The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970 TV series)

Last updated

The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Genre
Developed by Maurice Cowan
Written by
Directed by
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Producers
Running time6 × 90 minutes
Original release
Network BBC 2
Release1 January (1970-01-01) 
5 February 1970 (1970-02-05)
Related
Elizabeth R

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. [1] The series was rebroadcast in the United States without commercials on PBS as part of its Masterpiece Theatre series.

Contents

Each of the six plays focuses on a single wife, often from their perspective, and was written by a different dramatist. The series was produced by Mark Shivas and Ronald Travers and directed by Naomi Capon and John Glenister.

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byRuntimeOriginal air dateUS air date
1"Catherine of Aragon" John Glenister Rosemary Anne Sisson [2] 90 minutes1 January 1970 (1970-01-01)1 August 1971

Spanish Princess Catherine's brief marriage to Arthur, Prince of Wales, ends with his early death. Over the next few years, Catherine faces financial difficulties, and arrangements for her to marry Prince Henry are undecided. When King Henry VII dies, Henry VIII chooses Catherine as his wife, as his father requested. After a short scene of Catherine and Henry mourning their infant son's death (their second loss after a stillbirth), the programme jumps years ahead to when Henry falls in love with Lady Anne Boleyn. Henry desperately desires a male heir but after numerous pregnancies, only Catherine and Henry's daughter, Princess Mary (the future Mary I), has survived. Catherine is heartbroken when Henry wants to dissolve their marriage. There are several court scenes discussing an annulment. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey fails to fulfil Henry's desire to obtain a divorce from Catherine (and later dies while en route to the Tower of London).

Henry attempts a papal trial in England to judge the validity of his marriage based on Catherine having been married to his brother. Henry claims this makes their marriage incestuous, while Catherine insists that her marriage to Arthur was never consummated, thereby invalidating it. When Rome and the Pope refuse Henry's request, he begins his break with the Catholic Church and sows the seeds for the eventual English Reformation. Catherine is eventually told her marriage to Henry has been annulled, making her daughter Mary illegitimate and removed as Henry's heir, and that the king has married Anne. Catherine is sent away from court. Later, news arrives that Anne has given birth to a daughter, the future Elizabeth I. Catherine dies, her faithful servant María de Salinas at her bedside. Henry reads Catherine's loving final letter, then crushes it and callously walks away.
2"Anne Boleyn" Naomi Capon Nick McCarty [3] 88 minutes8 January 1970 (1970-01-08)8 August 1971
Anne's rise having been shown in the preceding episode, the focus is primarily on her downfall, documenting her disintegrating marriage to Henry amid two miscarriages and the king's infidelities. Anne's brother, George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford (with whom she is eventually accused of committing incest), is shown anxiously trying to advise and counsel her to be more prudent and cautious in her conduct with the king. Anne's continual berating Henry for his affairs elicits threats from him in return. Anne's final failure to give Henry a son seals her doom, and she is tried, convicted on the basis of false evidence, and beheaded. The storyline was heavily influenced by academic theories which presented Anne as the victim of a factional and political plot, concocted by her many enemies (among them, Thomas Cromwell and Lady Rochford, Anne's sister-in-law), who capitalised on the king's disillusionment with her. The scriptwriter used Anne's final confession of her sins (a burden that Archbishop Thomas Cranmer would have to bear to the end of his days), to suggest her innocence on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft.
3"Jane Seymour"John GlenisterIan Thorne [4] 90 minutes15 January 1970 (1970-01-15)15 August 1971
After a long and difficult labour, Queen Jane gives birth to Prince Edward, (the future Edward VI). When she is taken to her son's christening, she is in pain and near death; while in her sickbed, the events of her life flash before her in a feverish dream. Henry, still married to Queen Anne, falls in love with Jane. Her relations (and some of Henry's councillors like Thomas Cromwell, Bishop Stephen Gardiner and others), plot Anne Boleyn's downfall and Jane's ascension to queen. Days after Anne's execution, Henry and Jane are married. During her short time as queen, Jane has some success reconciling Princess Mary with Henry. Her pregnancy is guilt-ridden, knowing her predecessor was innocent, the victim of false witness. After Jane gives birth to the prince, she falls ill with childbed fever; this brings the episode full circle. Jane dies, and the last images are her body lying in state with Henry sobbing next to the funeral bier.
4"Anne of Cleves"John GlenisterJean Morris [5] 90 minutes22 January 1970 (1970-01-22)22 August 1971

With three dead wives and only one legitimate son, Henry's councillors urge him to marry again and further secure the succession. Thomas Cromwell proposes an alliance with Protestant Cleves (now part of modern Germany), so he considers the Duke of Cleves' two sisters, Anne and Amelia. He sends artist Hans Holbein, who paints both girls. Based on the portrait and good reports of her, Henry chooses Anne. When she reaches England, Henry, wishing to surprise her, arrives in disguise. As he is unannounced, Anne is frightened and then horrified upon realising that the obese and bawdy "messenger" is really her betrothed. Henry, rattled by her reaction, declares her ugly and attempts to nullify the marriage contract, but this proves impossible and the wedding proceeds with two unwilling participants. When the time comes to consummate their union, Anne sees a possible escape from the marriage by stalling the already unenthusiastic king.

In the following weeks, Anne and Henry live separate lives at court, although Anne is shown as being close to his children, especially young Elizabeth. Politics then take centre stage as Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, plots Cromwell's downfall by playing on Henry's infatuation with Norfolk's young niece, Catherine Howard. The reasons for the Cleves alliance have also shifted, making the marriage to Anne politically inconvenient. Cromwell, the alliance's architect, knows he is doomed and warns the queen, who plans an exit from the marriage rather than risk a worse fate. Archbishop Cranmer offers Anne advice and sympathy; they both regret Cromwell's and Robert Barnes' downfall. Encouraging Henry to believe it is his own idea, Anne tells Henry that she understands his demands for an annulment, and suggests that he give her a household of her own, with continued contact with Henry's children, of whom she is fond. She points out that if they both agree that the marriage was never consummated, an annulment should be easy. Given a graceful exit from the marriage and wife he is uninterested in, Henry gradually agrees, saying "Good night, my dear sister." The episode ends on Anne's bittersweet but relieved expression. The portrayal of Anne of Cleves is based largely on the writer's interpretation of obscure historical events. She is shown to have a strong grasp of politics. It provides an interpretation of the facts of the annulment and the reason why Anne survived her marriage to Henry to live long into the reign of his daughter, Mary.
5"Catherine Howard"Naomi Capon Beverley Cross [6] 90 minutes29 January 1970 (1970-01-29)29 August 1971

The Duke of Norfolk visits his elderly mother to see if one of his nieces would be a suitable enticement for King Henry. His ambition is clear: he wants a Howard on the throne of England. We see Catherine Howard, a pretty and foolhardy teenager, who confides in her cousin, Anne Carey, that she had sexual relations with a young man named Francis Dereham the previous summer. Her governess, Lady Rochford (the former sister-in-law of the late queen Anne Boleyn), takes her to the duke, who informs her that she will be the next queen of England. She states her concerns arising from Anne Boleyn's fate, but her uncle assures her all will be well if she follows his instructions and does not show fear or timidity when addressing the king. Norfolk is unaware of his niece's sexual past, as Catherine claims she is a virgin. She meets King Henry, who is now in ill-health with a perpetual ulcer on his leg. She flirts with and charms the king, who is immediately taken with her. They are married, but on their wedding night Henry's impotence is revealed.

Another difficulty arises when Dereham blackmails the queen regarding their past romance. She makes him her private secretary to quieten him. To secure her future, Norfolk insists she produce a male heir in any way possible. Catherine (with Lady Rochford as a go-between) begins a desperate affair with Thomas Culpeper, Henry's young and dashing gentleman of the privy chamber. Months pass with no sign of a pregnancy, and rumours spread throughout the court regarding the affair, as well as about Catherine's past indiscretions with both Dereham and a music teacher named Henry Mannox. With disclosure threatened, Norfolk betrays his niece to the king before his enemies can. Culpeper and Dereham are taken to the Tower of London, tortured, and later executed. Norfolk and the king's guards come to arrest Catherine and Lady Rochford. Catherine demands to see the king, but is denied. After being condemned, she is confined to the Tower where she rehearses a speech to give at her execution, and practises laying her head on a block. The episode ends with the king preparing for treatment on his ulcerated leg and banishing Norfolk, who has fallen far from favour. Henry warns Norfolk that if he ever looks upon him again, it will only be upon his head.
6"Catherine Parr"Naomi Capon John Prebble [7] 88 minutes5 February 1970 (1970-02-05)5 September 1971
Catherine Parr, the recently widowed Lady Latimer, is summoned before the king. Though only in his 50s, Henry looks older, is morbidly obese, sick and lonely. He takes to the mature twice-widowed lady, and her honesty and calmness entice him. She declines his marriage offer. However, the ambitious Edward and Thomas Seymour (brothers of the late Queen, Jane Seymour) urge her to accept Henry's proposal. Thomas, even though he and Catherine share romantic feelings, is especially eager that she should marry Henry. Archbishop Cranmer also encourages the devoutly Protestant Catherine to marry the king. Catherine soon becomes queen of England; her natural maternal instinct is put into practice with the king's children, Mary, Elizabeth, and Edward. However, Catholic Bishop Gardiner dislikes Catherine's religious views. He plots her downfall and questions her ladies. Gardiner even has one woman, Anne Askew (not one of Catherine's ladies, but a notable religious writer and speaker whose works Catherine had read), put to the rack. Catherine is horrified by Askew's story and confronts her husband and Gardiner. Henry is angered by her liberal opinions and angrily rejects her. Soon, an arrest warrant for the queen to be "examined" (which is practically a death sentence) is issued. Catherine is terrified, but Cranmer advises her to assume a modest, humble and apologetic attitude to the king, resulting in Henry forgiving her. Soon after, Henry collapses, obviously near death. After a long bedside vigil, the king dies. Thomas Seymour proposes to Catherine. Still in mourning, Catherine berates him for attempting to take the king's place, but she accepts.

Reception

Historian Eric Ives commended the interpretation of writers Rosemary Sisson and Nick McCarty as leading the modern audience to a better understanding of the actions and values of King Henry and Anne Boleyn. [8]

Awards and honours

YearAwardCategoryRecipient(s)Result
1970 Prix Italia Original Dramatic ProgramJane SeymourWon
1971 BAFTA Awards Best Actor Keith Michell Won
Best Actress Annette Crosbie Won
Best Production Design Peter SeddonWon
Best Costume Design John BloomfieldWon
Special AwardRonald Travers
Mark Shivas
Won
Best Drama ProductionNominated
Best Drama Production (Single Program) John Glenister
(Catherine of Aragorn)
Nominated
Best Actress Dorothy Tutin Nominated
1972 24th Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Keith MichellWon
Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series Nominated
Outstanding Drama Series Ronald Travers
Mark Shivas
Nominated
Outstanding New Series Nominated
Outstanding Single Program, Drama or ComedyNominated

Legacy

The series spawned a sequel, Elizabeth R (1971), starring Glenda Jackson, which included several performers reprising their roles in the first episode: Ronane, Hepton, Dignam and Crutchley. [9] A prequel, The Shadow of the Tower (1972), starring James Maxwell and Norma West as Henry's parents, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.

Jane Seymour writer Ian Thorne adapted the series into the film Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972). Michell reprises his role, with the wives being portrayed by Frances Cuka, Charlotte Rampling, Jane Asher, Jenny Bos, Lynne Frederick and Barbara Leigh-Hunt. Cromwell is played by Donald Pleasence, and the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk by Michael Gough and Brian Blessed.

See also

Related Research Articles

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

Anne of the Thousand Days is a 1969 British 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, who was accused by King Henry VIII of adultery after failing to produce the male heir he so desperately desired. Jane, however, 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 Private Life of Henry VIII is a 1933 British film directed and co-produced by Alexander Korda and starring Charles Laughton, Robert Donat, Merle Oberon and Elsa Lanchester. It was written by Lajos Bíró and Arthur Wimperis for London Film Productions, Korda's production company. The film, which focuses on the marriages of King Henry VIII of England, was a major international success, establishing Korda as a leading filmmaker and Laughton as a box-office star.

<i>Elizabeth R</i> TV miniseries

Elizabeth R is a BBC television drama serial of six 90-minute plays starring Glenda Jackson as Queen Elizabeth I of England. It was first broadcast on BBC2 from February to March 1971, through the ABC in Australia and broadcast in the United States on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre. The series has been repeated several times, most recently from 15 March 2023, by BBC Four.

Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford was an English noblewoman. Her husband, George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford, was the brother of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, and a cousin-in-law to King Henry VIII’s fifth wife Catherine Howard through Jane Boleyn’s marriage to George Boleyn: Catherine Howard’s cousin. Jane had been a member of the household of Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. It is possible that she played a role in the verdicts against, and subsequent executions of, her husband and Anne Boleyn. She was later a lady-in-waiting to Henry's third and fourth wives, and then to his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, with whom she was executed.

<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. He was never granted an annulment by the Pope, as he desired, however, 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 Six Wives of Henry VIII</i> (album) 1973 studio album by Rick Wakeman

The Six Wives of Henry VIII is the second studio album by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released in January 1973 on A&M Records. It is an instrumental progressive rock album with its concept based on his interpretations of the musical characteristics of the wives of Henry VIII. After signing with A&M as a solo artist, Wakeman decided on the album's concept during a tour of the United States with the progressive rock band Yes. As he read a book about the subject on his travels, melodies he had written the previous year came to him and were noted down. The album was recorded throughout 1972 with musicians from Yes and The Strawbs, the group Wakeman was in prior to his work in Yes.

<i>The Boleyn Inheritance</i> 2006 novel by Philippa Gregory

The Boleyn Inheritance is a novel by British author Philippa Gregory which was first published in 2006. It is a direct sequel to her previous novel The Other Boleyn Girl, and one of the additions to her six-part series on the Tudor royals. * The novel is told through the first-person narratives of – Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Jane Boleyn, who was mentioned in The Other Boleyn Girl. It covers a period from 1539 until 1542 and chronicles the fourth and fifth marriages of King Henry VIII of England.

<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.

<i>Henry VIII and His Six Wives</i> 1972 British film

Henry VIII and His Six Wives is a 1972 British historical drama film directed by Waris Hussein, adapted from the 1970 miniseries, The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Keith Michell, who plays Henry VIII in the TV series, reprised his role. His six wives are portrayed by Frances Cuka, Charlotte Rampling, Jane Asher, Jenny Bos, Lynne Frederick, and Barbara Leigh-Hunt. Donald Pleasence portrays Thomas Cromwell and Bernard Hepton portrays Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, a role he had also played in the miniseries and briefly in its follow-up Elizabeth R.

Rex is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and libretto by Sherman Yellen, based on the life of King Henry VIII. The original production starred Nicol Williamson.

<i>The Six Wives of Henry VIII</i> (2001 TV series) British TV series or programme

The Six Wives of Henry VIII is a 2001 television documentary series about the wives of King Henry VIII presented by historian David Starkey from historic locations with added re-enactments.

<i>Murder Most Royal</i> Novel by Eleanor Hibbert (as Jean Plaidy)

Murder Most Royal (1949) is an historical fiction novel by Jean Plaidy.

<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">Catherine Howard</span> Queen of England from 1540 to 1541

Catherine Howard was Queen of England from July 1540 until November 1541 as the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. She was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper, a cousin to Anne Boleyn, and the niece of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. Thomas Howard was a prominent politician at Henry's court, and he secured her a place in the household of Henry's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, where she caught the King's interest. She married him on 28 July 1540 at Oatlands Palace in Surrey, just 19 days after the annulment of his marriage to Anne. He was 49, and it is widely accepted that she was about 17 at the time of her marriage to Henry VIII.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mistresses of Henry VIII</span> Romantic and sexual partners of Henry VIII of England

The mistresses of Henry VIII included many notable women between 1509 and 1536. They have been the subject of biographies, novels and films.

John Skut was the royal tailor during the reign of Henry VIII of England.

<i>Six</i> (musical) British musical comedy

Six is a British musical comedy in the style of a pop concert. Its music, book, and lyrics were written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. It is a modern retelling of the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII, presented in the form of a singing competition. In the show, the wives take turns telling their story to determine who suffered the most from their shared husband, but ultimately seek to reclaim their individual identities and rewrite their stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural depictions of Catherine of Aragon</span>

Catherine of Aragon was Queen of England from June 1509 until May 1533 as the first wife of King Henry VIII. She has been portrayed in film, television, plays, novels, songs, poems, and other creative forms many times, and as a result, she has stayed very much in popular memory.

References

  1. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 1081. ISBN   0-345-45542-8.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Six Wives of Henry VIII: Catherine of Aragon". Radio Times (2406). 20 December 1969. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Six Wives of Henry VIII: Anne Boleyn". Radio Times (2408). 3 January 1970. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "The Six Wives of Henry VIII: Jane Seymour". Radio Times (2409). 10 January 1970. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "The Six Wives of Henry VIII: Anne of Cleves". Radio Times (2410). 17 January 1970. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 "The Six Wives of Henry VIII: Catherine Howard". Radio Times (2411). 24 January 1970. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  7. 1 2 "The Six Wives of Henry VIII: Catherine Parr". Radio Times (2412). 31 January 1970. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  8. Ives, Eric (2006). The life and death of Anne Boleyn: 'the most happy'. Oxford: Blackwell. p. 62. ISBN   978-14051-3463-7.
  9. "A repeat series of Elizabeth R'". Beverley Times (WA : 1905 - 1977). 4 January 1974. p. 2. Retrieved 4 November 2020.