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Written By GingersnapComments Off on The 20 Best TV Shows Based on Books
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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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Bulging Codpieces and Multi-Colored Tights
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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Henry and Cromwell
by Rebecca Jones | BBC News | May 20, 2021
Dame Hilary, 68, is a shrewd observer of political drama that spans the ages. “I think what my books have tried to show is that there is no life without politics,” she says.
She has been immersed in Tudor politics for more than 15 years, working on her Wolf Hall trilogy of historical novels about the plots and intrigues at the court of King Henry VIII and the rise and fall of his chief adviser Thomas Cromwell.
Dame Hilary has spent the past year writing the play of The Mirror and the Light herself. She says she wanted to “give it a go”.
But, perhaps surprisingly for a writer of 14 works of fiction and a memoir, she was not sure she could do it on her own.
“Although I’d written plays for radio… I’ve not written a whole stage play by myself. I felt my inexperience,” she admits. “I thought, ‘I need a collaborator.'”
Ben Miles, who starred as Cromwell in the Royal Shakespeare Company productions of Wolf Hall and its sequel Bring up the Bodies, suggested himself as “co-pilot” on the project.
The television adaptation of The Mirror and the Light is on its way too. “It is going ahead. It’s being written now, but delayed by Covid like everything else,” she says.
It is therefore unlikely to be on our screens before 2023. “It’s just a question of patience.” The previous BBC TV adaptation of the first two books – which was entitled Wolf Hall but brought together Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies – won two Bafta TV awards, and a Golden Globe.
She says she “would certainly hope” that Sir Mark Rylance, who played Cromwell in the BBC series and Damian Lewis, who appeared as Henry VIII, will be able to return to their roles, although “these are busy people with big schedules and it will all be a question of timing”.
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Wolf Hall on PBS in Tri-State Area – March 5, 2018
Henry is Back on Masterpiece
by Gingersnap | damian-lewis.com | March 5, 2018
Attention fans who are in the tri-state viewing area, which includes New York metropolitan , New Jersey and Connecticut: Wolf Hall will air on PBS Masterpiece Channel 13 beginning this Sunday, March 11, 2018 so set your DVR and calendar reminders.
Source: BBC/PBS
Here is Channel 13’s Wolf Hall schedule:
Sunday, March 11
9:00 pm (EST) – Episode One “Three Card Trick”
10:10 pm (EST) – Episode Two “Entirely Beloved”
11:15 pm (EST) – Episode Three “Anna Regina”
Sunday, March 18
9:00 pm (EST) – Episode Four “The Devil’s Spit”
10:05 pm (EST) – Episode Five “Crows”
11:10 pm (EST) – Episode Six “Master of Phantoms”
For more information about your local viewing area, please visit PBS.org.
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Happy 47th Birthday Damian!
by Gingersnap | damian-lewis.com | February 11, 2018
Today Damian Lewis turns 47-years-old and we would like to wish him the happiest of birthday celebrations on this very special day. We compiled a few birthday cards from some of the fans here and as you head over to Fan Fun with Damian Lewis to celebrate his birthday with other fans, here are some historical facts that occurred on February 11, 1971:
February 11, 1971 was a Thursday and it was the 42nd day of the year
Number One Movie: Love Story
Number One Novel for 1971: Wheels by Arthur Hailey
Number One Pop Song: One Bad Apple by The Osmonds
World Population: 3,766,222,222
Price of Gold: $38.74/ounce
Dow Jones: 883.43
Price of a New Car: $3,664
Gallon of Gas: $0.36
Loaf of Bread: $0.25
There are 323 days left in the year
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Damian Lewis Nominated for a Golden Globe: Wolf Hall – Dec 10, 2015
Damian Lewis Nominated for a Golden Globe: Wolf Hall
by Damianista – Fan Fun with Damian Lewis – December 10, 2015
Damian Lewis has just received a Golden Globe nomination for his fantastic portrayal of Henry VIII in Wolf Hall.
Wolf Hall has received 3 Golden Globe nominations — Best TV Mini Series or Movie, Best Actor in a Mini Series or TV Movie (Mark Rylance), and Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini Series or TV Movie (Damian Lewis). Congratulations to everyone involved in the making of one of the best, if not the best, mini-series that ever happened to TV.
A little note about the Golden Globe Awards: The awards, given by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), recognize excellence in film and television. Damian has got a nod in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television category. The other nominees are Alan Cumming (The Good Wife), Ben Mendelsohn (Blood Line), Tobias Menzies (Game of Thrones) and Christian Slater (Mr. Robot).
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Damian Lewis Nominated for Satellite Award: Wolf Hall
by Damianista – Fan Fun with Damian Lewis – December 6, 2015
Damian Lewis and his Wolf Hall co-star Mark Rylance are both nominated for a Satellite Award by the International Press Academy in the same category, Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television. Damian’s top performance in a top production is top of the line!
Henry is a man whose, in Damian Lewis’ words, “…ability to love and then to simply discard is sociopathic.”
Henry’s various moods were perfectly demonstrated in Damian’s top notch performance. We give you the many facades of Henry VIII in Wolf Hall:
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Written By GingersnapComments Off on Wolf Hall Location Guide: Discover the Castles, Medieval Streets and Stately Homes – Sept 8, 2015
28 Historic Properties Were Used in BBC2’s Adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Novel – Producer Mark Pybus Reveals His Favourites
by Jade Bremner – RadioTimes – September 8, 2015
Source: BBC
Wolf Hall, one of Wolf Hall’s most successful ever period dramas, depicts the meteoric rise of Thomas Cromwell: the son of a lowly blacksmith who rose through the ranks of the Tudor court to become Henry VIII’s trusted advisor.
The series was not just a triumph for its star Mark Rylance – it also showed the wealth and luxury of Tudor Britain like never before.
Director Peter Kosminsky insisted on filming the entire series on location. “All those small details add up and make a significant difference,” explains series producer Mark Pybus. Some of the properties were actually used by Henry VIII five hundred years ago.
Chastleton House, Oxfordshire
Chastleton’s small stone courtyard doubles for Putney, where we see Cromwell as a young man being viciously attacked by his father. The interiors stand in for the Seymour family home, Wolf Hall, where Henry first falls for Jane Seymour. “The Seymours are on the up when we first meet them, before Jane becomes queen,” says Pybus. “It’s one of the only properties in the drama that has a shabby feel. We wanted to get across that they’re not as rich as other people in the show.” It’s possible to visit this ancient house, first built by a rich wool merchant, and now managed by the National Trust.
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Damian Lewis gets the royal treatment in ‘Wolf Hall’
Homeland veteran Damian Lewis transforms into King Henry VIII in PBS Masterpiece’s six-part Wolf Hall—it premiered April 5
by Sara Vilkomerson – Entertainment Weekly – April
We asked Lewis to talk Tudor stye, historical misconceptions, and saying goodbye to Brody.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Do you think British people know the story of Henry VIII better than Americans?
Damian Lewis: In terms of brand recognition, Henry is right up there with Coca-Cola. But people think they know all about him—that he had six wives, that he was inclined to cut their heads off when he didn’t get what he wanted. What we see in Wolf Hall is much like the books: very quiet, very still. Very political. It’s much more House of Cards than Game of Thrones.
Had you read Wolf Hall before signing on to the series?
Yes, and I loved it. I just love this intimate peek behind closed doors, at a part of Tudor history we think we know. Hilary’s inventiveness and her imagination and the psychological tickings of these characters are great. And it’s been so much fun to act—it’s fun to alter some perceptions.
