Heads will roll as the Tudors, a Canadian/Irish/US co production, arrives on both CBC in Canada, and BBC Two in the UK this autumn, having just aired on pay channel Showtime in the US. This promises to be a sexy, soapy journey through the early life of that randiest of kings, and chief head lopper, Henry VIII. We tend to remember the lusty king more as a strapping and rotund bully, overweight and oversexed. What we don't tend to recall is that Henry was quite the eye candy in his youth.
Portrayed in this frothy production by breath-suckingly handsome Irish born actor Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, (Bend it Like Beckham, Vanity Fair) Henry struts his Renaissance Man stuff, seducing everyone in his path. Rhys-Meyers seems to be enjoying himself as a broody Henry; a man who is ever sly and watchful. Bodices rip, and no woman can refuse the king's advances. No woman, except a certain lass called Anne Boleyn. Natalie Dormer (Rebus, Casanova) makes the most of her close ups as she manages to hold the virile King at bay for more than seven years.
The cast is rounded out with some other familiar faces, including Sam Niall in the crucial role of Wolsey and a great Canadian actor Henry Czerny as the Duke of Norfolk.
The Tudors was scripted by Michael Hirst, who was responsible for the wonderful 1998 movie Elizabeth with Cate Blanchett, and it seems that audiences have a particular fascination with the period right now. Helen Mirren won an Emmy last year for her telling portrayal of Henry's daughter Elizabeth, and The Other Boleyn Girl, starring Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman is set for release later this year.
The Tudors opens as Henry remains troubled by the inability of his first wife, Katharine of Aragon, to produce a male heir and the king is still wrestling with the thorny problem of having married his dead brother's wife. The politics of power trot along as the gay courtiers romp through court in glorious costume. The show looks fantastic, the sets are opulent, and the cinematography captures perfectly the splendour of a Golden age.
The ten episodes take some liberties with history, as you may expect. This isn't meant to be 'great and true' historical fiction. By the time of these events, Henry was already well in his thirties, and he was more than ten years older than Anne Boleyn when he pursued her. There is also a bit of a problem with making a composite character, Margaret, out of Henry's two sisters, to avoid confusion with Henry's daughter, Mary. I think the audience could have handled two Marys.
Who cares ? Henry was like the rock star of his time, and this is a sexed up, soapy costume drama. A little history never got in the way of good entertainment before. And yes, a second series is being filmed, so watch for the marriage of Henry and Anne, the birth of Elizabeth, the Reformation and Anne losing her head.
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