of his first marriage to an aging Spanish princess until his death following a stroke in 1547, by which time he had married for the sixth time. Additional production funding was provided by WGBH Boston, Powercorp and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural depictions of Henry VIII</span> Overview of Henry VIIIs portrayals in cultural media

Henry VIII and his reign have frequently been depicted in art, film, literature, music, opera, plays, and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural depictions of Anne Boleyn</span>

Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII of England, and Queen of England from 1533 until she was beheaded in 1536 for treason, has inspired or been mentioned in numerous artistic and cultural works. The following lists cover various media, enduring works of high art, and recent representations in popular culture, film and fiction. The entries represent portrayals that a reader has a reasonable chance of encountering, rather than a complete catalogue. Anne Boleyn was the second wife of Henry VIII and was the mother of Elizabeth I. She has been called "the most influential and important queen consort England has ever had", as she provided the occasion for Henry VIII to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and declare the English church's independence from the Vatican.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Boleyn</span> English noblewoman

Mary Boleyn, also known as Lady Mary, was the elder sister of English queen consort Anne Boleyn, whose family enjoyed considerable influence during the reign of King Henry VIII.

<i>Wolf Hall</i> Historical novel by Hilary Mantel

Wolf Hall is a 2009 historical novel by English author Hilary Mantel, published by Fourth Estate, named after the Seymour family's seat of Wolfhall, or Wulfhall, in Wiltshire. Set in the period from 1500 to 1535, Wolf Hall is a sympathetic fictionalised biography documenting the rapid rise to power of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII through to the death of Sir Thomas More. The novel won both the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. In 2012, The Observer named it as one of "The 10 best historical novels".

<i>Bring Up the Bodies</i> Historical novel by Hilary Mantel

Bring Up the Bodies is an historical novel by Hilary Mantel, sequel to the award-winning Wolf Hall and part of a trilogy charting the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell, the powerful minister in the court of King Henry VIII. It won the 2012 Booker Prize and the 2012 Costa Book of the Year. The final novel in the trilogy, The Mirror and the Light, was published in March 2020.

<i>Wolf Hall</i> (TV series) 2015 British television drama series

Wolf Hall is a British television serial first broadcast on BBC Two in January 2015. The six-part series is an adaptation of two of Hilary Mantel's novels, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, a fictionalised biography documenting the rapid rise to power of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII through to the death of Sir Thomas More, followed by Cromwell's success in freeing the king of his marriage to Anne Boleyn. Wolf Hall was first broadcast in April 2015 in the United States on PBS and in Australia on BBC First. It was reported in 2022 that a second series, covering the final novel in the trilogy, was in pre-production, with Mark Rylance and director Peter Kosminsky returning.

"Three Card Trick" is the first episode of the BBC Two series Wolf Hall. It was first broadcast on 21 January 2015.

"Entirely Beloved" is the second episode of the BBC Two series Wolf Hall. It was first broadcast on 28 January 2015.

Wolf Hall Parts One & Two is a two-part play based on Hilary Mantel's novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, adapted for the stage by Mike Poulton. Set in the period from 1500 to 1535, Wolf Hall is a sympathetic fictionalised biography documenting the rapid rise to power of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII through to the death of Sir Thomas More.

Thomas Cromwell was Chief Minister to King Henry VIII of England from 1534 to 1540. He played a prominent role in the important events of Henry's reign, including the king's divorce from Catherine of Aragon, the execution of Anne Boleyn, the marriage to Anne of Cleves, the Dissolution of the monasteries, and the English Reformation. These dramatic events have provided the inspiration for plays, novels and films from shortly after his death until modern times.

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light is an upcoming historical drama television series. It is a second adaptation by Peter Straughan of the Wolf Hall novels by Hilary Mantel, and covers the The Mirror and the Light, the final novel in the trilogy. It has Peter Kosminsky returning to direct and Mark Rylance returning in the lead role from the 2015 series Wolf Hall.

References

  1. Sutherland, John (4 February 2015). "Wolf Hall recap: episode three – the purse strings are in Cromwell's hands". The Guardian . Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  2. Martin, Tim (4 February 2015). "Wolf Hall, episode 3, review: 'better and darker'". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 21 January 2015.