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
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Cast

Helen Castor

Helen Castor

plays herself
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Characters

Presenter

Presenter

played by Helen Castor
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