Game over: no second series for BBC's White Queen

 
Pa21 August 2013
The Weekender

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The historical drama The White Queen will not be returning to the BBC for a second series.

The broadcaster said that the drama was "never actually conceived as a returnable series", denying claims that it had turned down an option for a second instalment.

The White Queen, set against the backdrop of the War Of The Roses, was based on some of the novels in Philippa Gregory's historical series The Cousins' War.

Starring Max Irons, the son of Jeremy Irons, as Edward IV and Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson as Elizabeth Woodville, it launched with over six million viewers but fell to around four million. The series is reported to have cost £25 million.

BBC Controller of Drama Ben Stephenson called the drama, which was filmed in Belgium, "one of the most ambitious series the BBC has made".

However, it was criticised for its historical inaccuracies, with viewers pointing out that the characters "had access to Persil" and the presence of "zips and buttons on the dresses" and "handrails and concrete steps".

A BBC spokeswoman said: "The White Queen will not be returning, but it is important to note that it was never actually conceived as a returnable series but a 10 part series."

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