Henry VIII

Alternative title
The Shakespeare Plays
Synopsis
Television production with John Stride in the title role and Claire Bloom as Queen Katherine.
Series
BBC Television Shakespeare
Language
English
Country
Great Britain; United States
Medium
Television
Technical information
Colour / Sound
Recording date
27 Nov 1978
Transmission details
25 Feb 1979 at 20:00 (Channel: BBC2)
Duration
165 mins

Credits

Director
Kevin Billington
Producer
Cedric Messina
Writer
William Shakespeare
Music
David Lloyd-Jones; James Tyler
Costume
Alun Hughes
Art Direction
Don Taylor
Choreographer
Geraldine Stephenson
Contributor
Alan Shallcross
Cast
John StrideKing Henry VIII
Claire BloomQueen Katherine
Ronald PickupThomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury
Timothy WestCardinal Wolsey
Barbara KellermannAnne Boleyn
Adam BarehamSir Henry Guildford
Alan LeithSergeant-at-Arms
Brian OsborneDoor Keeper
Charles Lloyd PackLord Sandys
David DodimeadBishop of Lincoln
David RintoulLord Abergavenny
David TroughtonSurveyor
Emma KirkbySinger (Chorister)
Jack McKenzieSir Nicholas Vaux
Jeffrey DauntonScribe
Jeremy KempDuke of Norfolk
Jock MayLord Chancellor
John Bailey (2)Griffith
John CaterGentleman (1)
John NettletonLord Chamberlain
John Rhys-DaviesLord Caputius
John RoganDoctor Butts
John RoweThomas Cromwell
Julian GloverDuke of Buckingham
Lewis FianderDuke of Suffolk
Michael GauntCrier
Michael PooleCardinal Campeius
Michael WalkerMessenger
Nigel LambertSir Thomas Lovell
Oliver CottonEarl of Surrey
Peter VaughanGardiner, later Bishop of Winchester
Roger Lloyd PackGentleman (2)
Sally HomePatience
Sylvia ColeridgeOld Lady
Tim BarkerPage
Tony ChurchPrologue

Additional Details

Production type
Television and Radio Drama
Historical period
Elizabethan
Plays
Henry VIII
Subjects
Drama
Keywords
drama in English; performances; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)
Related items
Henry VIII
Henry VIII

Notes

Notes
The production is commercially available on DVD as part of the BBC TV SHAKESPEARE COLLECTION box set (see separate entry).
General
Emma Kirkby makes a short appearance as singer. Filmed on location at Leeds Castle, Penshurst Place and Hever Castle.
History
This production is part of the first season (producer: Cedric Messina). Recording took about 45 days.
Textual information
Between 1978 and 1986 the BBC published individual scripts of the series. Each volume of The BBC TV Shakespeare, ed. Peter Alexander et al. (London: British Broadcasting Corporation) contains the full text of the play (the Peter Alexander edition) with accompanying notes on the scene breaks and cuts made in the production, as well as a glossary. A general introduction to the play by series literary advisor John Wilders is followed by an essay on the production of the play by Henry Fenwick. This is based on interviews with actors, directors, and designers.
Reviews
Susan Willis, The BBC Shakespeare Plays: Making the Televised Canon (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1991).

Production Company

Name

BBC

Notes
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Name

Time-Life Films Inc

Phone
0101 201 843 4545
Address
PO Box 644
NJ 07652
USA

Distributor

Name

Moviemail

Web
https://www.simplyhe.com/3000-moviemail External site opens in new window
Phone
0844 848 2000
Address
Simply Home Entertainment
PO Box 7741
Ringwood
BH24 9FA
UK
Notes
As of December 2016 the Moviemail web presence is incorporated within the Simply Media website
Name

Simply Media

Contact
Laura Smith
Email
info@simplymedia.tv
Web
http://www.simplymedia.tv/ External site opens in new window
Phone
0203 542 3722
Address
Highlight House
57 Margaret Street
London W1W 8SJ
Notes
Formerly known as DD Home Entertainment or DDHE

Distributor (Sale)

Name

Trumedia Ltd

Contact
Bill Cotton
Email
sales@trumedia.co.uk
Web
https://trumedia.co.uk/ External site opens in new window
Phone
01865 847837
Fax
01865 847837
Address
9 Meadow View
Kidlington
Kidlington
OX5 2XY
Notes
Trumedia supplies video tapes and DVDs to UK schools, colleges and universities and is geared up to take official orders from educational institutions. The catalogue highlights programmes likely to be of use in the curriculum, but the company can supply any video in current UK distribution, as well as some deleted titles. Particularly strong in the areas of English literature and drama, as well as history, natural history, art & artists, and foreign language films.

How to cite this record

Shakespeare, "Henry VIII". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/shakespeare/search/index.php/title/9548 (Accessed 27 Dec 2024)