'Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light' on TV, what to expect.
'Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light' on TV, what to expect.
Plot, Cast, Release Date and Episode Schedule
The highly anticipated second series of Wolf Hall, titled The Mirror and The Light, debuts on Sunday, November 10, 2024, at 9 pm on BBC One. This new six-part series will air weekly, with each episode available to stream on BBC iPlayer following its television broadcast. Fans can also catch up on all six episodes of the first series on iPlayer.
Plot Overview
Almost ten years after the acclaimed first series, The Mirror and The Light brings viewers back to the turbulent Tudor court to follow the gripping final chapter of Thomas Cromwell’s life. The series begins in 1536, right after Anne Boleyn’s execution. With Henry VIII (Damian Lewis) now wed to Jane Seymour (Kate Phillips), Cromwell (Mark Rylance) stands at the peak of his influence—but dangers multiply as powerful enemies close in.
Adapted from Hilary Mantel’s third and final novel in her Tudor trilogy, the series traces Cromwell’s extraordinary rise and inevitable fall, capturing the shifting tides of loyalty and power within Henry VIII’s court. Cromwell faces threats from home and abroad, forcing him to navigate the risks that could bring his own downfall as well as that of the kingdom he serves.
Director Peter Kosminsky shared, “I hope to bring the same ethos—a well-researched, contemporary, quite political drama—to Wolf Hall that has been central to my work over the last decade.”
The series title, The Mirror and The Light, reflects Cromwell’s praise of Henry VIII as the “mirror and light” of all rulers—a motif woven throughout Mantel’s narrative. While history’s verdict on Cromwell is well-known, Mantel’s storytelling draws readers and viewers into the suspense of his journey. She captures Cromwell’s restless, relentless drive so vividly that, even knowing his fate, we find ourselves hoping against hope for a different ending. This is the brilliance of Hilary Mantel: her ability to transform familiar history into a nail-biting, unforgettable tale.
The blacksmith’s son from Putney emerges from the spring’s bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master, Henry VIII, settles to short-lived happiness with his third queen, Jane Seymour.
Cromwell is a man with only his wits to rely on; he has no great family to back him, no private army. Despite rebellion at home, traitors plotting abroad and the threat of invasion testing Henry’s regime to breaking point, Cromwell’s robust imagination sees a new country in the mirror of the future. But can a nation, or a person, shed the past like a skin? Do the dead continually unbury themselves? What will you do, the Spanish ambassador asks Cromwell, when the king turns on you, as sooner or later he turns on everyone close to him?
With The Mirror and the Light, Hilary Mantel brought a triumphant close the trilogy she began with Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. She traced the final years of Thomas Cromwell, the boy from nowhere who climbs to the heights of power, offering a defining portrait of predator and prey, of a ferocious contest between present and past, between royal will and a common man’s vision: of a modern nation making itself through conflict, passion and courage.
Main Cast
The series brings back a stellar cast, led by Sir Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis.
Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell
Returning as Cromwell, Rylance resumes his Bafta-winning role as Henry VIII’s advisor. Known for Dunkirk, Bridge of Spies (for which he won an Oscar), and The BFG, Rylance brings a nuanced depth to Cromwell’s complex character.
Damian Lewis as King Henry VIII
Lewis reprises his role as the mercurial King Henry VIII. Best known for Homeland, where he won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe, Lewis has recently ventured into music with his album Mission Creep.
Kate Phillips as Jane Seymour
Returning as Henry’s third wife, Phillips has starred in The Crown, Peaky Blinders, and Miss Scarlet and The Duke. Her portrayal of Jane Seymour showcases both vulnerability and quiet strength.
Lilit Lesser as Lady Mary
Lesser takes on the role of Henry VIII’s daughter, Mary. She is the daughter of Anton Lesser, who played Thomas More in the original series, and has also appeared in Medusa Deluxe and Moonhaven.
Supporting Cast
Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Rafe Sadler (Love Actually, Game of Thrones)
Charlie Rowe as Gregory Cromwell (Slow Horses, The Golden Compass)
Harry Melling as Thomas Wriothesley (The Queen’s Gambit, Harry Potter series)
Pip Carter - Sir Geoffrey Pole (The Crown, New Worlds)
Hannah Khalique-Brown - Dorothea (The Undeclared War, Dune: Prophecy)
Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Wolsey (Game of Thrones, Slow Horses)
Timothy Spall as the Duke of Norfolk (Mr. Turner, The Sixth Commandment)
Alex Jennings as Stephen Gardiner (The Crown, Mr. Bates vs. The Post Office)
Dame Harriet Walter as Lady Margaret Pole (Downton Abbey, Law & Order: UK)
Charlie Rowe replaces Tom Holland as Gregory Cromwell (Vanity Fair, The Crown)
With Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light, viewers can once again immerse themselves into a world of political intrigue, betrayal, and ambition at one of history’s most fascinating courts.
We will be discussing more, all things Hilary Mantel and the major TV adaption of Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light in the upcoming weeks. Subscribe for for free to get our updates on the series, analysis of the story, and our free after episode live subscriber chat.