Wolf Hall "reminds us why we need the BBC", says exec producer

He said: "This is a production that no one else would make other than the BBC. No other British broadcaster would make it, none of the streamers would make it.

"Wolf Hall is the sort of drama that reminds us why we need the BBC because it’s a uniquely British project, it’s about our history, it’s about our DNA, from one of Britain’s most celebrated novelists."

He went on: "So we need to thank the BBC for being there and particularly thankful because it is funded by the licence fee. It allows the BBC to make editorial decisions based on serving British audiences, not driven by the demands of advertisers, the quest for big ratings or a need to serve the global marketplace.

"And that in turn allows the BBC to take big creative leaps that others cannot take and their success as a broadcaster is not contingent on the success or failure of any one show. The BBC is a unique cultural institution at the heart of British life and without it, shows like Wolf Hall would never get made."

The original series aired back in 2015 and was based on Dame Hilary Mantel's novel of the same name, as well as its sequel Bring Up the Bodies. This time round, the series adapts the third book in the late author's Cromwell trilogy, The Mirror and the Light.

The official plot synopsis from the BBC reads: "May 1536. Anne Boleyn, Henry’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 VIII having executed his queen, no one is safe."

Read more:

• Wolf Hall star Damian Lewis: 'Henry VIII believed in love'
• Wolf Hall is about the corrupting influence of power, says writer

The main cast from season 1 are all reprising their roles for season 2, including Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell and Damian Lewis as King Henry VIII, as well as The Crown's Sir Jonathan Pryce as Cromwell's mentor Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and Peaky Blinders' Kate Phillips as Jane Seymour.

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light continues on Sunday 17th November on BBC One and iPlayer.

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