The trailer for the eagerly awaited new series Anne Boleyn starring Jodie Turner-Smith has finally dropped, giving us a first glimpse of what we can expect.
The three-part series explores the final months of the life of Anne Boleyn, who was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 and the second wife to King Henry VIII.
The drama is set in a highly turbulent era of Tudor England — Boleyn's marriage to Henry was a pivotal moment in the religious and political tumult in the country at the start of the English Reformation. Boleyn was executed for treason in 1536 after charges of adultery and incest were made against her.
The Queen and Slim star plays the title role of this new Channel 5 dramatisation of Boleyn's story, which has previously been the subject of adaptations including The Other Boleyn Girl and Wolf Hall. The trailer starts with Boleyn pleading not guilty to treason, followed by a scene showing her in labour. It poses several questions pertaining to Boleyn's character — which has been scrutinised and maligned for centuries — "Dishonest or Devoted? Traitor or Trailblazer? Sinner or Saint?"
The series was written by newcomer Eve Hedderwick Turner and directed by Lynsey Miller (Deadwater Fell). The cast includes Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You) as Anne’s brother George Boleyn, Mark Stanley (White House Farm) as Henry VIII, and Lola Petticrew (Dating Amber) as Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's third wife.
“The world will know my innocence," declares Boleyn at the end of the trailer.
Anne Boleyn is coming to Channel 5 in the UK, and will be distributed by Sony Pictures globally, release dates TBC.
