New drama series about Tudor queen Anne Boleyn coming in 2021

Channel 5 has ordered a new thriller dramatising the final months of Anne Boleyn’s life.

British model and actress Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim) will star as the second wife of King Henry VIII.

Anne Boleyn was Queen of England from 1533 until 1536, when she was beheaded.

Directed by Lynsey Miller (Deadwater Fell) and written by newcomer Eve Hedderwick Turner, the upcoming TV drama is described as a “major new three-part psychological thriller.”

The cast of Anne Boleyn also includes Amanda Burton (Silent Witness), Paapa Essiedu (Gangs of London), Thalissa Teixeira (Trigonometry), Barry Ward (Des), and Jamael Westman (Hamilton).

Explore Boleyn’s final months from the eponymous Queen’s perspective, the series follows her as she struggles to survive, to secure a future for her daughter, and to challenge the powerful patriarchy closing in around her.

Ben Frow, Director of Programmes at ViacomCBS, commented: “It is no secret that I’m a huge Anne Boleyn fan and we know she’s a proven success as a subject with factual and film audiences. This project re-frames her story as a propulsive psychological thriller, told from a new perspective, with top talent like Jodie Turner-Smith attached. It was simply too irresistible to say no to and I’m very excited to see the finished product.”

Wayne Garvie, President, International Production, Sony Pictures Television, added: “The great historian Christopher Hill famously said that history has to be rewritten in every generation. With their brilliant, enthralling and unique restyling of the tragedy of Anne Boleyn, Fable are presenting an Anne for our times that places the woman at the centre of her own story.”

Jodie Turner-Smith, who’s playing Boleyn, said: “I am so excited to join these exciting filmmakers in bringing the story of one of history’s most controversial queens to the screen. Delving deeper into Anne Boleyn’s immense strengths while examining her fatal weaknesses and vulnerabilities, Eve’s scripts immediately captured my imagination.

“In the hands of Lynsey Miller, the legend of this formidable queen and fierce mother will be seen as a deeply human story that is still so relevant for today. I look forward to bringing my heart and spirit into this daring retelling of the fall of this iconic woman.”

Anne Boleyn will air in the UK on Channel 5 next year, with Sony Pictures Television distributing internationally.

The Tudors complete series is available on DVD on Amazon.