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Wolf Hall: A Marvel of Elegance and Emotion
by Staff | TVLine | March 30, 2023
What do these titles all have in common other than being highly-rated, successful shows? They and many more shows were adapted from bestselling novels within the last decade. Whether you love them or hate them, book-to-TV adaptations are here to stay. The TVLine team felt it was perfect to conjure up a list of the top TV programs based on books. We have rounded up 20 of the best shows from the last decade that were adapted from books:
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Underrated British TV Shows You Need To Watch
Wolf Hall
by Richard Chachowski | Looper | July 20, 2022
On the surface, one might immediately think that British television is very similar to any American TV program you can find on cable or currently streaming. However, as anyone who’s seen a decent amount of British and American series can tell you, the two couldn’t be further apart.
Known for their strong surrealistic elements, dry wit, and dramatically small number of episodes compared to American TV series, British TV shows are practically a genre unto themselves. Whether they encompass historical dramas, absurdist comedies, or sitcoms set in World War II, you know without question when you’re tuning into a TV show from across the pond, judging from its sense of humor and content alone.
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Renaissance Men’s Fashion Today
by Maria H. Loh | Art News | June 29, 2022
Certain men’s fashions have always been controversial. In 2014, Mark Rylance, a star of the BBC’s popular sixteenth-century TV drama Wolf Hall, told reporters that he thought “the codpieces are too small.” The actor, who played chief minister Thomas Cromwell, protagonist of the Hilary Mantel best seller on which the series was based, speculated that the sartorial edit was perhaps a directive from the show’s American producers, who feared that historically accurate codpieces might shock their transatlantic viewers. Indeed, if you look at any number of Renaissance portraits of Henry VIII, you might be immediately taken aback by the elaborate mound of shimmering white silk that bursts forth and rises up conspicuously between the king’s legs. Damian Lewis, who had the monarch’s role in the show, explained to the Los Angeles Times that these unusual attachments were,
“… a symbol of your virility, your derring-do, your sense of adventure. They were encouraged, it was a fashion, and Henry liked them.”
Just reading those words can instantly bring your mind to one of the most famous, scandalous, and formidable families to ever rule a nation. The powerful Tudor dynasty has long mesmerized and enthralled all who have come across their stories during history lessons. From the king who nabbed his crown against the odds to a long-awaited male heir who didn’t live past the age of 15, to the queen who defied all expectations and ruled for 45 years, their collective reign over England from 1485 to 1603 was chock full of warfare, religious reform, and treachery at a time where fealty, obedience, and adhering to the tenets of one’s social station literally meant life or death.
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Certified Royal Drama – Wolf Hall
by Devon Forward | Collider | November 13, 2021
For the days when you just want to watch some certified royal drama. Sometimes real life is even better than fictional drama, which is why so many television shows and movies are based around historical events. Take England, for example. You can’t honestly claim that you’ve never been fascinated by something that’s happened to a king or queen of the country’s past or present, right? Everyone loves to hear about the strong-willed Queen Elizabeth I, King Henry VIII and his six wives, the elegant current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, and any number of interesting English royals. Luckily, Hollywood feels the same way, and movies and television shows based on stories about English royalty have been made for decades now, with more coming out each year. But which ones are the best?
WOLF HALL
An earlier appearance by Claire Foy as an English royal, this time around she goes back a bit farther into the past to play Anne Boleyn opposite Damian Lewis as King Henry VIII in Wolf Hall. Sure, the story of King Henry VIII’s deadly reign and six wives is well-known, but there’s a reason for that, as his story is one of the most intense and memorable throughout royal history. But what makes this series a bit more unique is that it really focuses on the historical figure of Thomas Cromwell, played by Mark Rylance, a manipulative, charming man who uses his close relationship with King Henry VIII to gain more power for himself. With a target on Anne, attempting to get King Henry VIII away from her influence, Cromwell plays a risky game that might not end in his favor (Spoiler alert: it doesn’t).
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Masterpiece (PBS/BBC) Favorites of a More Recent Vintage – Jan 8, 2021
Two for Damian: Wolf Hall and The Forsyte Saga
by Matthew Gilbert | Boston Globe | January 7, 2021
Here are some of my favorite Masterpiece shows, in no particular order. I have restricted the list to those that have aired in the past 25 years, which is why you won’t see the well-known classics, including I, Claudius, The Jewel in the Crown, House of Cards, Elizabeth R, or Prime Suspect.
Wolf Hall (2015)
Based on Hilary Mantel’s Henry VIII novels, the mesmerizing six-parter takes place from the point of view of the King’s most trusted advisor, Thomas Cromwell, played by a quietly sardonic Mark Rylance. This isn’t the bodice-ripping, horse-hopping likes of Showtime’s The Tudors; it’s elegant, downbeat, authentically lit, intensely acted, and clever and relevant when it comes to 16th-century politics. Damian Lewis is Henry, Jonathan Pryce is Cardinal Wolsey, and Claire Foy is Anne Boleyn.
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on 100 Best Miniseries Of All Time – Aug 17, 2020
Wolf Hall Has It All
by Joni Sweet | Lake Geneva Regional News | August 17, 2020
With shelter-at-home orders still in effect, the pandemic has left us with little more to do than veg out in front of the TV. Data released from Comcast in May showed that the average household watched some 66 hours of television each week—more than an additional full workday’s worth of television than people were watching in March.
But after so many stay-at-home months and the uncertainty of how many more there will be, it might be time for some fresh content to indulge in while noshing on takeout. Enter the miniseries. It might just be the perfect format for quarantine life. Miniseries offer the rich visuals and storytelling of cinema, with the ability to binge-watch a few episodes, like conventional television. Plus, you’ve got decades of compelling miniseries to choose from in just about every genre imaginable.
To help narrow down the choices, Stacker collected IMDb data on all miniseries/limited series on July 29, and ranked them according to their IMDb user rating, ties broken by votes. It also looked at reviews from The New York Times, Rotten Tomatoes, Forbes, NPR, The Guardian, and other media to see what the critics have to say.
It should come as no surprise that BBC’s striking nature documentaries score highly on this list. But scattered throughout the rankings, you’ll discover a mix of historical dramas, shocking true crime documentaries, sci-fi favorites, animated works and shows inspired by comics, and police procedurals that put a new twist on an old-school genre.
From visually-stunning nature documentaries to historical war dramas, here are the top 100 miniseries of all time, according to data from IMDb.
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Walter Scott Prize
by Eleanor Sharples | Daily Mail | January 20, 2020
When it comes to royal history, you can’t beat the Tudors for scandal and intrigue – though the Windsors are putting in a spirited effort.
So perhaps it should come as little surprise that Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall has been named as Britain’s favourite historical novel.
The Booker Prize-winning book was voted top in a poll, just months before Mantel’s eagerly-awaited conclusion to her Tudor trilogy – The Mirror and the Light – is released.
Wolf Hall, published in 2009, tells the story of Thomas Cromwell’s rise to power in the court of King Henry VIII and has sold 1,027,278 copies across all print editions.
Mantel’s second book in the saga, Bring Up the Bodies, was published in 2012 and also won the Booker Prize.
The novels were successfully adapted for TV with Claire Foy starring as Anne Boleyn, Damian Lewis as Henry VIII and Mark Rylance as Cromwell.
The Walter Scott Prize came up with a shortlist of ten novels to celebrate its tenth anniversary.
In the poll, second place went to Rosemary Sutcliff’s Roman adventure story The Eagle of the Ninth and third to Dorothy Dunnett’s The Game of Kings.
Read the rest of the original article at Daily Mail
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Set Your Calendar for November 10
by Stephanie Prange | Media Play News | November 7, 2019
In November PBS Distribution is debuting seven new programs on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel, including the entire series (all four seasons) of Mr. Selfridge, starring Jeremy Piven and Wolf Hall with Damian Lewis and Mark Rylance.
The six-part miniseries adapted from Hilary Mantel’s best-selling novels Wolf Hall begins streaming November 10!
A historical drama for a modern audience, this unromanticized re-telling lifts the veil on the internal struggles England faced on the brink of Reformation.
From humble beginnings and with an enigmatic past, Thomas Cromwell (Mark Rylance) is the brilliant consigliere to King Henry VIII (Damian Lewis).
Told from Cromwell’s perspective, Wolf Hall follows the complex machinations and back room dealings of this pragmatic and accomplished power broker who must serve king and country while dealing with deadly political intrigue, Henry VIII’s tempestuous relationship with Anne Boleyn (Claire Foy, The Crown) and the religious upheavals of the Protestant reformation.
PBS Masterpiece is $5.99 per month with an Amazon Prime or Prime Video subscription. Check out Amazon.com here.
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Oscars At Glance: New Member Invitations
by Gingersnap | damian-lewis.com | July 1, 2019
The 2019 new Academy Award membership names have been released and guess who’s on the list? Both Damian and Helen have been invited to become a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This year’s newest 842 member invitees are from 59 different countries and 10 different branches, including, casting directors, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, make-up artists and stylists, marketing and public relations, producers, production design, writers, and of course actors.
Damian and Helen join the likes of other new member invitees like, Sterling K. Brown, Lady Gaga, Claire Foy, Tom Holland, Tracy Letts, Elizabeth Moss, Amanda Peet, Kevin Pollak, Alexander Skarsgard, and more.
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Damian Lewis as King Henry VIII in Wolf Hall
by Katie Rosseinsky | The Evening Standard |
Whatever your thoughts on the royals, there’s no denying that Britain’s most famous family make good TV.
From Wolf Hall to Victoria to Netflix’s The Crown, many of the most talked-about (and most critically acclaimed) series of recent years have all taken inspiration from royal history, be it centuries old or within living memory.
With the third seasons of Victoria and The Crown coming soon (and amid feverish speculation over future casting decisions for the latter show), the industry’s fascination with what goes on behind palace doors shows no sign of waning.
As the Jenna Coleman-led Victoria returns to the small screen this weekend, we’ve ranked some recent royal performances, in ascending order from the middling to the truly unforgettable.
