The Fall of Anne Boleyn

8.7
2020

Tracy Borman tells the story of the downfall of Henry VIII's second wife, charting her arrest, trial and execution.

Seasons

3 Episodes • Premiered 2020

Still image for The Fall of Anne Boleyn season 1 episode 1: Arrest

1. Arrest

In the first episode, Tracy visits Greenwich to follow the course of events on the day Anne was arrested. She was watching a game of tennis when she received a message calling her before the Privy Council to face accusations of adultery. The programme examines documents revealing her poor standing at court, and why her miscarriage sealed her fate.

Still image for The Fall of Anne Boleyn season 1 episode 2: Trial

2. Trial

Tracy Borman traces the events of Monday 15th May 1536, the day of Anne Boleyn's trial in the Tower of London, where she is accused of adultery and treason. Tracy examines the trial papers in the National Archive with lawyer Afua Hirsch, to see if Anne ever stand any chance of a fair hearing.

Still image for The Fall of Anne Boleyn season 1 episode 3: Execution

3. Execution

Historian Tracy Borman reaches May 19, 1536, the day Anne is set to be executed. She discovers astonishing details of the day - of how Anne, despite being found guilty of adultery, incest and treason, still lived in hope that the King would intervene and save her. The penalty for treason was either burning at the stake or being hung, drawn and quartered. Yet King Henry insisted on the French method of beheading by sword. For this he called over an expert swordsman from France - but as Tracy discovers, there is something intriguing about the timeframe.

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Reviews

N

Peter McGinn

7/10

This mini-series was less entertaining than I had hoped, though perhaps partly because I have read so much and watched so many programs on the subject that there wasn’t a lot of new information for me here. But also they seemed to keep showing the same images over and over, both of people and places. I suppose it is because there weren’t very many contemporary images to choose from, but it made it less than stunning visually, to say the least.

But I can’t fault the enthusiasm and energy of the host, historian Tracy Berman. She takes on the hushed and awed tones of all tv historians and archaeologists when presented with old bones, books and artifacts. And I will say that some of the details she passed along after describing the execution of Anne Boleyn, and giving us a look at Queen Elizabeth’s ring, helped make it worth watching the series for me. And if you aren’t as familiar with the Anne Boleyn story as I was, you will get even more out of it.

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