HBO is moving forward with a television adaptation of Ava Pickett’s Tudor project “1536,” with the series heading to the U.S. after HBO boards the production. The show is co-produced by HBO and the BBC, with the BBC having commissioned the series earlier this year. Sources describe “1536” as set in the heart of Tudor England amid the arrest of Anne Boleyn and the upheavals of Henry VIII’s court. The series adapts Pickett’s earlier work, with one source noting it is based on her West End play “1536.”
The production is reported as having a limited episode run, though sources differ on the number of episodes: one account characterizes it as an eight-part series, while another describes it as a six-episode series. Both accounts frame the story through the perspective of working-class women in Tudor England, emphasizing themes of friendship and sisterhood as the political situation escalates. With both networks involved in co-production, the project is positioned for international audience reach following the BBC’s original commission and HBO’s subsequent involvement.
