So last night after spending the evening with my husband for his birthday and at 9pm looking at my watch and thinking “why today did it have to be his birthday” , I got home at 11.15pm and just had to watch my pre-recorded wolf hall which was on over 2 hours earlier – like a child I couldn’t wait another day to see it, and boy was I glad I waited up for another hour to feed my anticipated addiction.
As the credits began and the music started the hairs on my arm began to move and I was rooted to the spot. I don’t want to give too much away for people in the US who are still to wait for a few months to see it, but the acting, the set and the sheer brilliance was just wonderful. As a child and now adult I have to admit that I was never really into period dramas – however over the last 24 months Damian Lewis has changed my perception of this and since Forstye Saga I have been turned (not in a Brody way though) Mark Rylance plays Thomas Cromwell brilliantly and the cast is just fabulous, even down to the children.
I spoke to a friend today who was rooted to the spot when the Tudors were on television a while back and she said to me “ this is going to be a fantastic 6 weeks” and then clutching my cup of tea and dunking a biscuit the wait was over, Henry made his debut appearance on my screen, dressed in red with his floppy black hat and his sneering grin, there stood in the palace gardens, Damian Lewis, portraying King Henry 8th.
At first I had the urge to shout “whohoo” but then realised at 12am and kids asleep probably best just to keep it to my big smile and watch the last 5 minutes of what promises to be one of the best period dramas on the BBC in a very long time – BBC 2 have already said that they have not had TV ratings on a show that high in over a decade – so whether it’s down to a fantastic adaptation, or a great director or is it the fact that Damian Lewis has been cast into a magnificent British drama – whatever the reason I know I will be infront of my TV every Wednesday at 9pm for the next 6 weeks.
more reviews follow and of course you will read it every week here on DFI
Married to King Henry VIII: 12 July 1543 Queen's Closet, Hampton Court Palace
Widowed: 28 January 1547
Died: 5 September 1548 Sudeley Castle
Buried: 5 September 1548 St Mary's Chapel, Sudeley Castle
Katherine Parr was the eldest daughter of Sir Thomas Parr and his wife Maud Green, both of whom were at the court of Henry VIII in his early reign. Maud was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine of Aragon and named her daughter, born in 1512, after her.
So, Henry VIII’s last wife was named after his first. Thomas Parr died in November 1517, leaving his three children, William, Katherine and Anne in the care of their mother. Maud managed the children’s education and the family estates and must have left an impression on her daughter of the greater role an independent woman could have in society.
The education that Maud arranged for the children was similar to that of other noble figures of the time and at least in the case of Katherine, it ignited a life-long passion for learning. She was fluent in French, Latin and Italian and began learning Spanish when she was Queen.
Katherine Parr’s first marriage was to Edward Borough, the son of Thomas, third Baron Borough of Gainsborough in 1529 when she was 17 years old. Edward died only a few years later, probably in early 1533. It was during this marriage that Katherine’s mother Maud died, in December 1531. Katherine’s second marriage was to John Neville, third Baron Latimer of Snape Castle in Yorkshire, whom she married in the summer of 1534 when he was 41 and she was 22. Latimer had two children from his previous marriages so Katherine also became a stepmother for the first time.
During the Pilgrimage of Grace a rebel mob forced Latimer to join them and later took Katherine and her stepchildren hostage at the castle. Latimer was able to eventually secure their freedom and managed to escape arrest for his associations with the rebellion after it was finally put down.
Katherine’s ailing husband died in March 1543, leaving her a widow for the second time, now at the age of 31. It was around this time that Katherine was noticed by not only the King, but also Thomas Seymour, brother of the late Queen Jane Seymour. Katherine expressed her desire to marry Thomas Seymour after Latimer’s death, but the King’s request for her hand was one that Katherine felt it was her duty to accept. Katherine and Henry VIII were married on July 12th in the Queen’s closet at Hampton Court Palace in a small ceremony attended by about 20 people.
Katherine was interested in the reformed faith, making her enemies with the conservatives of Henry’s court. It was Katherine’s influence with the King and the Henry’s failing health that led to a plot against her in 1546 by the conservative faction. Katherine and her ladies were known to have had banned books which was grounds for arrest and execution on charges of heresy. To gain evidence against the Queen,Anne Askew, a well-known and active Protestant, was questioned and tortured, but refused to recant her faith or give evidence against Katherine and her ladies. However, there was enough other evidence against the Queen to issue a warrant for her arrest. The warrant was accidentally dropped and someone loyal to the Queen saw it and then quickly told her about it. This is a well-documented incident that has made its way into many historical fiction accounts. Sometimes the history itself is the best drama! After learning of the arrest warrant, Katherine was said to be very ill, either as a ruse to stall or from a genuine panic attack. Henry went to see her and chastised her for her outspokenness about the reformed religion and his feeling that she was forgetting her place by instructing him on such matters. Katherine’s response in her defense was that she was only arguing with him on these issues so she could be instructed by him, and to take his mind off other troubles. Playing to Henry’s ego no doubt helped and Katherine was forgiven.
Katherine was close with all three of her stepchildren as Henry’s wife and was personally involved in the educational program of the younger two, Elizabeth and Edward. She was also a patron of the arts and music. Katherine’s own learning and academic achievements, as alluded to previously, were impressive, and in 1545, her book “Prayers or Meditations” became the first work published by an English Queen under her own name. Another book, “The Lamentation of a Sinner”, was published after Henry VIII’s death.
Henry VIII died in January 1547 and Katherine had probably expected to play some role in the regency for the new nine-year-old king, Edward VI, but this was not to be. Only a few months after Henry’s death, Katherine secretly married Thomas Seymour, but the quickness and secret nature of the union caused a scandal. Katherine was still able to take guardianship of Princess Elizabeth and Seymour purchased the wardship of the king’s cousin, Lady Jane Grey. It was during this time that the rumors of a relationship between Elizabeth and Seymour arose and Elizabeth was sent to another household in the spring of 1548.
After three previous marriages and at the age of 36, Katherine was pregnant for the first time and in June 1548, she moved to Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire to await the birth of her child. On August 30th she gave birth to a daughter named Mary. Katherine soon fell ill with puerperal fever, which was to claim her life in the morning hours of September 5th. Katherine was buried, with Lady Jane Grey as the chief mourner, in the chapel at Sudeley Castle, where the tomb can still be visited today.
Married to King Henry VIII: 28 July 1540 Oatlands Palace
Executed: 13 February 1542 The Tower of London
Buried: 13 February 1542 Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London
Kathryn Howard was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard, a younger brother of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk. She was also first cousin to Anne Boleyn, Henry's ill-fated second Queen. She was brought up in the household of the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. As part of the Duchess' household, she would have spent most of her time at Lambeth and Horsham.
Kathryn came to court at about the age of 19 as a lady in waiting to Anne of Cleves and there is no doubt that the spirited young girl caught Henry's attentions. Kathryn's uncle probably encouraged the girl to respond to the King's attentions and saw it as a way to increase his own influence over the monarch. The Duke of Norfolk also took advantage of the debacle of the Anne of Cleves marriage as a chance to discredit his enemy, Thomas Cromwell. In fact, Cromwell was executed shortly after the marriage was nullified.
Sixteen days after he was free of Anne, Henry took his fifth wife, Kathryn Howard, on July 28, 1540. Henry was 49 and his bride was no older than 19.
For all that can be said against this match, Kathryn did manage to lift the King's spirits. Henry had gained a lot of weight and was dealing with the ulcerated leg that was to pain him until his death. The vivacious young girl brought back some of Henry's zest for life. The King lavished gifts on his young wife and called her his 'rose without a thorn' and the 'very jewel of womanhood'.
Less than a year into Kathryn's marriage, the rumors of her infidelity began. In a way, one couldn't blame her for seeking the company of handsome young men closer to her own age. But to do so, even if only in courtly flirtations, was dangerous for a Queen, especially one who came from a powerful family with many enemies. Kathryn didn't help matters much by appointing one of her admirers as her personal secretary.
By November 1541, there was enough evidence against the Queen that Archbishop Cranmer informed the King of Kathryn's misconduct. At first Henry did not believe the accusations, but he agreed to allow further investigations into the matter. Enough evidence was gathered that the Queen had been promiscuous before her marriage and may have had liaisons after becoming Henry's wife. She was executed on the Tower Green on February 13, 1542 and laid to rest near her cousin Anne Boleyn in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London.
DARLING, these shall be
only to advertise you that this
bearer and his fellow be despatched
with as many things to compass our
matter, and to bring it to pass as our
wits could imagine or devise; which
brought to pass, as I trust, by their
diligence, it shall be shortly, you and
I shall have our desired end, which
should be more to my heart’s ease,
and more quietness to my mind, than
any other thing in the world ; as, with
God’s grace, shortly I trust shall be
proved, but not so soon as I would
it were; yet I will ensure you that
there shall be no time lost that may
be won, and further can not be done;
for ultra posse non est esse*. Keep him
not too long with you, but desire
him, for your sake, to make the more
speed; for the sooner we shall have
word from him, the sooner shall our
matter come to pass. And thus upon
trust of your short repair to London,
I make an end of my letter, my own
sweet heart.
Written with the hand of him
which desireth as much to be yours
as you do to have him.
Married to King Henry VIII: 6 January 1540 Greenwich
Marriage to Henry VIII dissolved: July 1540
Died: 16 July 1557 Chelsea Manor, London
Buried: 4 August 1557 Westminster Abbey
Henry VIII remained single for over two years after Jane Seymour's death, possibly giving some credence to the thought that he genuinely mourned for her. However, it does seem that someone, possibly Thomas Cromwell, began making inquiries shortly after Jane's death about a possible foreign bride for Henry.
Henry's first marriage had been a foreign alliance of sorts, although it is almost certain that the two were truly in love for some time. His next two brides were love matches and Henry could have had little or no monetary or political gain from them.
But the events of the split from Rome left England isolated, and probably vulnerable. It was these circumstances that led Henry and his ministers to look at the possibility of a bride to secure an alliance. Henry did also want to be sure he was getting a desirable bride, so he had agents in foreign courts report to him on the appearance and other qualities of various candidates. He also sent painters to bring him images of these women.
Hans Holbein, probably the most famous of the Tudor court painters, was sent to the court of the Duke of Cleves, who had two sisters: Amelia and Anne. When Holbein went in 1539, Cleves was seen as an important potential ally in the event France and the Holy Roman Empire (who had somewhat made a truce in their long history of conflict) decided to move against the countries who had thrown off the Papal authority. England then sought alliances with countries who had been supporting the reformation of the church. Several of the Duchys and principalities along the Rhine were Lutheran. Holbein painted the sisters of the Duke of Cleves and Henry decided to have a contract drawn up for his marriage to Anne.
Although the King of France and the Emperor had gone back to their usual state of animosity, Henry proceeded with the match. The marriage took place on January 6, 1540. By then, Henry was already looking for ways to get out of the marriage.
Anne was ill-suited for life at the English court. Her upbringing in Cleves had concentrated on domestic skills and not the music and literature so popular at Henry's court. And, most famously, Henry did not find his new bride the least bit attractive and is said to have called her a 'Flanders Mare'. In addition to his personal feelings for wanting to end the marriage, there were now political ones as well. Tension between the Duke of Cleves and the Empire was increasing towards war and Henry had no desire to become involved. Last but not least, at some point, Henry had become attracted to young Kathryn Howard.
Anne was probably smart enough to know that she would only be making trouble for herself if she raised any obstacles to Henry's attempts to annul the marriage. She testified that the match had not been consummated and that her previous engagement to the son of the Duke of Lorraine had not been properly broken.
After the marriage had been dissolved, Anne accepted the honorary title as the 'King's Sister'. She was given property, including Hever Castle, formerly the home of Anne Boleyn.
Anne lived away from court quietly in the countryside until 1557 and attended the coronation of her former step-daughter, Mary I.
She is buried in a somewhat hard to find tomb in Westminster Abbey.
Jane Seymour may have first come to court in the service of
Queen Catherine, but then was moved to wait on Anne Boleyn as she rose in the
King's favor and eventually became his second wife.
In September 1535, the King stayed at the Seymour family
home in Wiltshire, England. It may have been there that the king
"noticed" Jane. But, it isn't until February of 1536 that there is
evidence of Henry's new love for Jane.
By that point, Henry's waning interest in Anne was obvious
and Jane was likely pegged to be her replacement as Queen.
Opinion is divided as to how Jane felt about being the new
object of Henry's affections. Some see Jane's calm and gentle demeanor as
evidence that she didn't really understand the position as political pawn she
was playing for her family. Others see it as a mask for her fear. Seeing how
Henry's two previous Queens had been treated once they fell from favor, Jane
probably had some trepidation, although Anne Boleyn's final fate had not been
sealed at that time.
One other view was that Jane fell into her role quite
willingly and actively sought to entice the King and flaunt her favor even in
front of the current Queen.
How Jane actually felt, we will never know. Henry's feelings
were pretty clear though. Within 24 hours of Anne Boleyn's execution, Jane
Seymour and Henry VIII were formally betrothed. On the 30th of May, they were
married. Unlike Henry's previous two Queens, Jane never had a coronation.
Perhaps the King was waiting to Jane to 'prove' herself by giving him a son.
Less than two months after Henry and Jane's marriage, the
Duke of Richmond, Henry Fitzroy died at the age of 17. Fitzroy was the King's
bastard son by his mistress Elizabeth Blount.
It wasn't until early 1537 that Jane became pregnant. During
her pregnancy, Jane's every whim was indulged by the King, convinced that Jane,
whom he felt to be his first 'true wife', carried his long hoped for son. In October,
a prince was born at Hampton Court Palace and was christened on 15th of
October. The baby was named Edward. Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, was
godmother and Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn, also played a role in the
ceremony.
There has been much written over whether or not Jane gave
birth to Edward by cesarean section. It seems unlikely that if she had, she
would have lived as long as she did after the birth. Jane attended her son's
christening, although she was weak. She died on October 24th, just two weeks
after her son was born.
Henry had already been preparing his own tomb at St.
George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, which was where Jane was buried. In the end,
she would be the only of Henry's six wives to be buried with him.
"one of the best performances i have seen of an actor as Henry VIII an it's only going to get better." #WolfHall This is like Homeland, waiting for Damian Lewis to come on and liven it up a bit."
"Henry's insufferable. Great casting choice in Lewis." "Damian Lewis would make a very good King!" "Thanku @lewis_damian for giving such a brilliant portrayal of how I imagine Henry might have been. Now have 2wait a whole week!" "Wolf Hall Episode I with @lewis_damian as Henry VIII was brilliant" "Totally absorbing and beautiful. Congrats to all concerned."
"@DamianLewisCom so looking forward to Henry taking centre stage. Mr Lewis gave a superb grin tonight, a promise of humour and evil to come ?" "Superb, totally hooked" "Damian Lewis looks awesome as King Henry though" "best Henry ever!
"Damian Lewis looks awesome as King Henry though" "Mark Rylance is brilliant in #WolfHall, but it was Damian Lewis and his assured, petulant Henry that shone, with barely a minute on screen."
"@lewis_damian as King Henry VIII - amazing cast, flawless acting and beautiful scenery #WolfHall@BBCTwo"
"Finally a credible Henry VIII, bravo " "Mark Rylance completely wonderful but Damian Lewis stole the show with the 2 minutes he was in it" all comments found by twitter from a happy audience Mark Rylance is widely considered the greatest actor of his generation and Damian Lewis isn't far behind. (radio times) Damian Lewis as Henry VIII didn’t turn up till the final five minutes, but his scene with Cromwell made the earth tremble – Lewis never raised his voice yet he was fearsome, a man with no doubt about his divine right to rule.(daily mail) Lewis is excellent, with heaps of kingly swagger, utterly convincing, though not centre stage this time.(the guardian) all along.-)
source damian-lewis.com
I could do this endless but need to stop myself.-)
Wolf Hall seems already a huge success and critics and audience are likewise happy with the series first episode and Damian Lewis got already raves and praises for his performance as Henry VIII
and lets face it he had just five minutes on screen in this first episode and even we all know he is able
to catch a whole episode in just five minutes as we recently saw in his Homeland guest appearance
this is a new level and a higher standard because we talk about Henry VIII a role many fabulous
actors have played before and to shine in just five minutes in his own Homeland Great Britain
an audience who is always a bit more critical and I don't blame them because unfortunately
I am also very critical is an outstanding achievement which only proves its not up to Sergeant Brody
but its up to Damian Lewis who show us one more time that once he is on screen you can t take your eyes off him and he has a wide range of skills and variety...yes I am a proud an happy fan today!!
reviews....roundup
Daily Mail
There’s something oddly familiar about Shakespearean heavyweight Mark Rylance, as Thomas Cromwell, the central figure in BBC2’s Wolf Hall.
His insolence, the edge of sarcasm as he addresses ‘my lord’ or ‘my lady’, and, above all, the hint of a nasal whine in his London vowels… this blacksmith’s son resembled Blackadder’s devious servant Baldrick. But of course Cromwell’s plans are far more cunning.
The dash of humour is what makes Hilary Mantel’s two Booker-winning novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies, set in the maelstrom of Tudor politics, so entertaining.
Her hero Cromwell, an ex-mercenary turned lawyer who rises from the gutter to become the king’s chief adviser, watches the feuds and regal powerplays through sardonic eyes, with a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth.
Without that elusive streak of humour, Wolf Hall couldn't work on television. However good the cast, however sumptuous the settings, it would become just another plod through the best-known story in English history.
But Peter Straughan’s adaptation captures it perfectly. There was a moment with Cromwell’s son, the sweet-natured but dim Gregory, when the older man summed up his philosophy in three words: ‘Believe no one.’
That explains Cromwell’s amusement. He accepts that everyone is lying, in their own various ways, and acts accordingly. By looking for the lies, he makes fools of his enemies, such as the vinegary saint Sir Thomas More and the bullying Duke of Norfolk. They know they’ve been outwitted, but they can’t see how Cromwell has done it – that’s the joke.
Straughan found a perfect way to illustrate this trait, in Cromwell’s first meeting with his patron, Cardinal Wolsey. The lawyer showed the cleric some sleight of hand with cards, an age-old shyster’s game called Find The Lady. This opening episode, the first of six, was even called Three Card Trick.
If the wit of this £7million production was a pleasant surprise, the cast was everything we’d been told to expect.
Damian Lewis as Henry VIII didn’t turn up till the final five minutes, but his scene with Cromwell made the earth tremble – Lewis never raised his voice yet he was fearsome, a man with no doubt about his divine right to rule.
The Guardian
small confession: I haven’t read it. Them, haven’t read them, because the BBC’s feverishly anticipated six-part series is adapted from the first two-thirds of Hilary Mantel’s incomplete trilogy of historical novels. They’re there weighing down the bookshelf, Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies, unread, two big slabs of guilt (or executioners blocks, they’d serve that purpose well). But I’ve been scared, by their massiveness, the weight of history. Perhaps you have too?
Now that Peter Straughan has condensed them for television, maybe we’re off the hook. This is TV tailor-made for a traditional Guardian reader (drama, history, fiction, Mantel, double Booker, BBC, costumes, proper cast, proper everything). With Damian Lewis – Homeland’s Brody – as Henry VIII (not unlike, though prettier, certainly trimmer, than Hans Holbein the Younger’s Henry). Chris Bryant, shadow culture minister, won’t like that: another public schoolboy with a plum part. What does an old Etonian know about power and privilege, and living by the Thames?
Whatever, Lewis is excellent, with heaps of kingly swagger, utterly convincing, though not centre stage this time. That, of course, is taken by Thomas Cromwell (Mark Rylance: University School of Milwaukee, private too, though he may not have paid as his father was a teacher. Boo all the same).
The Telegraph
“The final scene with Henry was pure explosive brilliance”
If the fact that BBC Two has managed to squeeze the 1,100 pages of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and its sequel, Bring Up the Bodies, into only six hours of television led you to expect just another fast-paced TV romp through Tudor history, then you were in for rather a surprise. With all the advance fuss, the opening episode might have been forgiven for trying too hard in the quest to make a big and obvious splash. In the event, what we got was something far more subtle and unhurried – but that still ended up packing an impressive dramatic punch.
The director, Peter Kosminsky, is best-known for contemporary political dramas (The Government Inspector, The Promise) that generally attract the word “controversial”. Yet, while the politics here are easily as juicy as anything in the modern world, he observes the conventions of historical drama with some care. Episode one even began in the classic way: with a caption explaining the background (“It is 1529. Henry VIII is on the throne…”) and then some blokes on horseback galloping across the countryside as a series of impeccably starry actors’ names appeared on screen.
The gallopers’ destination was York Palace, where they’d come on the king’s behalf to remove the Seal of Office from Cardinal Wolsey (Jonathan Pryce). A surprisingly twinkly cardinal took the news with benevolent resignation – until a shadowy figure showed up at his side and whispered into his ear that, legally, the Seal could only be given to the Master of the Rolls. “Did you know that?” Wolsey asked him admiringly when the men retired, temporarily defeated. “Or did you make it up?”
read the full reviews and see new pictures from behind the scenes and watch clips on our main site
have a look on the Blog again reading our own reviews and get news and updates
on websizte and blog...we are always very happy to welcome you!!
see a special Henry clip for next weeks episode on damian-lewis.com
and ratings....well very good.-)
Miniseries Wolf Hall on BBC Two on Wednesday drew 3.9 million viewers in its U.K. debut, according to overnight ratings.
The performance, which amounts to a 16.5 percent share of people watching TV in Britain at the time, is a strong one for the channel, which typically gets smaller audiences than the public broadcaster's flagship network BBC One. But on Wednesday night in the 9 p.m. time slot, it outperformed Crimewatch on BBC One.
According to the BBC, the ratings make the show BBC Two's best-performing original drama series launch since Rome in 2005, which debuted with 6.6 million viewers.
Wolf Hall is BBC2’s best drama series debut in almost a decade
Lavish period piece starring Damian Lewis and Mark Rylance is the channel’s biggest-rated drama series debut since Rome
Wolf Hall attracted plaudits last night – and it also pulled in the viewers.
An average of 3.9 million people, a 16.5% share of the total available audience, were glued to the first episode of BBC2’s adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s novels Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies starring Damian Lewis and Mark Rylance.
This figure is the channel's highest ever debut by a new drama series since Rome first aired on BBC2 nearly ten years ago. The swords and sandals epic co-produced with HBO secured 6.6 million, a 27.2% share, in November 2005.
Wolf Hall beat the debut of The Fall in 2013, which drew 3.5m (15.4%), and the series two premiere of Torchwood, which attracted 3.7m (14.8%) viewers in 2008.
As he plays a handsome Henry VIII, pacing his palaces as he negotiates a split with Rome, one might have thought Damian Lewis would turn to the history books for assistance.
But the actor has disclosed an unusual inspiration for his part in Wolf Hall: The Duke of Cambridge and his brother, Prince Harry.
Lewis, who is to star in the BBC’s new flagship period drama, said he had gained an insight into the character of Henry VIII by studying the lives of the modern princes.
The actor, who was also educated at Eton and recently received his OBE from the Duke of Cambridge, said he had drawn on their desire for “normality” when playing the Tudor monarch.
He appears as a slender Henry VIII in the BBC’s adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, alongside Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell and Claire Foy as Anne Boleyn, appearing in the final moments of the first episode.
In an interview with the Telegraph, he said he had “drawn on the essential source material” of Mantel’s Booker Prize-winning novels during research, pointing out the story is still a “piece of fiction” despite its rigour.
He added he had also taken influence from the Duke of Cambridge, a known fan of his hit television programme Homeland, and Prince Harry, after observing how the pair approach their public duties.
“I have actually on occasion found myself thinking about Wills and Harry; wanting to normalize your life as much as possible,” he said.
“I see in Henry a desire for normality, and as he started to lose his waistline, and lose his athleticism, he surrounded himself with what can only be described as a Bullingdon Club of handsome men who were ten years younger than him.”
Hilary Mantel's Booker prize-winning novel Wolf Hall tells the story of Henry VIII's righthand man Thomas Cromwell. Born the son of a lowly blacksmith, he climbs the ranks of Tudor society to become the King's trusted advisor – and BBC2 is dramatising his ascent with rigorous attention to detail.
“It's a period that we will never tire of reading about,” explains series producer Mark Pybus. “There’s something deeply human about Henry’s problem. The man who had it all couldn’t have the one thing that he most wanted.”
Director Peter Kosminsky insisted on filming the entire series on location. Over 17 weeks, the cast and crew took over 28 historic British buildings, including six National Trust properties. “All those small details add up and make a significant difference,” says Pybus.
Some – such as Penshurst Place in Kent – were actually visited by Henry VIII 500 years ago. Others will be glimpsed several times in various guises. Chastleton House, a Jacobean stately home in Oxfordshire, for example, is the location of the small stone courtyard in young Cromwell’s Putney, while the interiors double as Wolf Hall, the Seymour family home (as seen above).
Lawnmowers were banned for six weeks before filming so there were no telltale modern stripes marring Henry's view. As for the tennis balls, they're written into the contract: no equipment can pass the threshold without tennis balls on legs or wheels to prevent damage.
Using historic properties "helps bring a realness to the project”, says Pybus, “which is very much at the heart of Hilary's books."
“Wolsey, you’re out!” bellows the Duke of Norfolk, clearly a kind of proto Alan Sugar. “I will chew you up. Bones, flesh, and gristle!”
This impassioned speech means one of only two things: either someone’s been snooping round in my draft texts, or the hugely anticipated dramatisation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall is here. Alleviating the sharp pain of January and giving this sorry year some meaning, the six-part series, which charts Thomas Cromwell’s rise and fall in the leadup to the Reformation, doesn’t disappoint, covering everything from his interactions with the major players of the court through to his domestic life and flashbacks to a childhood being kicked across the cobbles by nasty Pa Cromwell. This, you may be getting a growing sense, is not a merry Tudor romp.
all along.-)
