Despite the disruptions to the industry caused by the pandemic, 2021 is already shaping up to be a great year for TV.
Among the exciting new productions on the slate for next year is Channel 5’s Anne Boleyn, which will star Queen & Slim’s Jodie Turner-Smith as the ill-fated second wife of Henry VIII.
The three-part series from writer Eve Hedderwick Turner promises a fresh take on one of the most notorious downfalls in English history, re-imagining the final months of the Tudor queen’s life as a psychological thriller.
It will explore her struggles to secure a future for her young daughter, the future Elizabeth I, as she realises she is falling out of favour in Henry’s court.
White House Farm and Game of Thrones star Mark Stanley has now been announced as the show’s Henry VIII, joined by Dating Amber’s Lola Petticrew as Anne’s love rival and the king’s soon-to-be third wife Jane Seymour.
Anna Brewster (Versailles) has been cast as Anne’s sister-in-law Jane Boleyn, joined by Isabella Laughland as her only confidante Elizabeth Browne. Normal People star Aoife Hinds will take the role of Anne’s step-daughter, Princess Mary.
They will join previously announced cast members included I May Destroy You’s Paapa Essiedu as Anne’s brother Thomas Boleyn, Jamael Westman, who originated the role of Hamilton in the West End version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical, as Edward Seymour and Two Weeks To Live star Thalissa Teixeira as Anne’s cousin Madge Shelton.
Production has already begun on the series in Leeds, with an air date for 2021 yet to be confirmed.
It will be directed by Lynsey Miller, whose previous credits include Channel 4 thriller Deadwater Fell and BBC Two’s adaptation of The Boy With the Topknot by Sathnam Sanghera.
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