King Henry VIII’s wives are back in the spotlight thanks to the new PBS series Secrets of the Six Wives, and the show’s host, historian Lucy Worsley, is bringing to light hidden “hints at independence” in the women who lived alongside England’s 16th-century king. Among the series’ biggest revelations about each of the royal wives:
Divorced: Catherine of Aragon
At her divorce trial in London, Henry’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, stood up for herself against the might of the crown and the establishment. Henry had been frustrated in his bid to have a male heir...
Divorced: Catherine of Aragon
At her divorce trial in London, Henry’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, stood up for herself against the might of the crown and the establishment. Henry had been frustrated in his bid to have a male heir...
- 2/3/2017
- by Simon Perry
- PEOPLE.com
We consider the controversies surrounding BBC Two's sumptuous Wolf Hall adaptation, feat. Damian Lewis, Mark Rylance and Claire Foy...
2015’s roster of prestige dramas is particularly dense, but the BBC’s take on Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall might just have already claimed its crown as the most controversial. It arrived freighted with the baggage always attached to adaptations of acclaimed novels, and further burdened by some thorny controversies all of its own. Mantel’s spirited attack on philosopher-saint Thomas More and equally fervent defence of his nemesis and her hero, Thomas Cromwell, was always bound to ignite debate. That, of course, is before we even touch on the subject of that rogue c-word and the choice to film night-time scenes by candlelight. We want accuracy, but only on our terms; when it jars with our perceptions of the past, out it goes.
Despite its name, Wolf Hall is...
2015’s roster of prestige dramas is particularly dense, but the BBC’s take on Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall might just have already claimed its crown as the most controversial. It arrived freighted with the baggage always attached to adaptations of acclaimed novels, and further burdened by some thorny controversies all of its own. Mantel’s spirited attack on philosopher-saint Thomas More and equally fervent defence of his nemesis and her hero, Thomas Cromwell, was always bound to ignite debate. That, of course, is before we even touch on the subject of that rogue c-word and the choice to film night-time scenes by candlelight. We want accuracy, but only on our terms; when it jars with our perceptions of the past, out it goes.
Despite its name, Wolf Hall is...
- 3/3/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
King Henry VIII is most famous for two things: his six wives, and his decision to break away from the Papacy and establish the Church of England. These two crucial events have gained the second Tudor King infamy.
His six marriages – to Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr – were largely brought about by a desire to produce a male heir to the throne, and this also played a large part in his decision to split from the Catholic Church. Henry wanted a marriage annulment, but the Pope refused to give him one, so he decided to create his own national church and force through the divorce that way instead.
When you also add to that the fact is that “Old Coppernose” is likely to have ordered the execution of up to 72,000 men and women during his reign – the most ever by...
His six marriages – to Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr – were largely brought about by a desire to produce a male heir to the throne, and this also played a large part in his decision to split from the Catholic Church. Henry wanted a marriage annulment, but the Pope refused to give him one, so he decided to create his own national church and force through the divorce that way instead.
When you also add to that the fact is that “Old Coppernose” is likely to have ordered the execution of up to 72,000 men and women during his reign – the most ever by...
- 2/25/2015
- by Chris Waugh
- Obsessed with Film
Sansa on "Game of Thrones" has been on quite the roller coaster throughout Season 3 and Izzy Meikle-Small, who lost the role to the HBO show's star Sophie Turner, doesn't regret missing out on the wild ride.
“I got to the final two to play Lady Sansa Sark," 17-year-old East Sussex-born Meikle-Small told The Telegraph recently at London screening of "The Big Wedding." "I was a bit sad, because the show’s massive, but I’m not that unhappy, because they all show a lot of flesh, don’t they? I don’t think my parents would be happy.”
Turner, who is also 17, hasn't had to show any skin yet -- Sansa avoided consummating her marriage to Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) earlier in the show's current third season.
Check out Meikle-Small and Turner as Sansa on "Game Of Thrones" side-by-side below:
Though she may have missed out on playing Sansa on the hit HBO series,...
“I got to the final two to play Lady Sansa Sark," 17-year-old East Sussex-born Meikle-Small told The Telegraph recently at London screening of "The Big Wedding." "I was a bit sad, because the show’s massive, but I’m not that unhappy, because they all show a lot of flesh, don’t they? I don’t think my parents would be happy.”
Turner, who is also 17, hasn't had to show any skin yet -- Sansa avoided consummating her marriage to Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) earlier in the show's current third season.
Check out Meikle-Small and Turner as Sansa on "Game Of Thrones" side-by-side below:
Though she may have missed out on playing Sansa on the hit HBO series,...
- 5/28/2013
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
It's hard to imagine anyone else playing Daenerys on "Game of Thrones" besides Emilia Clarke, but the 25-year-old British actress almost missed out on the role of a lifetime.
In HBO's “Game of Thrones” pilot, Daenerys Targaryen was played by Tamzin Merchant, who'd appeared as Henry VIII's fifth wife Catherine Howard on Showtime's "The Tudors." But after the pilot filmed in late 2009, "Game of Thrones" went in a different direction.
And that's when Clarke got a life-changing call "out of the blue," according to a New York Times profile on the actress.
“I had never heard of the books," Clarke admitted to The Times of George R. R. Martin's series. "And so I spent 48 frantic hours Wikipedia-ing ... This is going to sound odd or bizarre. But just from those few lines I felt I understood the character. She’s a young girl trying to do good and to realize her own capabilities.
In HBO's “Game of Thrones” pilot, Daenerys Targaryen was played by Tamzin Merchant, who'd appeared as Henry VIII's fifth wife Catherine Howard on Showtime's "The Tudors." But after the pilot filmed in late 2009, "Game of Thrones" went in a different direction.
And that's when Clarke got a life-changing call "out of the blue," according to a New York Times profile on the actress.
“I had never heard of the books," Clarke admitted to The Times of George R. R. Martin's series. "And so I spent 48 frantic hours Wikipedia-ing ... This is going to sound odd or bizarre. But just from those few lines I felt I understood the character. She’s a young girl trying to do good and to realize her own capabilities.
- 3/7/2013
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
The very British Benedict Cumberbatch, recently given a spectacular alternate definition ("a breakfast dish famously enjoyed by Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII," etc.) in a Sherlock Blu-ray giveaway right here on Vulture, has come aboard Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave. Portraying a plantation owner who buys free-man-turned-slave protagonist played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cumberbatch joins Michael Fassbender and Brad Pitt. Yes, this should be good. As well as Cumberbatchy.
- 6/1/2012
- by Zach Dionne
- Vulture
Vulture sought one thing and one thing only for our Sherlock contest: The best alternate definition of "Benedict Cumberbatch," personhood optional. First, our noble runners-up: yesindeed: Benedict Cumberbatch (n): a generic term for any welcome sign posted for those entering a cucumber patch; can also be applied to welcoming remark spoken to someone entering a cucumber patch. Example: "As I walked into the cucumber field, a Benedict Cumberbatch was yelled to me in a friendly manner by the itinerant field hands." Seemingly unrelated yet related term: Cumberbatchy (adj.): used to describe someone that is both quite strange-looking and incredibly attractive at the same time, usually distinguished by pronounced cheekbones or teeth. See also: Tennantish.ewallace: Sex. And our grand prize winner of an autographed Blu-ray, DVD, and poster: fheaney: Benedict Cumberbatch was a breakfast dish famously enjoyed by Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII; the brief...
- 5/23/2012
- Vulture
The London-born actress, currently starring in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, is poised to break through into the big time this year, say industry-watchers
Just as Emily Blunt hits UK screens this week in her biggest role to date, a string of movies coming out in the United States look set to catapult her to the Kate Winslet category of stardom.
The 29-year-old, who stars in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen with Ewan McGregor, co-stars with Bruce Willis, Jason Segel and Colin Firth in three forthcoming movies, while she is negotiating to appear opposite Tom Cruise in All You Need Is Kill, a potential sci-fi blockbuster, and to play Nora Charles in a remake of The Thin Man starring Johnny Depp, according to Variety.
Blunt will be appearing in cinemas again soon, alongside Segel in a romantic comedy, The Five-Year Engagement, about a couple who have promised to marry each...
Just as Emily Blunt hits UK screens this week in her biggest role to date, a string of movies coming out in the United States look set to catapult her to the Kate Winslet category of stardom.
The 29-year-old, who stars in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen with Ewan McGregor, co-stars with Bruce Willis, Jason Segel and Colin Firth in three forthcoming movies, while she is negotiating to appear opposite Tom Cruise in All You Need Is Kill, a potential sci-fi blockbuster, and to play Nora Charles in a remake of The Thin Man starring Johnny Depp, according to Variety.
Blunt will be appearing in cinemas again soon, alongside Segel in a romantic comedy, The Five-Year Engagement, about a couple who have promised to marry each...
- 4/23/2012
- by Edward Helmore
- The Guardian - Film News
Well, it’s over.
I am anxious to hear what all of you thought about this final episode of The Tudors. I have to say I enjoyed it despite my deep and profound disappointment over not seeing Surrey get hanged, drawn, and quartered. What a letdown! People who watch this show have become accustomed to seeing some serious violence and I don’t think the last episode was any exception.
Couldn’t they have left us with one little gory execution to cling to?
This was the episode of the Dead and Angry Baby Mamas. The wives who had given children to King Henry showed up throughout this episode as visions, sort of like a combination between “Six Feet Under” and “Scrooged.” They all came to berate Henry for being such a sucky father to their various spawn. Here are their beefs in a nutshell:
Katherine of Aragon: Our daughter...
I am anxious to hear what all of you thought about this final episode of The Tudors. I have to say I enjoyed it despite my deep and profound disappointment over not seeing Surrey get hanged, drawn, and quartered. What a letdown! People who watch this show have become accustomed to seeing some serious violence and I don’t think the last episode was any exception.
Couldn’t they have left us with one little gory execution to cling to?
This was the episode of the Dead and Angry Baby Mamas. The wives who had given children to King Henry showed up throughout this episode as visions, sort of like a combination between “Six Feet Under” and “Scrooged.” They all came to berate Henry for being such a sucky father to their various spawn. Here are their beefs in a nutshell:
Katherine of Aragon: Our daughter...
- 6/21/2010
- by matt@iscribelimited.com (M.L. House)
- TVfanatic
Last week’s episode was so macabre and enjoyable that I had a hard time even wanting to watch this week.
I felt for sure that I would be let down after all the excitement of torture and executions. Turns out I was right to be concerned; this episode was a bit of a snooze and also shorter than others (just 42 minutes). Maybe the writers needed a little break after all the kooky stuff that went on seven days before.
We were introduced to Catherine Parr, the future wife of our King, and she sticks out as being both older than a teenager and for being one of the few wives so far who really would prefer not to be with the King (besides Anne of Cleves, the other girls threw themselves at him). Catherine looks nowhere near as fun as our beloved Catherine Howard.
This newer Catherine has already...
I felt for sure that I would be let down after all the excitement of torture and executions. Turns out I was right to be concerned; this episode was a bit of a snooze and also shorter than others (just 42 minutes). Maybe the writers needed a little break after all the kooky stuff that went on seven days before.
We were introduced to Catherine Parr, the future wife of our King, and she sticks out as being both older than a teenager and for being one of the few wives so far who really would prefer not to be with the King (besides Anne of Cleves, the other girls threw themselves at him). Catherine looks nowhere near as fun as our beloved Catherine Howard.
This newer Catherine has already...
- 5/17/2010
- by matt@iscribelimited.com (M.L. House)
- TVfanatic
Showtime's "The Tudors" will really be missed when it wraps after this season. Its comforting to know showrunner Michael Hirst has "The Borgias" up his sleeve, starring Jeremy Irons. Hopefully that series will also be a magnificent ballet of crafts that has made the period drama starring Henry VIII stand out so beautifully. Tune in for Sunday May 8, as King Henry (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) is discovering the pitfalls of marrying a teenage ninny Catherine Howard (Tamzin Merchant). His regrets and guilt about how shabbily he treated the lovely and gracious Anne of Cleves (Joss Stone) are now evident as he looks forward to her company and even bed, in light of the fact he annulled their union...
- 5/9/2010
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
Well, there's no doubt that Henry VIII knew how to makes heads turn - or should that be roll? And in 'The Tudors', which is now its fourth and final season, the cast and crew of this bloated chocolate box version of history sure know how to make eyes roll too. First there's the intense and often scary performance of Ireland's Jonathan Rhys Meyers. If ever an actor was well cast for a role that requires gold plated megalomania, it's our Johnny. He excels as the capricious, nasty piece of work that Henry VIII actually was. The new series began in the sweltering summer of 1540, as Henry has his fourth marriage to Anne of Cleves nullified. Meanwhile, he has noticed Catherine Howard, who at 17 becomes wife number five. You'd think with odds like that she'd have been a bit more cautious, but who knows? The fourth season will...
- 4/29/2010
- IrishCentral
This week, "The Tudors" sees King Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) begin to rue his decision to marry the silly 17 year-old Catherine Howard. The frivolous queen has already made enemies with Henry's pious daughter Mary, and now has her eye on the cruel and rakish Culpepper who is courting her surreptitiously. Introduced to the King by Cromwell, Lutheran German-born Anne of Cleves (Joss Stone) was the fourth queen prior to Catherine, and an irate Henry divorced her, greatly displeased by her appearance. Yet it was time that softened Henry's initial dislike and he grew to love her, and was quite fond of her company. She was given great respect, wealth and deference by the court per the...
- 4/23/2010
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
Tune in alert for "The Tudors" New Episode Sunday 9Pm Et/Pt The real Catherine Howard was a cousin of Henry VIII's beheaded queen, Anne Boleyn, and like Anne, Catherine is to follow suit at the Tower Green. "The Tudors" on Showtime is wrapping the series this season, and sadly we will have to grab our TV drama with all the gusto Henry VIII did when he ripped the leg off a turkey tableside. According to English history, Catherine's father was the younger brother of the duke of Norfolk. Like Jackie O pre-Kennedy marriage, their family was rich in title but not cash. Catherine got the plum position as lady-in-waiting to Henry's fourth queen, Anne of Cleves,...
- 4/16/2010
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
As the fourth season of The Tudors kicks off...
Everyone is mopping their sweaty brows but no one thinks to remove some of the many, many layers of clothing they each wear. Spanish Ambassador Chapuis writes to the Spanish Emperor about heartless King Henry and the some 500 men he has incarcerated as heretics, both Catholics and Protestants.
Chapuis also believes that the King is already secretly married to seventeen-year-old Catherine Howard.
At the palace, Henry comes to visit his nubile new bride. Catherine is laying on her bed behind a gauzy curtain and she is naked save for the thousands of rose petals scattered around her, American Beauty-style. The King gives her a yucky-old-man-looking-at-hot-teen-wife look. Catherine lures him into bed and…well, you know.
In a large room at the palace, sweaty aristocrats have gathered for a celebration. The royal trumpets blare and out comes King Henry kissing Catherine.
Everyone is mopping their sweaty brows but no one thinks to remove some of the many, many layers of clothing they each wear. Spanish Ambassador Chapuis writes to the Spanish Emperor about heartless King Henry and the some 500 men he has incarcerated as heretics, both Catholics and Protestants.
Chapuis also believes that the King is already secretly married to seventeen-year-old Catherine Howard.
At the palace, Henry comes to visit his nubile new bride. Catherine is laying on her bed behind a gauzy curtain and she is naked save for the thousands of rose petals scattered around her, American Beauty-style. The King gives her a yucky-old-man-looking-at-hot-teen-wife look. Catherine lures him into bed and…well, you know.
In a large room at the palace, sweaty aristocrats have gathered for a celebration. The royal trumpets blare and out comes King Henry kissing Catherine.
- 4/16/2010
- by matt@iscribelimited.com (M.L. House)
- TVfanatic
Chicago – Not exactly for history buffs, Showtime’s “The Tudors” has always been more about bodice-ripping and political intrigue than about straightforward historical facts. Still, in its first three seasons, with a combination of multi-dimensional characters and inspired casting choices, the “Desperate Housewives” of sixteenth-century England was a guilty pleasure not to be missed.
Television Rating: 2.0/5.0
Unfortunately, the premiere of the fourth and final season of the series suggests that its best days are likely behind it. Though not always exactly historically accurate, real life events do dictate that King Henry VIII outlives most of the series’ most interesting characters. The desperate, scheming mistress-turned-second wife Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer), the loving and sympathetic first wife Catherine of Aragon (Maria Doyle Kennedy), and the chillingly clever adviser Thomas Cromwell (James Frain) have all by now either been executed or have died in exile. Thus, we begin season four with a dearth...
Television Rating: 2.0/5.0
Unfortunately, the premiere of the fourth and final season of the series suggests that its best days are likely behind it. Though not always exactly historically accurate, real life events do dictate that King Henry VIII outlives most of the series’ most interesting characters. The desperate, scheming mistress-turned-second wife Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer), the loving and sympathetic first wife Catherine of Aragon (Maria Doyle Kennedy), and the chillingly clever adviser Thomas Cromwell (James Frain) have all by now either been executed or have died in exile. Thus, we begin season four with a dearth...
- 4/11/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Courtesy of Showtime
Jonathan Rhys Meyers aka Henry VIII, where have you been these past few months? Somewhere being fabulous I’m sure.
All I know is that I’ve been in Tudors withdrawal ever since the Showtime series wrapped up its last season.Thank the Lord it’s back and as full of pageantry, intrigue, hot 16th century sex, velvet and brocade court-wear And kingly angst over heirs and wives.
The season picks up with a very gradually aging Henry finally recovering from his heartbreaking loss of third wife Jane Seymour, after childbirth. The catalyst in his recovery is giggling girlish 17 year-old sex nymphet Catherine Howard, whom he quickly makes wife# 5, to the horror of his advisors and eldest daughter, Mary.
Henry in his happiness seems alternately mellow and inexplicably cruel. But as usual, dangerous intrigues are brewing all around him and his latest wife. Tamzin Merchant who plays...
Jonathan Rhys Meyers aka Henry VIII, where have you been these past few months? Somewhere being fabulous I’m sure.
All I know is that I’ve been in Tudors withdrawal ever since the Showtime series wrapped up its last season.Thank the Lord it’s back and as full of pageantry, intrigue, hot 16th century sex, velvet and brocade court-wear And kingly angst over heirs and wives.
The season picks up with a very gradually aging Henry finally recovering from his heartbreaking loss of third wife Jane Seymour, after childbirth. The catalyst in his recovery is giggling girlish 17 year-old sex nymphet Catherine Howard, whom he quickly makes wife# 5, to the horror of his advisors and eldest daughter, Mary.
Henry in his happiness seems alternately mellow and inexplicably cruel. But as usual, dangerous intrigues are brewing all around him and his latest wife. Tamzin Merchant who plays...
- 4/9/2010
- by Bonnie Fuller
- HollywoodLife
Nothing like pairing an old goat with a young kid. Sadly for the fifth wife of King Henry VIII, life comes crashing down hard after all the fun and games start to wane. King Henry VIII marries his fifth queen, a lusty teenager whose beauty and checkered past inflame the passions of a trusted courtier, Thomas Culpepper. Culpepper is revealed to be a cruel and unkind soul. When Catherine Howard (Tamzin Merchant), a cousin of Anne Boleyn, makes merry and light in the castle, no good can come of it; her past comes back to haunt her and in doing so, seals her fate in the same way as Anne's. Not to mention she is loathed by Mary,...
- 4/6/2010
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
"The Tudors" officially returns for its fourth and final season on Sun. April 11 at 9 p.m., but Showtime has posted the full episode on YouTube for viewing now.
Last season, King Henry VIII's (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) relationships with Jane Seymour (Annabelle Wallis) and Anne of Cleves (Joss Stone) crumbled. He then began a relationship with the crafty Catherine Howard (Tamzin Merchant). He suppressed the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion and we saw the death of his chief minister, Thomas Cromwell (James Frain)
The final season picks up with his relationship to Catherine Howard and "his final descent into madness," Showtime says.
Check out the full Season 4 premiere episode below:
Zap2it readers: What do you think of the final season premiere episode of "The Tudors"?
Follow Zap2it on Twitter, @TheRealJethro on Twitter, and Zap2it on Facebook for all your movies, TV and celebrity news.
Related:
'The Tudors'...
Last season, King Henry VIII's (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) relationships with Jane Seymour (Annabelle Wallis) and Anne of Cleves (Joss Stone) crumbled. He then began a relationship with the crafty Catherine Howard (Tamzin Merchant). He suppressed the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion and we saw the death of his chief minister, Thomas Cromwell (James Frain)
The final season picks up with his relationship to Catherine Howard and "his final descent into madness," Showtime says.
Check out the full Season 4 premiere episode below:
Zap2it readers: What do you think of the final season premiere episode of "The Tudors"?
Follow Zap2it on Twitter, @TheRealJethro on Twitter, and Zap2it on Facebook for all your movies, TV and celebrity news.
Related:
'The Tudors'...
- 3/29/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
"The Tudors" returns for its fourth and final season on Sunday, April 11 at 9 p.m. on Showtime.
In the last season, we watched as King Henry VIII's ( Jonathan Rhys Meyers) relationships with Jane Seymour (Annabelle Wallis) and Anne of Cleves (Joss Stone) crumbled. He suppressed protests over England's break with Rome and the season ended with the execution of his chief minister, Thomas Cromwell (James Frain).
The final season will feature Henry's last two wives, Catherine Howard (Tamzin Merchant) and Catherine Parr (Joely Richardson). We also hear that Rhys Meyers will be losing his boyish good looks via prosthetics and graying hair to more accurately portray Henry in his older, tubbier years as he further descends into madness.
Creator Michael Hirst will again write all ten episodes of the final season.
Check out the Season 4 trailer below:
Are you ready for more lust, greed, insanity and two more wives?
Follow Zap2it on Twitter,...
In the last season, we watched as King Henry VIII's ( Jonathan Rhys Meyers) relationships with Jane Seymour (Annabelle Wallis) and Anne of Cleves (Joss Stone) crumbled. He suppressed protests over England's break with Rome and the season ended with the execution of his chief minister, Thomas Cromwell (James Frain).
The final season will feature Henry's last two wives, Catherine Howard (Tamzin Merchant) and Catherine Parr (Joely Richardson). We also hear that Rhys Meyers will be losing his boyish good looks via prosthetics and graying hair to more accurately portray Henry in his older, tubbier years as he further descends into madness.
Creator Michael Hirst will again write all ten episodes of the final season.
Check out the Season 4 trailer below:
Are you ready for more lust, greed, insanity and two more wives?
Follow Zap2it on Twitter,...
- 3/29/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Since its premiere three years ago, The Tudors has been one of my favourite shows. Gorgeous costumes, fantastic actors, intriguing storylines – this show has it all.
Admittedly, season 3 dragged a bit when it focused too heavily on the religious uprisings in England after its break from the Catholic Church in Rome. The Tudors is always at its absolute best when it is focusing on Henry VIII and his relationship with his wives. That is what made seasons 1 and 2 so interesting (and, I believe, a fantastic performance by Natalie Dormer as doomed second wife Anne Bolyen).
When we last left Henry at the end of season 3, his third wife, Jane Seymour had died. Distraught over the death of his favourite wife (and the only wife who ever bore him a son), it took his ministers a while to convince Henry to take a new bride. Enter Anne of Cleves (played by...
Admittedly, season 3 dragged a bit when it focused too heavily on the religious uprisings in England after its break from the Catholic Church in Rome. The Tudors is always at its absolute best when it is focusing on Henry VIII and his relationship with his wives. That is what made seasons 1 and 2 so interesting (and, I believe, a fantastic performance by Natalie Dormer as doomed second wife Anne Bolyen).
When we last left Henry at the end of season 3, his third wife, Jane Seymour had died. Distraught over the death of his favourite wife (and the only wife who ever bore him a son), it took his ministers a while to convince Henry to take a new bride. Enter Anne of Cleves (played by...
- 3/23/2010
- by Clarissa
- TVovermind.com
The final season of The Tudors will begin with the 17-year old reign of Queen Catherine Howard (Tamzin Merchant) and the last days of King Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). After the loss of Henry's "one true love," Queen Jane, Henry is knee deep in a mid-life crisis and utterly alone. Over the past three seasons he has killed his closest confidants, like Thomas Moore and Cromwell (James Frain). Now the only person he has left is the Duke of Suffolk, Charles Brandon (Henry Cavill). What's next for the king? How about war? We've seen somewhat of a civil war during season 3's fight with the Church and religious zealots, but The Tudors Season 4 will be our first taste of an all-out battle, featuring Henry. Here is a behind-the-scenes look at Season 4 with Tamzin Merchant, creator Michael Hirst, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Charles Brandon and Joely Richardson( who plays Catherine ...
- 3/2/2010
- by Alexis James-Whitehead
- BuzzFocus.com
Showtime has renewed The Tudors for a fourth season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The 10-episode season - written by series creator Michael Hirst - will be the show's last. The new episodes will tell the story of King Henry VIII's last two marriages to Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr. "I'm thrilled to complete the saga of Henry VIII as re-conceived (more)...
- 4/14/2009
- by By Dan French
- Digital Spy
All good things must eventually come to an end. And, King Henry VIII life on premium cable is drawing to a close. Showtime recently announced that it will renew it's hit historical drama "The Tudors" for a fourth and final season. This comes as no surprise to Tudors fans who have steadily studied the history of Henry ever since Jonathan Rhys Myers donned his mantle. With Jane a year away from death by childbirth and only two more wives left to cheat on, Catherine Howard and Catherine Par, Henry VIII has simply run his course. What will take the place of the Tudors? It's still to close to call. Showtime has been turning down new pilots faster than a Times Square hooker in the 70s. You do remember the 70s don't you? Even L Word fans were disappointed to learn that the potential L Word spinoff was ditched like Jenny's...
- 4/14/2009
- by Bags
- BuzzFocus.com
Showtime has set the future of "The Tudors", ordering another season and setting a final season. The series about the life of King Henry VIII and the women surrounding him, will be back for a fourth season but will end after that.
While the third season which has been running since April 5 is focusing on Henry's relationship with his third and fourth wives Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves respectively, the fourth season will highlight on his encounter with his fifth and sixth wives, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr, plus his deterioration that ends up in madness.
The final is set to bow in 2010 for 10 one-hour episodes with the production kicked off in June in Dublin. Michael Hirst, the executive producer as well as creator, will tackle the script himself.
"I'm thrilled to complete the saga of Henry VIII as re conceived by Michael Hirst," Showtime Entertainment president Robert Greenblatt says.
While the third season which has been running since April 5 is focusing on Henry's relationship with his third and fourth wives Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves respectively, the fourth season will highlight on his encounter with his fifth and sixth wives, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr, plus his deterioration that ends up in madness.
The final is set to bow in 2010 for 10 one-hour episodes with the production kicked off in June in Dublin. Michael Hirst, the executive producer as well as creator, will tackle the script himself.
"I'm thrilled to complete the saga of Henry VIII as re conceived by Michael Hirst," Showtime Entertainment president Robert Greenblatt says.
- 4/14/2009
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Hot: Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry VIII in Showtime's "The Tudors"
Showtime made it official today, a mere two episodes into its third season: Television’s sauciest softcore historic drama, “The Tudors,” has been renewed for a fourth and final chapter.
Season four is due to air in the spring of 2010 and will consist of 10 hours, focusing on Henry’s dysfunctional relationships (were there any other kind with this guy?) with his last two wives Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr. We’ll also get a glimpse of what the Showtime press release refers to as “his final descent into madness.” Production begins in Dublin this June.
Though the premium cable channel could have cut off “The Tudors” any time it wanted, it was clear Showtime was committed to seeing this…...
Showtime made it official today, a mere two episodes into its third season: Television’s sauciest softcore historic drama, “The Tudors,” has been renewed for a fourth and final chapter.
Season four is due to air in the spring of 2010 and will consist of 10 hours, focusing on Henry’s dysfunctional relationships (were there any other kind with this guy?) with his last two wives Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr. We’ll also get a glimpse of what the Showtime press release refers to as “his final descent into madness.” Production begins in Dublin this June.
Though the premium cable channel could have cut off “The Tudors” any time it wanted, it was clear Showtime was committed to seeing this…...
- 4/14/2009
- by Melanie McFarland
- IMDb Television Blog
Next year, Showtime's "The Tudors" will run out of wives.
The network has renewed the historical melodrama for a fourth and final season. The pickup consists of 10 episodes that Showtime says will dramatize King Henry VIII's last two tumultuous marriages, to Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr.
The new episodes will continue the show's current quickened matrimonial pace of going through two wives per season, a narrative strategy that was planned from the show's outset given that Henry's first two wives (Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn) were the best known and most influential.
The final season will air next spring and be written by series creator Michael Hirst, who in a display of prolific energy is single-handedly writing all 38 episodes of the saga. Ending "Tudors" also frees him up to work on a Camelot project he's developing for the network.
With Showtime recently rejecting several other projects, including an "L-Word" spinoff,...
The network has renewed the historical melodrama for a fourth and final season. The pickup consists of 10 episodes that Showtime says will dramatize King Henry VIII's last two tumultuous marriages, to Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr.
The new episodes will continue the show's current quickened matrimonial pace of going through two wives per season, a narrative strategy that was planned from the show's outset given that Henry's first two wives (Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn) were the best known and most influential.
The final season will air next spring and be written by series creator Michael Hirst, who in a display of prolific energy is single-handedly writing all 38 episodes of the saga. Ending "Tudors" also frees him up to work on a Camelot project he's developing for the network.
With Showtime recently rejecting several other projects, including an "L-Word" spinoff,...
- 4/13/2009
- by By James Hibberd
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Showtime has renewed the "The Tudors," but the pick-up comes with a catch -- The show's fourth season will also be its last. On Monday (April 13), Showtime ordered a 10-episode fourth season of the period drama, with new episodes set to premiere in 2010. The fourth season will focus on Henry VIII's relationship with wives Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr, as well as his descent into madness. That will bring the monarch's story to a close and will also bring the series to an end. Jonathan Rhys Meyers will continue with his Golden Globe nominated turn as King Henry...
- 4/13/2009
- by Daniel Fienberg
- Hitfix
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