UK televison premiere of Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The Light tonight

The long-awaited sequel to the 2015 series Wolf Hall is starting tonight on BBC1 at 9pm!

2015’s original Emmy-nominated drama adapted the late Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. This series adapts the final novel in the trilogy, The Mirror and The Light.

Having taken nearly ten years to reach our screens, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light will follow the final four years of Thomas Cromwell’s life, tracing his path from self-made man to the second most influential man in England. 

What is it about?

Here is a synopsis of the plot:

May, 1536. Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII’s second wife, is dead. As the axe drops, Thomas Cromwell emerges from the bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master, Henry, settles to short-lived happiness with his third queen, Jane Seymour. Cromwell, a man with only his wits to rely on, has no great family to back him, and no private army. Navigating the moral complexities that accompany the exercise of power in this brutal and bloody time, Cromwell is caught between his desire to do what is right and his instinct to survive. But in the wake of Henry having executed his queen, no one is safe. 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. All of England lies at his feet, ripe for innovation and religious reform. But as fortune’s wheel turns, Cromwell’s enemies are gathering in the shadows. The inevitable question remains: how long can anyone survive under Henry’s cruel and capricious gaze? 

Who is in the cast?

The series will see the return of most the stellar cast of Wolf Hall, along with some new cast members. Mark Rylance  is back as Thomas Cromwell, Damian Lewis as King Henry VIII, Kate Phillips as Jane Seymour, Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Rafe Sadler, Lilit Lesser as Princess Mary, and Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Wolsey.

Harriet Walter will join as Lady Margaret Pole, Harry Melling as Thomas Wrothesley, and Timothy Spall as the Duke of Norfolk, taking over the role from the late Bernard Hill who passed away earlier this year. 

You can watch the preview here:

Where can we watch it?

The six-part series will air on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK, premiering on November 10th. The series will then air on PBS on March 23rd, 2025.

Series one is available to watch on BBC iPlayer in the UK and on the PBS MASTERPIECE Prime Video Channel in the US and is available from Banijay Rights.