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Arts & Culture

MASTERPIECE CLASSIC: Wolf Hall

Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell.
Courtesy of Giles Keyte/Playground & Company Pictures for MASTERPIECE/BBC
Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell.

Airs Sundays, April 2 - May 7, 2017 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV

Tony® Award-winning actor Mark Rylance ("Twelfth Night") and Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award-winner Damian Lewis (HOMELAND) star in the six-hour television miniseries adapted from Hilary Mantel’s best-selling Booker Prize-winning novels: "Wolf Hall" and its sequel, "Bring Up the Bodies."

The television event presents an intimate and provocative portrait of Thomas Cromwell, the brilliant and enigmatic consigliere to King Henry VIII, as he maneuvers the corridors of power at the Tudor court. MASTERPIECE brings both of these works to life in WOLF HALL.

BAFTA Award-winner Peter Kosminsky ("White Oleander," "The Government Inspector") directs this flagship MASTERPIECE production adapted by Oscar® nominee Peter Straughan ("Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy").

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Mark Rylance is Thomas Cromwell, a brutal 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.’ 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.

Claire Foy as Anne Boleyn and Damian Lewis as King Henry VIII.
Courtesy of Ed Miller/Playground & Company Pictures for MASTERPIECE/BBC
Claire Foy as Anne Boleyn and Damian Lewis as King Henry VIII.

Told from Cromwell’s perspective, WOLF HALL follows the complex machinations and back room dealings of this pragmatic and accomplished power broker – from humble beginnings and with an enigmatic past – 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.

Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell and Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Wolsey.
Courtesy of Giles Keyte/Playground & Company Pictures for MASTERPIECE/BBC
Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell and Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Wolsey.

A historical drama for a modern audience, this unromanticized re-telling lifts the veil on the Tudor middle class and the internal struggles England faced on the brink of Reformation. At the center of it all is Cromwell, navigating the moral complexities that accompany the exercise of power, trapped between his desire to do what is right and his instinct to survive.

Claire Foy as Anne Boleyn.
Courtesy of Giles Keyte/Playground & Company Pictures for MASTERPIECE/BBC
Claire Foy as Anne Boleyn.

The cast also includes Claire Foy (LITTLE DORRIT) as the future queen Anne Boleyn, Bernard Hill (FIVE DAYS) as the king's military commander the Duke of Norfolk, Anton Lesser (ENDEAVOUR) as Thomas More, Mark Gatiss (SHERLOCK) as Cromwell’s rival advisor Stephen Gardiner, Joanne Whalley (THE BORGIAS) as Henry’s spurned first wife, Katherine of Aragon, and Jonathan Pryce (CRANFORD) as Cardinal Wolsey, the powerful Lord Chancellor who recognized Cromwell’s potential.

Also appearing are Mathieu Amalric ("The Grand Budapest Hotel") as the Spanish ambassador Eustace Chapuys, Charity Wakefield (SENSE AND SENSIBILITY) as Anne Boleyn’s sister Mary, Richard Dillane ("The Dark Knight") as the king’s brother-in-law the Duke of Suffolk, Thomas Brodie-Sangster (GAME OF THRONES) as Cromwell’s ward Rafe Sadler, Natasha Little (BREATHLESS) as Cromwell’s wife, Liz, and Saskia Reeves (WORRICKER) as her sister Johane.

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EPISODE GUIDE:

Episode 1 airs Sunday, April 5 at 10 p.m. - Having failed to secure the annulment of the King Henry's marriage to Katherine of Aragon, Cardinal Wolsey is stripped of his powers. His hopes of returning to the king's favor lie with the ever-loyal Thomas Cromwell.

Wolf Hall: Episode 1 Scene

"Cromwell and Cardinal Wolsey discuss the tricks of the trade in this scene from Wolf Hall

Episode 2 airs Sunday, April 12 at 10 p.m. - Cardinal Wolsey has been forced to move to York. Cromwell remains in London, seeking to return the cardinal to the king’s favor. As Cromwell’s relationship with Henry deepens, there is unexpected news from the north.

Wolf Hall: Episode 2 Preview

"In Episode 2 of Wolf Hall

Episode 3 airs Sunday, April 19 at 10 p.m. - With the cardinal dead, it falls to Cromwell to orchestrate a marriage between the king and Anne Boleyn. The king rewards Cromwell for his loyalty, but he is being closely watched by his enemies.

Wolf Hall: Episode 3 Preview

"In Episode 3 of Wolf Hall

Episode 4 airs Sunday, April 26 at 10 p.m. - Anne gives birth to a baby girl, failing to produce Henry’s longed-for male heir. Cromwell demands the nobility and church swear an oath acknowledging Anne as lawful queen, but will Thomas More agree?

Wolf Hall: Episode 4 Preview

"In Episode 4

Episode 5 airs Sunday, May 3 at 10 p.m. - With Anne pregnant again and away from court, Henry begins to take notice of Jane Seymour. Anne hears of this and threatens Cromwell to make terms with her before her son is born. But has she overplayed her cards?

Wolf Hall: Episode 5 Preview

"In Episode 5

Episode 6 airs Sunday, May 10 at 10 p.m. - Henry’s love for Anne Boleyn has given way to anger and distrust. Henry instructs Cromwell to rid him of his second queen. Sensing her loss of favor, the queen’s enemies gather.

Wolf Hall: Episode 6 Preview

"An anxious Anne Boleyn appeals to Cromwell

WATCH ON YOUR SCHEDULE:

Episodes from this series are available for viewing on demand with KPBS Passport, video streaming for members ($60 yearly) using your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire or Chromecast. Learn more and activate your benefit now.

CONNECT:

MASTERPIECE is on Facebook, Pinterest, and you can follow @masterpiecepbs on Twitter. #MasterpiecePBS #WolfHallPBS

Wolf Hall: The World of Wolf Hall

"From the true-to-life locations to the bold stylistic choices

Wolf Hall: Thomas Cromwell

"Learn more about the enigmatic Thomas Cromwell

CREDITS:

A Playground Entertainment and Company Pictures production for BBC and MASTERPIECE in association with BBC Worldwide, Altus Media and Prescience. Executive producers are John Yorke for Company Pictures, Polly Hill, BBC Head of Independent Drama, for BBC TWO, Rebecca Eaton for MASTERPIECE, Martin Rakusen and Ben Donald for BBC Worldwide and Tim Smith for Prescience. Executive Producer is Colin Callender. Producer is Mark Pybus. The writer is Peter Straughan. The director is Peter Kosminsky.

MASTERPIECE is presented on PBS by WGBH Boston. Rebecca Eaton is Executive Producer. Viking River Cruises is the exclusive corporate funder of WOLF HALL on MASTERPIECE on PBS, with additional funding provided by The MASTERPIECE Trust.