| Developer: | Maurice Cowan |
| Director: | |
| Starring: | |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Num Series: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 6 |
| Producer: |
|
| Runtime: | 6 × 90 minutes |
| Channel: | BBC 2 |
| Related: | Elizabeth R |
The Six Wives of Henry VIII is a series of six television plays produced by the BBC and first transmitted between 1 January and 5 February 1970. The series later aired in the United States on CBS from 1 August to 5 September 1971 with narration added by Anthony Quayle.[1] The series was rebroadcast in the United States without commercials on PBS as part of its Masterpiece Theatre series.
Each of the six plays focuses on a single wife, often from their perspective, and was written by a different dramatist. The series was produced by Mark Shivas and Ronald Travers and directed by Naomi Capon and John Glenister.
Historian Eric Ives commended the interpretation of writers Rosemary Sisson and Nick McCarty as leading the modern audience to a better understanding of the actions and values of King Henry and Anne Boleyn.[8]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Prix Italia | Original Dramatic Program | Jane Seymour | |
| 1971 | BAFTA Awards | Best Actor | Keith Michell | |
| Best Actress | Annette Crosbie | |||
| Best Production Design | Peter Seddon | |||
| Best Costume Design | John Bloomfield | |||
| Special Award | Ronald Travers Mark Shivas | |||
| Best Drama Production | ||||
| Best Drama Production (Single Program) | John Glenister (Catherine of Aragorn) | |||
| Best Actress | Dorothy Tutin | |||
| 1972 | 24th Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | Keith Michell | |
| Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series | ||||
| Outstanding Drama Series | Ronald Travers Mark Shivas | |||
| Outstanding New Series | ||||
| Outstanding Single Program, Drama or Comedy |
The series spawned a sequel, Elizabeth R (1971), starring Glenda Jackson, which included several performers reprising their roles in the first episode: Ronane, Hepton, Dignam and Crutchley.[9] A prequel, The Shadow of the Tower (1972), starring James Maxwell and Norma West as Henry's parents, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.
Jane Seymour writer Ian Thorne adapted the series into the film Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972). Michell reprises his role, with the wives being portrayed by Frances Cuka, Charlotte Rampling, Jane Asher, Jenny Bos, Lynne Frederick and Barbara Leigh-Hunt. Cromwell is played by Donald Pleasence, and the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk by Michael Gough and Brian Blessed.