Into the Archive: Tudor Sedan

The BBC Tudors Collection

“The BBC Tudors Collection brings together the three most highly praised, historically authentic mini-series ever produced about the great Tudor monarchs. From the heyday of BBC drama, these three tour-de-force productions are meticulously researched and brilliantly acted, together winning 6 Emmy awards and 8 BAFTAs (Britain’s equivalent of the Emmys).

“In The Shadow of the Tower, James Maxwell (The Portrait of a Lady) plays Henry the VII, the first of the Tudor monarchs, who took over the throne after Richard III was killed at the battle of Bosworth Field in1485. Keith Michell (Murder She Wrote) received an Emmy and a BAFTA for his masterful portrayal of England’s infamously fickle king in The Six Wives of Henry VIII. And double-Oscar winner Glenda Jackson (A Touch of Class, Women in Love) turns in one of the most remarkable performances in television history, transforming herself into England’s Virgin Queen in Elizabeth R, winning two Emmys and a BAFTA. All 25 episodes of these three breathtaking dramas are included in this 12-disc collection, the definitive screen version of England’s Tudor dynasty.” -from the back of the boxed set.

“Well, my watching of Elizabeth R. for my Shakesperean jag last week led me to The Shadow of the Tower (1972), a BBC series made after The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970) and Elizabeth R. (1971) but chronologically taking place before either, as it's about Henry the VII, the much-wived Henry's father. YouTube is missing Episodes 9, 10, and 11, so I imagine if I am ever going to see the whole saga I'll have to buy the collection. The first disc of my Elizabeth R. looks splotchy anyway and wouldn't play even after cleaning. These Seventies BBC offerings have such superior acting and filming you soon ignore the somewhat primitive stage sets.” – Niche of Time, April 30, 2025

So, after seven months of being on my Wish List I finally sent off for this collection and it arrived yesterday. It was basically $50, almost $30 less than when I put it on the list. In the evening I watched the first disc (four episodes) of The Shadow of the Tower. I find Henry VII much more sympathetic than his successors, but perhaps that’s because of the script-writing and what I know of Henry the Eighth and Elizabeth the First. Henry VII is the last of the Catholic monarchs and his period represents the last of the Middle Ages before the Renaissance really bloomed.

Altogether the productions breathe the air of a certain period of English television drama that was to peak in 1978 with I, Claudius. Thus, they fall under the category of what I call alternative childhood, exuding the same nostalgic air of a time that is gone and recalling (somehow) things I felt at the time. This is, of course, a charm on top of the excellent writing and acting.