England's Forgotten Queen: The Life and Death of Lady Jane Grey

England's Forgotten Queen: The Life and Death of Lady Jane Grey (2018)

EndedDocumentary showHistory

In this three-part series for BBC Four, historian Helen Castor pieces together the astonishing true story of Lady Jane Grey - the first reigning Queen of England.

We may think we know the history: an innocent teen thrust onto the throne and beheaded as a traitor after reigning for just nine days. But Helen discovers original documents that reveal a Tudor thriller - an epic story of dynastic rivalry, intrigue and betrayal. A young woman manipulated by older men who ends up losing her life as a result.

In July 1553, Tudor England is rocked by a constitutional crisis. Henry VIII's young son Edward dies with no male heir to inherit the throne. Having never had a reigning Queen, England now has two who claim the title. Two women prepared to fight for the throne - the 37 year-old Catholic Mary Tudor and the teenage Protestant Jane Grey.

Network
Scheduleevery Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at 21:00 (60 min)

Last Episode

Episode 3
Season 1Episode 360 min

Episode 3

Jane has been installed in the Tower of London by a powerful cabal of men in the royal court. They want to keep the Catholic Mary Tudor from power. Meanwhile, Mary has assembled an army and is ready to fight back. Led by the manipulative Duke of Northumberland, Jane's forces have assembled close to Mary's castle at Framlingham. Poised on the brink of battle, the two sides are evenly matched and the outcome hangs by a thread. When a key supporter of Jane's defects to Mary's side, taking with him thousands of followers, the balance tips. The Duke of Northumberland is thrown into confusion and the country holds its breath to see what will happen next. On the final day of Jane's nine-day reign, the men who placed her on the throne abandon her and switch sides to join Mary. Their ringleader is Jane's own uncle, the Earl of Arundel. Jane and her father, the Duke of Suffolk, are prisoners in the Tower as Mary enters London in triumph. Jane is put on trial, but at first her life is spared. It is only when Jane's father joins a second rebellion that Mary takes action. She decrees that Jane, her husband and her father should be executed. Dr. Helen Castor discovers that despite her reign lasting only nine days, Jane did leave a legacy: when Elizabeth I finally inherits the throne the lessons she learned from observing Jane's struggles help her to rule for 44 years. And, crucially, Jane opened the door for a woman to rule England in her own right.

Jan 11, 2018

Recent Episodes

EpisodeNameAirdate
S01E03Episode 3Jan 11, 2018
S01E02Episode 2Jan 10, 2018
S01E01Episode 1Jan 9, 2018
View all episodesView all seasons

Cast

Helen Castor

Helen Castor

plays herself
View all cast

Characters

Presenter

Presenter

played by Helen Castor
View all characters

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
Saturday Night Live
Running

Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live is an Emmy Award-winning late-night comedy showcase.

Since its inception in 1975, "SNL" has launched the careers of many of the brightest comedy performers of their generation. As The New York Times noted on the occasion of the show's Emmy-winning 25th Anniversary special in 1999, "in defiance of both time and show business convention, 'SNL' is still the most pervasive influence on the art of comedy in contemporary culture." At the close of the century, "Saturday Night Live" placed seventh on Entertainment Weekly's list of the Top 100 Entertainers of the past fifty years.

GenreComedy, Music
The Gentlemen
Running

The Gentlemen

When aristocratic Eddie inherits the family estate, he discovers that it's home to an enormous weed empire — and its proprietors aren't going anywhere.

GenreComedy, Action, Crime
American Horror Story
Running

American Horror Story

American Horror Story is an horror television anthology series. Each season is conceived as a self-contained miniseries, following a disparate set of characters and settings, and a storyline with its own beginning, middle, and end. While some actors appear for more than one year, they play completely different roles in each season.

GenreDrama, Horror, Thriller
Survivor
Running

Survivor

Eighteen to twenty castaways will compete against each other on Survivor. All castaways will compete to outwit, outplay, outlast and ultimately be crowned Sole Survivor.

GenreAdventure
My Life Is Murder
Running

My Life Is Murder

Investigator Alexa Crowe, cannot help fighting the good fight – whether it is solving murders or combatting the small frustrations of everyday life. Fearless and unapologetic, Alexa's unique skills and insights into the darker quirks of human nature, allows her to provoke, comfort and push the right buttons as she unravels the truth behind the most baffling of crimes.

GenreDrama, Crime, Mystery
* This is an affiliate link. If you click and purchase, we will receive a commission from the provider. This will not incur any additional costs for you and you will support our project. We thank you for your support!