If you think you know the Tudors because you sat through all four seasons of Jonathan Rhys Meyers pouting in leather pants, honestly, you’re in for a shock. The BBC series Wolf Hall isn't that. It’s better. It’s quiet. It’s dimly lit—literally, they used real candlelight for almost everything—and it’s probably the most claustrophobic, brilliant portrayal of power ever put on screen.
Most historical dramas feel like a costume party. This feels like a threat.
When Peter Kosminsky brought Hilary Mantel’s Booker Prize-winning novels to life back in 2015, people weren't sure what to expect. We’ve seen Henry VIII a thousand times. But we hadn't seen Thomas Cromwell like this. Mark Rylance plays him with this incredible, terrifying stillness. He’s the son of a blacksmith who became the most powerful man in England, and he did it by being the smartest person in every single room. He doesn't scream. He barely raises his voice. He just watches. And that’s what makes the BBC series Wolf Hall so addictive; it’s a show about the guy who stands in the corner and decides who lives and who dies.
The Thomas Cromwell Problem: Hero or Villain?
History books haven't always been kind to Cromwell. For centuries, he was the "bad guy." The man who tore down the monasteries, the "malleus monachorum," the cold-blooded bureaucrat who orchestrated the fall of Anne Boleyn. But Mantel—and by extension the show—flips that.
Cromwell is the protagonist here. But is he a hero? Kinda. Maybe.
He’s a man who loves his family deeply. There’s a scene early on where he loses his wife and daughters to the sweating sickness, and it is gut-wrenching. You see this massive, intellectual giant reduced to nothing by grief. It grounds him. It makes you realize that everything he does afterward—all the political maneuvering, the manipulation of the King, the dismantling of the Church—is driven by a need to survive and a desire to build a world where a man isn't judged just by his birth.
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Compare that to Damian Lewis’s Henry VIII. This isn't the bloated caricature from the history books. He’s athletic, charismatic, and deeply, deeply insecure. He’s a man-child with the power of a god. One minute he’s leaning on Cromwell’s shoulder like a best friend, and the next, he’s reminding him that he can have his head on a spike by Tuesday. It’s terrifying to watch.
Why the Lighting Actually Matters
A lot of people complained when the show first aired that it was "too dark." They weren't being metaphorical.
Director Peter Kosminsky and cinematographer Gavin Finney insisted on using natural light. If a scene took place at night, they used candles. Period. If it was day, they used the light coming through the windows. It creates this heavy, oppressive atmosphere that perfectly mirrors the Tudor court. In that world, you couldn't see who was listening in the shadows. You couldn't see the expression on someone’s face across a long hall.
It makes the viewer feel like a spy.
You’re leaning into the screen, trying to catch the twitch of a lip or the narrowing of an eye. In an age of CGI-heavy blockbusters, this commitment to "realism" feels radical. It forces you to slow down. You have to pay attention to the subtext. In the BBC series Wolf Hall, what isn't said is usually more important than what is.
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Anne Boleyn and the Mirror of Power
Claire Foy, before she was the Queen in The Crown, was Anne Boleyn. And she is magnificent.
She plays Anne not as a seductress, but as a political strategist who simply ran out of moves. The chemistry—or lack thereof—between her and Cromwell is the engine of the first series. They are two of a kind. Both outsiders. Both ambitious. Both incredibly intelligent. But England wasn't big enough for both of them, especially once she failed to give Henry a male heir.
There’s a common misconception that Anne was just a victim. The show rejects that. She was a player in the game. She just forgot that the King owns the board. When the tide turns against her in the final episodes, the shift is brutal. The sequence of her trial and execution is filmed with a stark, documentary-like quality that strips away the glamour. It’s just a woman, a sword, and a lot of scared people watching.
The Mirror and the Light: What’s Next?
For years, fans were left hanging. The first series covered the first two books, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. But Mantel took her time writing the final installment, The Mirror and the Light.
She finally released it in 2020, and then, heartbreakingly, she passed away in 2022. But the good news for fans of the BBC series Wolf Hall is that the sequel is finally happening. Mark Rylance is back. Peter Kosminsky is back. They’ve been filming the final chapter of Cromwell’s life, which covers the last four years before his execution in 1540.
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It’s going to be bleak. We know how it ends. Cromwell, the master of the world, eventually loses his footing. He miscalculates with the Anne of Cleves marriage, and the enemies he’s spent a decade making finally close in.
How to Actually Watch and Understand the Show
If you’re going to dive in—or re-watch before the new series drops—don’t treat it like background noise. You’ll get lost. The show assumes you have a basic grasp of English history, but it doesn't hold your hand.
- Watch the eyes. Mark Rylance does more with a blink than most actors do with a five-minute monologue.
- Pay attention to the names. Everyone is named Thomas. Thomas Cromwell, Thomas More, Thomas Wolsey, Thomas Cranmer. It’s confusing. Keep a mental (or physical) note of who belongs to which faction.
- Cardinal Wolsey is the key. Cromwell’s loyalty to the fallen Cardinal (played by the late, great Jonathan Pryce) is the only "pure" thing about him. It’s his moral compass.
The BBC series Wolf Hall is a masterclass in adaptation. It takes dense, internal prose and turns it into visual poetry. It reminds us that history isn't just dates and battles; it's people in rooms making impossible choices. It’s about the cost of ambition and the fragility of life in a world where the King’s whim is law.
Most period dramas are about the "what." This show is about the "how." How do you survive a tyrant? How do you change a country? How do you live with yourself when you’ve had to destroy everyone in your path?
If you want to understand the modern political landscape, stop watching the news for a second and watch this instead. The costumes have changed, but the knives in the dark? Those are exactly the same.
Step-by-Step for New Viewers
To get the most out of this experience, start by watching the 2015 series in a dark room with no distractions to appreciate the cinematography. Follow this by reading a brief summary of the "King's Great Matter" if you aren't familiar with why Henry VIII wanted to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Finally, keep an eye on official BBC press releases for the exact premiere date of The Mirror and the Light, which is expected to wrap up the saga with the same creative team. This is the definitive way to consume one of the greatest historical dramas ever produced.