I don't know about you, but Philippa Gregory is one of my favourite authors of historical fiction, and The White Queen just happens to be a favourite of mine!
I have a little bit of catching up to do with the series and the arrival of a new TV show based on the books might just give me the incentive I need to bump those books up my TBR pile!
Read on for more details on The White Queen TV adaptation.
Will you be watching?
Photo Credit: © 2013 Starz Entertainment, LLC. |
“The White Queen,” adapted from Phillipa
Gregory’s best-selling novels based on England’s War of the Roses (also known
as The Cousins’ War) will premiere on STARZ in the U.S. on Saturday,
August 10th at 9pm ET/PT, following the Friday night finale
of the second season of “Magic City.”
“The White Queen” novels and series are told from
the perspective of the three fiercely determined women who laid claim to the
English throne: Elizabeth Woodville (The White Queen), Margaret Beaufort (The
Red Queen) and Anne Neville (The Kingmaker’s Daughter).
While the men fought and killed on the
battlefield in their quest for power, these three women used whatever means
possible to wage war on their enemies who stood in their way and threatened
their claim.
In the STARZ original drama, the year
is 1464, before the Tudor dynasty ruled England, and war has been ravaging
throughout the country over who is the rightful king. It is a blood feud
between two sides of the same family; The House of York and The House of
Lancaster. The House of York’s young heir Edward IV is crowned King of
England with the help of his mentor and advisor, the master manipulator Lord
Warwick, known at court as “The Kingmaker.” When Edward falls in love
with a beautiful Lancastrian commoner, Elizabeth Woodville, Warwick’s plan to control the throne comes
crashing down. A violent, high-stakes struggle for the crown ensues
between Elizabeth, her fiercest adversary, Lancastrian Margaret Beaufort and
Anne Neville, a pawn in her father’s power game.
“All are heroines in the real sense of the word,” explains author
Philippa Gregory. “They were courageous and determined and went through
extraordinary danger, but they never abandoned their unwavering desire to
return their family to power. They conquered the circumstances they were born
into and made a life for themselves, which is a very modern and quite feminist
theme. I think people are going to be surprised to see these remarkably
powerful women when traditional history tells you female were simply relegated
to be victims or wives or mothers.”
“The White Queen” stars Rebecca Ferguson as Elizabeth Woodville, Max
Irons (The Host) as Edward IV, Golden Globe winner and Academy Award
nominee Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs) as Elizabeth’s mother Jacquetta
Woodville, James Frain (“The Tudors”) as The Kingmaker and Amanda Hale (“The
Crimson Petal and the White”) as mother to Henry Tudor, Margaret
Beaufort. The series also stars Faye Marsay as Anne Neville, David Oakes
as George, Duke of Clarence, Eleanor Tomlinson as Isabel Neville, Aneurin
Barnard as Richard, Duke of Gloucester, Ben Lamb as Anthony Rivers and Tom
McKay as Jasper Tudor.
The ten-part limited series is a BBC
co-production, adapted from The New York Times best-selling historical novel
series “The Cousins’ War” by Philippa Gregory. “The White Queen” is
produced by Company Pictures and adapted by acclaimed writer Emma Frost. The series is
directed by James Kent, Jamie Payne and Colin Teague with Gina Cronk serving
as producer. Executive Producers include John Griffin, George Faber, Charles
Pattinson for Company Pictures, Philippa Gregory, Eurydice Gysel for Czar
Television, Polly Hill for the BBC and Colin Callender for Playground
Entertainment on behalf of Starz.
Starz enjoys all U.S.
and worldwide multiplatform distribution rights to “The White Queen” from
ALL3Media International, with the exception of television rights in the UK, where the series will air on BBC One, and rights
in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
“The White Queen” Online
Join the conversation at: #TheWhiteQueen
ETA: The White Queen will air in the UK from June 16th 2013 on BBC One.
Additional Information: Press Release.