The Tudors is an Irish-produced historical fiction television series created by
Michael HirstMichael Hirst is a British screenwriter, best known for his films Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age .Hirst is head writer, creator and executive producer of the Showtime television Drama Series The Tudors which first began production in 2007.-External links:* at United Agents...
. The series is based upon the reign of
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
monarch
Henry VIIIHenry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was also Lord of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of France. Henry was the second monarch of the House of Tudor, succeeding his father, Henry VII.Henry VIII was a significant figure in the history of the English monarchy...
, and is named after the
Tudor dynastyThe House of Tudor was a prominent European royal house that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch Henry Tudor, descended paternally from the rulers of the Welsh principality of Deheubarth, and maternally from a legitimised branch of the English royal...
.
Production
The series is produced by Peace Arch Entertainment for
ShowtimeShowtime is a subscription television brand used by a number of channels and platforms around the world, but primarily refers to a group of channels in the United States...
in association with
Reveille Eire (Ireland)Reveille Productions is an independently-owned television and motion picture studio and production company based in Los Angeles. The studio was founded by Ben Silverman in March 2002.Réveille means "wake up" in French....
,
Working Title FilmsWorking Title Films is a British film production company, based in London, England. The company was founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1982. It produces feature films and some television productions. Eric Fellner and Bevan are the co-owners of the company now.- 1991 ITV franchise bid :In...
(United Kingdom) and the
Canadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation , a Canadian crown corporation, is the country’s national public radio and television broadcaster. In French, it is called la Société Radio-Canada...
, and is filmed in
IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
. The first two episodes debuted on
DirecTVDirecTV is a direct broadcast satellite service based in El Segundo, California, which transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States. Its primary competitors are Dish Network and cable providers. DirecTV currently has 18 million subscribers...
,
Time Warner Cable OnDemandTime Warner Inc. is the world's largest entertainment conglomerate , as well as the world's fourth largest media conglomerate, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City...
,
NetflixNetflix is an online DVD and Blu-ray Disc rental service, offering flat rate rental-by-mail and online streaming to customers in the United States. Established in 1997 and headquartered in Los Gatos, California, it has amassed a collection of 100,000 titles and approximately 10 million subscribers...
,
Verizon FiOSVerizon FiOS is a bundled communications service, operating over a fiber-optic communications network, that is presently offered in some areas of the United States by Verizon. Verizon has attracted consumer and media attention in the area of broadband Internet access as the first major U.S....
On Demand,
Internet Movie DatabaseThe Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, video games, and most recently, fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media...
and on the series' website before the official series premiere on Showtime. The Tudors premiere on 1 April 2007 was the highest rated Showtime series in three years. In April 2007, the show was renewed for a second season, and in that month the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
announced it had acquired exclusive
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
broadcast rights for the series, which began airing there on 5 October 2007.
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's CBC began broadcasting the show on 2 October 2007.
Season Two debuted on Showtime on 30 March 2008, and on BBC 2 on 1 August 2008. Production on Season Three began on 16 June 2008 in
BrayBray is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside town of approximately 35,100 people, making it the largest town in Ireland...
,
County WicklowCounty Wicklow is one of the traditional counties of Ireland and is located within the province of Leinster. It was named after the town of Wicklow ....
Ireland, and that season premiered on Showtime on 5 April 2009.
Season Three debuted in the U.S. on Showtime in April 2009 and debuted in Canada on CBC on Sept. 30, 2009. The day after broadcast, downloadable episodes debut in Canada on
MoboVivoMoboVivo is a Canadian internet company that hosts television shows and other similar content online for legal download. The company was the first company in Canada to licence and distribute television programming online.-History:...
.
Showtime announced on 13 April 2009 that it had renewed the show for a fourth and final season. The network ordered 10 episodes that are currently scheduled to air beginning in Spring 2010.
International distribution rights are owned by
Sony Pictures Television InternationalSony Pictures Television International is the worldwide television distribution division of Sony Pictures. It handles the distribution of Sony Pictures' library and from 2005 to 2006, the MGM library with MGM International Television Distribution....
.
Plot summary
Season One of The Tudors chronicles the period of Henry VIII's reign in which his effectiveness as King is tested by international conflicts as well as political intrigue in his own court, while the pressure of fathering a male heir compels him to reject his wife
Katherine of AragonCatherine of Aragon was Princess of Wales as the wife of Arthur, Prince of Wales, and Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England....
for
Anne BoleynAnne Boleyn was Queen of England as the second wife of King Henry VIII, the mother of Queen Elizabeth I, and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the start of the...
. He also has a string of affairs, and fathers a son,
HenryHenry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset was the son of King Henry VIII of England and his teenage mistress, Elizabeth Blount, the only illegitimate offspring that Henry acknowledged.- Biography :...
, by
Elizabeth BlountElizabeth Blount , who was better known by her nickname of "Bessie", was a mistress of Henry VIII of England.-Early life:She was the daughter of Sir John Blount and Catherine Pershall, of Kinlet, Bridgnorth, Shropshire...
.
Season Two finds Henry as the head of the
Church of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches...
, the result of his break with the Catholic Church over its refusal to grant him a divorce from Katherine. During his battle with Rome, he secretly marries a pregnant Anne. Anne's own failure to produce a son dooms her as Henry's attention shifts toward
Jane SeymourJane Seymour was Queen Consort of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as Queen Consort following the latter's execution in 1536...
.
Season Three focuses on Henry's marriages to Jane Seymour and
Anne of ClevesAnne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...
, his ruthless suppression of the
Pilgrimage of GraceThe Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular rising in York, Yorkshire during 1536, in protest against England's break with Rome and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, as well as other specific political, social and economic grievances...
, the downfall of Thomas Cromwell, and the beginnings of Henry's relationship with the "dangerous"
Katherine HowardCatherine Howard , also spelled Katherine or Katheryn, was the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, and sometimes known by his reference to her as his "rose without a thorn"....
.
Season Four is thought to cover Henry's short-lived marriage to Katherine Howard, her subsequent affairs, his domestic life with
Catherine ParrCatherine Parr was the last of the six wives of Henry VIII of England. She was queen consort of England during 1543–1547, then Dowager Queen of England...
, and to touch on the relationship of
MaryMary I , was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 19 July 1553 until her death. She was the oldest daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. The fourth crowned monarch of the Tudor dynasty, she is remembered for restoring England to Roman Catholicism after succeeding her short-lived...
,
ElizabethElizabeth I was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
and
EdwardEdward VI became King of England and Ireland on 28 January 1547 and was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first Protestant ruler. During Edward’s reign, the realm was governed by a...
with each other, in order to pave the way for any potential follow-on series.
Cast
| Role |
Actor |
Seasons |
Henry VIIIHenry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was also Lord of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of France. Henry was the second monarch of the House of Tudor, succeeding his father, Henry VII.Henry VIII was a significant figure in the history of the English monarchy...
, The King of England |
Jonathan Rhys Meyers |
1–4 |
Charles BrandonCharles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk , was the son of Sir William Brandon and Elizabeth Bruyn. Through his third wife Mary Tudor he was brother-in-law to Henry VIII. His father was the standard-bearer of King Henry VII and was slain by Richard III in person on Bosworth Field...
, The Duke of SuffolkDuke of Suffolk is a title that has been created three times in British history, all three times in the Peerage of England.The third creation of the dukedom of Suffolk was for Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, in 1551. The Duke also held the title Baron Ferrers of Groby...
|
Henry CavillHenry William Dalgliesh Cavill is a British actor. He is Best known for his portrayal of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, on the Showtime series The Tudors, alongside Jonathan Rhys Myers as Henry VIII, and Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn....
|
1–4 |
Thomas CromwellThomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex was an English statesman who served as King Henry VIII's chief minister from 1532 to 1540. Cromwell rose to such power because he was one of the strongest advocates of the English Reformation, the English Church's break with the papacy in Rome...
, The Earl of EssexEarl of Essex is a title that has been held by several families and individuals. The earldom was first created in the twelfth century for Geoffrey II de Mandeville. Upon the death of the third earl, the title became extinct. It was created again for Geoffrey Fitzpeter in 1199, who had married a...
|
James Frain James Frain is an English stage and screen actor. He is possibly best known for his role as Thomas Cromwell in the Showtime series The Tudors. He appeared from 2007 to 2009 until his character was executed in the third season finale....
|
1–3 |
Thomas MoreSir Thomas More , also known as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, scholar, author, and statesman....
|
Jeremy Northam Jeremy Philip Northam is an award-winning English actor.-Personal life:Northam was born in Cambridge, the son of Rachel, a potter and professor of economics, and John Northam, a professor of literature and theatre, as well as Ibsen specialist and teacher first at Clare College, Cambridge and later...
|
1–2 |
| Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn was Queen of England as the second wife of King Henry VIII, the mother of Queen Elizabeth I, and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the start of the...
|
Natalie Dormer Natalie Dormer is an English actress. She is best known for her role as the ill-fated Tudor queen, Anne Boleyn in the Showtime series The Tudors.-Background:...
|
1–2 |
Katherine of AragonCatherine of Aragon was Princess of Wales as the wife of Arthur, Prince of Wales, and Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England....
|
Maria Doyle Kennedy Maria Doyle Kennedy is an award-winning Irish actress and singer.- Private life :...
|
1–2 |
| Thomas Cardinal Wolsey, The Lord Archbishop of York |
Sam NeillNigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor who was born in Northern Ireland.He has had a number of high-profile roles including: the lead in Reilly, Ace of Spies, the adult Damien in Omen III: The Final Conflict, Merlin in the miniseries Merlin, the executive officer, Capt...
|
1 |
Thomas HowardThomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk was a prominent Tudor politician. He was uncle to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two wives of Henry VIII, and played a major role in the machinations behind these relationships. After falling from favour, he was stripped of his dukedom and imprisoned in the...
, The Duke of Norfolk |
Henry Czerny Henry Czerny is a Canadian actor.Czerny was born to Polish parents in Toronto, Ontario. His mother was a bakery worker and his father a welder. Czerny received formal training at the National Theatre School in Montreal...
|
1 |
| Sir Anthony Knivert |
Callum BlueDaniel James Callum Blue is an English film and television actor best known for his role as Mason on Dead Like Me and as Belle's boyfriend, Alex, in Secret Diary of a Call Girl. He can be seen in the 2009 thriller Mate with Melinda Clarke of the OC; the film is currently in pre-production...
|
1 |
| Thomas Wyatt Sir Thomas Wyatt was a 16th-century English lyrical poet. He was born at Allington Castle, near Maidstone in Kent - though his family was originally from Yorkshire. His father, Henry Wyatt, had been one of Henry VII's Privy Councillors, and remained a trusted advisor when Henry VIII came to the...
|
Jamie Thomas King Jamie Thomas King is a British actor. He attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, graduating in 2002.Jamie has since appeared in a number of stage, film and TV productions, most notably in the movie apaptation of Alice Hoffman's The River King opposite Edward Burns and in Tristan &...
|
1–2 |
| Thomas Boleyn Sir Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire and 1st Earl of Ormond, KG was an English diplomat and politician in the Tudor era, and the father of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII. As such, he was the maternal grandfather of Queen Elizabeth I. He was born at the family home, Hever...
, The Earl of WiltshireThe title Earl of Wiltshire is one of the oldest in the Peerage of England, going back to the 12th century. It is currently held by the Marquess of Winchester, and is used as a courtesy title for the eldest son of the marquess....
|
Nick Dunning Nick Dunning is an English actor.Dunning is a well known theatre actor who attended RADA and has appeared on stage in the WestEnd in London and at the Gate Theatre in Dublin. He has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Royal National Theatre and The Royal Court Theatre...
|
1–2 |
| Margaret Tudor, The Queen of Portugal |
Gabrielle Anwar Gabrielle Anwar is an English actress, known for her roles in the 1990s films Scent of a Woman, The Three Musketeers, and Body Snatchers. Notable television roles include the fashion-conscious graphic designer Sam Black in the second series of the Children's ITV series Press Gang and Margaret...
|
1 |
| Jane Howard |
Slaine KellySlaine Kelly, born in 1982, is an Irish actress best known for playing Jane Howard in the popular Showtime TV series The Tudors.-Career:Slaine Kelly is an Irish film and television actress best known for her role as Lady Jane Howard in the Showtime production The Tudors...
|
1 |
| Jane Seymour |
Anita Briem Anita Briem is an Icelandic actress.She has appeared in Icelandic films, and in international productions such as The Tudors in which she portrayed King Henry VIII`s third queen Jane Seymour...
|
2 |
| Annabelle Wallis |
3 |
| Princess Mary |
Blathnaid McKeown |
1 |
| Sarah Bolger Sarah Lee Bolger is an Irish actress who became famous in 2002 when she starred in In America with her sister Emma Bolger. Bolger can currently be seen in the third series of The Tudors as Princess / Lady Mary Tudor, a role she reprised from the second series and has won critical acclaim for...
|
2–4 |
Thomas CranmerThomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI. He helped build a favourable case for Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon which resulted in the separation of the English Church from union with the Holy See...
, The Archbishop of CanterburyAlso see Leaders of ChristianityThe Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury, the see that churches must be in communion with in order to be...
|
Hans Matheson Hans Matheson is a Scottish-born actor.-Personal life:Hans Matheson was born in a caravan on 7 August 1975 at Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, located in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland...
|
2 |
Pope Paul IIIPope Paul III , born Alessandro Farnese, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1534 to his death in 1549. He came to the papal throne in an era following the sack of Rome in 1527 and rife with uncertainties in the Catholic Church following the Reformation...
, The Bishop of Rome |
Peter O'ToolePeter Seamus O'Toole is an actor of stage and screen who achieved stardom in 1962 playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia. He went on to become a highly-honored film and stage actor. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards...
|
2 |
| Jane Boleyn, Viscountess of Rochford |
Joanne King Joanne King is an Irish actress. She is best known for her roles as Cyd on the BBC1s Casualty and as Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford in Showtimes The Tudors.-Private Life:...
|
2–4 |
Anne of ClevesAnne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...
|
Joss StoneJoss Stone is an English soul and R&B singer–songwriter and actress. Stone emerged to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist...
|
3–4 |
| Anne Stanhope Anne Stanhope , was the daughter of Sir Edward Stanhope and Elizabeth Bourchier. As the wife of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset who held the office of Lord Protector during the first part of the reign of his nephew King Edward VI, Anne was briefly the most powerful woman in England...
|
Emma Hamilton Emma Hamilton is an Australian born British actress, and appears as a regular in the third and fourth season of Showtime's drama The Tudors, portraying the sharp-tongued character Anne Stanhope ....
|
3–4 |
| Earl of Shrewsbury Earl of Shrewsbury is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the peerage of England.-First creation:...
|
Gavin O'Connor This article refers to the Irish actor. For the film director see Gavin O'Connor -Biography:Gavin O'Connor born 17 December 1972 in Cork, Ireland, is an Irish actor, known for his roles in films such as 'Dorothy Mills' , 'Eden' , 'The Front Line' , 'Headrush' and 'This is my Father' .O'Connor...
|
3 |
Stephen GardinerStephen Gardiner was an English Roman Catholic bishop and politician during the English Reformation period who served as Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Mary I of England.-Early life:...
|
Simon Ward Simon Ward is an English stage and film actor.-Early life:Simon Ward was born in London, the son of a car dealer. From an early age he wanted to be an actor. He was educated at Alleyn's School, London, the home of the National Youth Theatre, which he joined at age 13 and stayed with for eight...
|
3-4 |
| Sir Francis Bryan Sir Francis Bryan was an English courtier and diplomat during the reign of Henry VIII. He was chief Gentleman of the Privy chamber and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Bryan always retained Henry's favour, achieving this by altering his opinions to conform to the...
|
Alan van Sprang Alan van Sprang is an actor best known for playing Sir Francis Bryan in the series The Tudors and for appearing in the "...Dead" films of George A. Romero. He has many other television and film credits....
|
3–4 |
| Otto Truchsess von Waldburg Otto Truchsess von Waldburg was a German Catholic theologian, and Cardinal-Bishop of Augsburg .-Childhood and Education:...
|
Max von SydowMax von Sydow is a Swedish-born actor. He has also held French citizenship since 2002. He has starred in many movies and had supporting roles in dozens more...
|
3 |
| Sir John Hutton |
Roger Ashton-Griffiths Roger Ashton-Griffiths is a British character actor and screenwriter.He has appeared in numerous high-profile films, including Terry Gilliam's The Brothers Grimm and Brazil, A Knight's Tale, Gangs of New York, What a Girl Wants, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover and King Ralph...
|
3 |
| Robert Aske Robert Aske was an English lawyer who became the leader of rebellion in York. He led the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536 and was executed by Henry VIII for treason in 1537.-Biography:...
|
Gerard McSorley Gerard McSorley is a theatre, television and film actor.He was born in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and after attending a Christian Brothers school in his hometown he attended St. Columb's College in Derry. He then attended Queen's University, Belfast, where he was taught by among...
|
3 |
| Reginald Cardinal Pole |
Mark Hildreth Mark Hildreth is a Canadian-born & U.S. based actor and musician. He has appeared in many movie and television roles...
|
3 |
| Lord Darcy The title of Baron Darcy de Darcy was created once in the Peerage of England. On 17 October 1509 Thomas Darcy was summoned to parliament, he was invested as Knight, Order of the Garter the same year, but in 1538, he was attainted and the barony forfeited. In 1548, his heir was restored to the barony...
|
Colm Wilkinson Colm Wilkinson, was born 5 June 1944 in Dublin. He is an Irish musical theatre actor and singer, best known for originating the role of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables. He was among the most frequent players of Valjean, originating the role in the West End and on Broadway. He reprised the role at...
|
3 |
Katherine HowardCatherine Howard , also spelled Katherine or Katheryn, was the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, and sometimes known by his reference to her as his "rose without a thorn"....
|
Tamzin Merchant Tamzin Merchant is an English actress.She played Georgiana Darcy in Joe Wright's 2005 film adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice and Katherine Howard in Showtime's The Tudors.-Career:...
|
3–4 |
| Henry Howard Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey KG was an English aristocrat, and one of the founders of English Renaissance poetry.-Life:...
|
David O'Hara David Patrick O'Hara is a Scottish actor.O'Hara was born in Glasgow, Scotland, the son of Martha and Patrick O'Hara, a construction worker. He has appeared in many movies and TV series, including a featured role in the U.S...
|
4 |
Catherine ParrCatherine Parr was the last of the six wives of Henry VIII of England. She was queen consort of England during 1543–1547, then Dowager Queen of England...
|
Joely Richardson Joely Kim Richardson is an English actress, known for her role as Julia McNamara in the television drama Nip/Tuck.-Early life:...
|
4 |
| Philip, Duke of Bavaria Philip a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty was Count Palatine of Palatinate-Neuburg from 1505 to 1541. He was a son of Rupert, Count Palatine, third son of Philip, Elector Palatine; and of Elizabeth of Bavaria-Landshut, daughter of George of Bavaria...
|
Colin O'Donoghue |
3 |
Episodes
| Season |
# of episodes |
Season premiere |
Season finale |
| Season 1 |
10 |
1 April 2007 |
10 June 2007 |
| Season 2 |
10 |
30 March 2008 |
1 June 2008 |
| Season 3 |
8 |
5 April 2009 |
24 May 2009 |
Departures from history
Events in the series differ from events as they actually happened in history.
Liberties are takenArtistic license is a colloquial term, sometime euphemism, used to denote the distortion or complete ignorance of fact, ignoring the conventions of grammar or language, or the changing of an established fact that an artist may...
with character names, relationships, physical appearance and the timing of events. As creator Hirst noted, "Showtime commissioned me to write an entertainment, a soap opera, and not history ... And we wanted people to watch it." He added that some changes were made for production considerations and some to avoid viewer confusion, and that "any confusion created by the changes is outweighed by the interest the series may inspire in the period and its figures."
Time is conflated in the series, giving the impression that things happened closer together than they actually did or along a different timeline. By the time of most of the events in this series, King Henry VIII was already in his mid-to-late 30s and at least a decade older than
Anne BoleynAnne Boleyn was Queen of England as the second wife of King Henry VIII, the mother of Queen Elizabeth I, and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the start of the...
; they were not married until he was in his early 40s. In The Tudors, the two are cast younger (and seemingly closer in age) and the courtship lasts about ten episodes. Historically, Cardinal Wolsey died in
LeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England. It is the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
en route to
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
to answer charges of
treasonIn law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more serious acts of disloyalty to one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife...
, while in the series he is imprisoned and commits suicide (though the fictional Henry insists that this be covered up). Wolsey's death came in 1530, three years before the death of Henry's sister; in the series, the two events are juxtaposed.
The character of Henry's sister, called "Princess Margaret" in the series, is actually a
compositeA composite character is a character in a fictional work or non-fictional work that is composed of two or more individuals.In fictional works the composite character may be real historical or biographical figures used as models for an original piece of fiction, or they may be fictional themselves...
of his two sisters: the life events of his youngest sister, Princess Mary Tudor, coupled with the name of his eldest sister,
Margaret TudorMargaret Tudor was the elder of the two surviving daughters of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII. In 1503, she married James IV, King of Scots, thus becoming the mother of James V and grandmother of Mary, Queen of Scots...
, to avoid confusion with Henry's daughter,
Mary I of EnglandMary I , was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 19 July 1553 until her death. She was the oldest daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. The fourth crowned monarch of the Tudor dynasty, she is remembered for restoring England to Roman Catholicism after succeeding her short-lived...
. Historically, Henry's sister Princess Mary first married the French King
Louis XIILouis XII , called "the Father of the People" was king of France and the sole monarch from the Valois-Orléans branch of the House of Valois. He reigned from 1498 to 1515 and pursued a very active foreign policy....
. The union lasted approximately three months, until his death; Louis was succeeded by his cousin
Francis IFrancis I , was king of France from 1515 until his death.Francis I is considered to be France's first Renaissance monarch. His reign saw France make immense cultural advances...
, who was married to Louis' daughter
Claude of FranceClaude of France , Queen Consort of France and Duchess of Brittany in her own right, was the eldest daughter of Louis XII of France and Anne, Duchess of Brittany....
. Mary subsequently married
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of SuffolkCharles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk , was the son of Sir William Brandon and Elizabeth Bruyn. Through his third wife Mary Tudor he was brother-in-law to Henry VIII. His father was the standard-bearer of King Henry VII and was slain by Richard III in person on Bosworth Field...
. As The Tudors begins, Henry is already negotiating a peace treaty with Francis; the series' Princess Margaret thus marries a fictional Portuguese king, who lives only a few days until she smothers him in his sleep. By the time of the events of this series, the historical Brandon (who was already in his early 40s) and Princess Mary were long married with three children, and Henry's eldest sister, Margaret Tudor, was actually married to
King James IV of ScotlandJames IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stuart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from Great Britain to be killed in...
and became the grandmother of Mary, Queen of Scots.
While
Bessie BlountElizabeth Blount , who was better known by her nickname of "Bessie", was a mistress of Henry VIII of England.-Early life:She was the daughter of Sir John Blount and Catherine Pershall, of Kinlet, Bridgnorth, Shropshire...
was famously one of Henry VIII's
mistressA mistress is a man's long-term female lover and companion who is not married to him, especially used when the man is married to another woman. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
es and did give Henry an illegitimate son (
Henry FitzRoyHenry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset was the son of King Henry VIII of England and his teenage mistress, Elizabeth Blount, the only illegitimate offspring that Henry acknowledged.- Biography :...
), historically her son did not die as a small child, but instead at the age of 17 in 1536. Blount was also not married until after the birth of FitzRoy.
The papal politics depicted in the first several episodes of the series also have no clear relation to actual events. A Pope Alexander is depicted as on his deathbed at the time of the
Field of the Cloth of GoldThe Field of Cloth of Gold, also known as the Field of Golden Cloth is the name given to a place in Balinghem, between Guînes and Ardres, in France, near Calais. It was the site of a meeting that took place from 7 June to 24 June 1520, between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France...
meeting between Henry and Francis (in 1520), whereas the actual pope at that time,
Leo XPope Leo X was Pope from 1513 to his death. He was the last non-priest to be elected Pope. He is known primarily for the sale of indulgences to reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica and his challenging of Martin Luther's 95 theses. He was the second son of Lorenzo de' Medici, the most famous ruler of...
, died suddenly at the very end of 1521, and there had not been a pope named Alexander since 1503, before the beginning of Henry's reign. A Cardinal Orsini is depicted as being elected following the death of the fictional Alexander; in history,
Adrian of UtrechtPope Adrian VI , born Adriaan Florenszoon Boeyens, served as Bishop of Rome from 9 January 1522 until his death some 18 months later. He was the last non-Italian pope until John Paul II, 456 years later. He is, together with Marcellus II, one of two 'modern' popes to retain his baptismal name after...
was elected to succeed Leo and, following his death just a year later, was succeeded by
Cardinal MediciPope Clement VII , born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici, was a cardinal from 1513 to 1523 and was Pope from 1523 to 1534.-Early life:...
, who as Pope Clement VII would refuse to permit Henry's divorce.
Historically,
William BreretonSir William Brereton , who came from a Cheshire landowning family, was a Groom of the Privy Chamber of Henry VIII. He was caught up in the accusations against Anne Boleyn, tried for treason and executed with the Queen and four others...
did not confess to adultery with Queen Anne and was not a Papal agent, as depicted in the series. He was in fact a wealthy magnate who had large landholdings in the
Welsh MarchesThe Welsh Marches is a term which, in modern usage, denotes an imprecisely defined area along and around the border between England and Wales on the island of Great Britain, in the United Kingdom....
, where he was ruthless and unpopular, and is believed to have been accused due to
Thomas CromwellThomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex was an English statesman who served as King Henry VIII's chief minister from 1532 to 1540. Cromwell rose to such power because he was one of the strongest advocates of the English Reformation, the English Church's break with the papacy in Rome...
's desire to remove a festering political problem. Brereton's assassination attempt on Anne during her coronation procession was also invented by the series.
Reception
The premiere of The Tudors
on 1 April 2007 was the highest rated Showtime series debut in three years, and on 23 March 2008 The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded in 1851 and published in New York City. The largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States, "The Gray Lady"—named for its staid appearance and style—is regarded as a national newspaper of record...
called The Tudors
a "steamy period drama ... which critics could take or leave but many viewers are eating up." A 28 March 2008 review also by the Times said that the series "fails to live up to the great long-form dramas cable television has produced" largely because "it radically reduces the era's thematic conflicts to simplistic struggles over personal and erotic power." Overall, the show has had generally good reviews with 64% favourable reviews for the first season, 68% for the second season and 72% for the third season according to the ratings site
MetacriticMetacritic is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
.
Ratings
In the United States, season 1: The series premiere at 10 p.m. drew almost 870,000 viewers, according to
Nielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
. Coupled with the 404,000 viewers that tuned in the hour immediately following, Showtime averaged 1.3 million viewers for the show’s debut night, the most since
Fat ActressFat Actress was an American sitcom television series starring Kirstie Alley. It aired on Showtime in the United States in the spring of 2005, on Movie Central in Western Canada, The Movie Network in Eastern Canada, FX in the UK, Network Ten in Australia and VOX and Das Vierte in Germany...
in March 2005. The 10 p.m. bow outperformed the inaugural linear screenings for WeedsWeeds is an American comedy-drama television series created by Jenji Kohan, produced by Lionsgate Television for the Showtime network.The plot revolves around a widowed housewife from an affluent California suburb who becomes her neighborhood's marijuana dealer to make ends meet...
and DexterDexter is an American television drama series that airs on the premium channel Showtime. Set in Miami, the series centers on Dexter Morgan , a covert serial killer governed by a strict moral code who works for the Miami Metro Police Department as a blood spatter analyst.The show is based on...
, the network’s leading comedy and drama, by 78% in August 2005 and 44% in October 2006, respectively.
The series also proved its mettle opener in the digital realm, earning a combined 1 million views online and on-demand via cable affiliates and through Sho.com, and such partners as Yahoo,
MSNMSN, formerly The Microsoft Network, is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.The range of services...
,
NetflixNetflix is an online DVD and Blu-ray Disc rental service, offering flat rate rental-by-mail and online streaming to customers in the United States. Established in 1997 and headquartered in Los Gatos, California, it has amassed a collection of 100,000 titles and approximately 10 million subscribers...
and IMDB. the numbers exclude contributions from
AOLAmerica Online, LLC is an American global Internet services and media company operated by Time Warner. It is headquartered at 770 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City...
,
DirecTVDirecTV is a direct broadcast satellite service based in El Segundo, California, which transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States. Its primary competitors are Dish Network and cable providers. DirecTV currently has 18 million subscribers...
and
Dish NetworkDish Network Corporation is a direct broadcast satellite service provider that offers satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services to households and businesses in the United States. Dish Network services were launched in March 1996. Today, the company competes...
.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/128559-_Tudors_Reign_In_Premiere_On_Showtime.php
Season 2: Showtime’s June 3, 2008 second-season climax of The Tudors ended with a ratings bang. The episode drew 852,000 viewers for its season two finale, 83% above the 465,000 viewers that tuned into the show’s season-one finale, Showtime officials said. The 9 p.m. telecast is also the second-highest for the series, trailing only the 964,000 viewers for the show’s April 1, 2007 debut. The season-two finale, along with an 11 p.m. replay, drew a combined 1 million viewers, 59% above last year’s 668,000 combined audience for last year’s finale (10 p.m. and 11 p.m.).
http://www.multichannel.com/article/102121-Showtime_s_Tudors_Finale_Commands_Viewers.php
Media releases
| DVD Name | |Ep # | Region 1DVD region codes are a DRM technique designed to allow motion picture studios to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and, price; according to the region...
| Region 2DVD region codes are a DRM technique designed to allow motion picture studios to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and, price; according to the region...
|
|---|
| Canada | United States |
|---|
| Season One |
8 January 2008 |
10 December 2007 |
10 |
The four discs box set includes all 10 episodes. Bonus features include commentary tracks On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
on selected episodes. There is a special edition in United Kingdom, with a headless picture for the cover, exclusive of Amazon.co.uk. This season was released on Blu-ray in Europe. |
| Season Two |
11 November 2008 |
6 January 2009 |
13 October 2008 |
10 |
The four disc box set includes all 10 episodes. Bonus features include commentary tracks On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
on selected episodes, as well as other featurettes. This season has also been released on Blu-ray in Europe. |
| Season Three |
10 November 2009 |
15 December 2009 |
7 December 2009 |
8 |
TBA |
An original soundtrack with music composed by Trevor Morris was released by
Varese SarabandeVarèse Sarabande is a record label which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue of rare or unavailable albums as well as newer releases by artists no longer under a contract...
on 11 December 2007. The soundtrack for the second season, also composed by Trevor Morris, was released 14 April 2009.
Awards/Nominations
The Tudors was nominated for the
Golden GlobeThe Golden Globe Awards are presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to recognize outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry, both domestic and foreign, and to focus wide public attention upon the best in motion pictures and television...
for Best Drama Series in
2007The 65th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television of 2007, were scheduled to be presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association on January 13, 2008...
. Jonathan Rhys Meyers was also nominated for the Best Actor in a Television Drama Golden Globe for his role.
The series was nominated for eight
Irish Film and Television AwardsThe Irish Film and Television Awards were first awarded in 1999. Its sole aim is to celebrate Ireland's small yet talented film and television community. The ceremony is considered Ireland's most prestigious awards event...
in 2008 and won seven, including Best Drama Series, acting awards for Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Lead Actor), Nick Dunning (Supporting Actor) and Maria Doyle Kennedy (Supporting Actress), and craft awards for
Costume DesignCostume design is the fabrication of apparel for the overall appearance of a character or performer. This usually involves researching, designing and building the actual items from conception. Costumes may be for a theater or cinema performance but may not be limited to such...
, Production Design and Hair/Makeup.
Brian KirkBrian Kirk is an Irish television director who has most recently directed episodes of FX's The Riches and Showtime's Brotherhood and The Tudors....
was also nominated for Directing, but lost to Lenny Abrahamson of
ProsperityProsperity is a series of four one-hour dramas for television from director Lenny Abrahamson and writer Mark O'Halloran. Prosperity features "four powerful, moving and funny stories set on the same day, with each episode examining the life of a single character." The series first aired on 3...
. The series won the 2008 Emmy AwardThe Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards and Tony Awards .They are presented in various...
for Best Costume Design, and later six awards at the Irish Film and Television Awards in 2009.
See also
The Tudors
characters
List of The Tudors
episodes
The Six Wives of Henry VIIIThe Six Wives of Henry VIII is a series of six teleplays produced by the BBC and first transmitted between 1 January and 5 February 1970.The series tells the story of King Henry VIII of England focused on, and often from the perspective of, each of his six wives - one per episode .Each episode was...
External links
The Tudors gets right about history