Wolf Hall Revisited: A Prequel to Power and a Glimpse into the Sequel

Spoiler Alert!

As filming for the next season of of the hugely popular Series Wolf Hall is underway here’s a quick look back at this historical TV drama for a modern audience.

Wolf Hall, the 2016 Peabody Award and Golden Globe winner for Best Television Limited Series tells the story of Thomas Cromwell, (played by Mark Rylance) a blacksmith’s son who rises from the ashes of personal disaster, and deftly picks his way through a court where “man is wolf to man.”

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Damian Lewis is King Henry VIII, haunted by his brother’s premature death and obsessed with protecting the Tudor dynasty by securing his succession with a male heir to the throne. The cast also includes Claire Foy (The Queen, Little Dorrit) as the future queen Anne Boleyn.

Adapted from Hilary Mantel’s best-selling Booker Prize-winning novels, Wolf Hall follows the complex machinations and back room dealings of accomplished power broker Cromwell, who must serve king and country while dealing with deadly political intrigue, Henry VIII’s tempestuous relationship with Anne Boleyn, and the religious upheavals of the Protestant reformation.

Set against the backdrop of King Henry VIII's tumultuous reign, "Wolf Hall" chronicles the ascent of Thomas Cromwell, a shrewd lawyer who navigates the treacherous waters of the Tudor court. The first season unfolds as Henry VIII seeks to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and secure an heir through a union with Anne Boleyn. Viewers are drawn into the complex political machinations and witness Cromwell's rise to prominence, culminating in the dramatic execution of Anne Boleyn.

"This is a first for me. But it is an intensely political piece. It is about the politics of despotism, and how you function around an absolute ruler. I have a sense that Hilary Mantel wanted that immediacy. ... When I saw Peter Straughan's script, only a first draft, I couldn't believe what I was reading. It was the best draft I had ever seen. He had managed to distil 1,000 pages of the novels into six hours, using prose so sensitively. He's a theatre writer by trade."

Peter Kosminsky, the director of the series.

"Wolf Hall" received widespread critical acclaim, with praise directed towards its exceptional performances, particularly Mark Rylance's portrayal of Cromwell and Claire Foy's captivating turn as Anne Boleyn. The series secured a prestigious Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film and a BAFTA Award for Best Drama Series, solidifying its position as a television masterpiece.

A Glimpse into the New Season…

Following years of anticipation, a second season based on Mantel's concluding novel in the trilogy, "The Mirror and the Light," was officially confirmed in 2019. Filming commenced in late 2023, with several core cast members from the first season reprising their roles, including