Problems in the Reformation (3 May 2009)

While a grieving Henry remains in seclusion with his fool coming to grips with Jane's death, court intrigue turns to political assassination in his absence.

Director:

Jeremy Podeswa

Writers:

Michael Hirst (creator), Michael Hirst

Stars:

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Henry Cavill, James Frain

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	King Henry VIII
Henry Cavill	...	Charles Brandon
James Frain	...	Thomas Cromwell
Alan Van Sprang	...	Sir Francis Bryan
Max von Sydow	...	Cardinal Von Waldburg
Sarah Bolger	...	Mary Tudor
David Bradley	...	Will (Court Fool)
Max Brown	...	Edward Seymour
Charlotte Salt	...	Lady Ursula Misseldon
Mark Hildreth	...	Cardinal Reginald Pole
Simon Ward	...	Bishop Gardiner
Anthony Brophy	...	Ambassador Bishop Chapuys
Rod Hallett	...	Richard Rich
Seamus Moran	...	Packington
Karl Shiels	...	Packington's Killer

Storyline

Devastated by Jane's death, Henry locks himself away, drawing fantasy palaces, with caustic court jester Will Sommers as his sole companion. Edward is brought up in maximum security at Hampton Court, whilst Henry's daughters move to the country. Pole continues to escape Bryan's assassination attempts and takes sanctuary with Cardinal Von Waldberg but in England courtiers are being murdered and Brandon, still afflicted by the massacre of the Pilgrimage of Grace, blames Cromwell. Emerging from seclusion the king presents his "six articles" for the basis of a new,revised church. To Cromwell's dismay they resemble a thinly-veiled return to Roman Catholicism. Henry has a last tumble with Lady Ursula, who leaves the court to be wed.

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Plot Keywords:

fool | political assassination | 1540s | king of england | cardinal the priest | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance | War

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Details

Release Date:

3 May 2009 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Octagon Films, PA Tudors

Technical Specs

Runtime:

52 min

Did You Know?

Trivia

Henry's inclusion of the doxology on the Lord's Prayer, "For Thine is the Kingdom..." is ambiguous. Cromwell had earlier said that the King was rewriting the Lord's Prayer. Henry did not write it. A doxology is a short hymn-like verse exalting the glory of God used to conclude a prayer. This doxology was not part of the original Lord's Prayer but was common in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire. After the Great Schism the Eatern half of Christendom became the Greek Orthodox Church based in Constantinople while the Roman Catholic Western half based in Rome never included the doxology. When Tyndale's English version of the Bible did not include it in 1525, Henry was still in communion with the Catholic Church, but the scene shown here reflects his edict of 1541.

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Goofs

Cromwell confides to Rich that Henry's six points for the Church of England and the doxology added to the Lord's Prayer spell the end of the Protestant Reformation in England, he is incorrect about the doxology, which is a contradiction of Roman Catholic doctrine.

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Quotes

King Henry VIII: Go to Hell!
Court Fool: What? Go there? I thought I'd already arrived.

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Soundtracks

"The Tudors Main Title Theme"
Written by Trevor Morris (nm0007129)
Performed by Trevor Morris (nm0007129)

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