The BBC’s much anticipated follow-up to the Bafta-winning Wolf Hall is set to hit screens after a nine-year hiatus on Sunday 10 November.
In the historical drama, based on Hilary Mantel’s novel of the same name, King Henry VIII will marry Jane Seymour following the beheading of his second wife Anne Boleyn, while Cromwell continues his climb to power and wealth.
Late author Mantel, who died in 2022, released The Mirror and the Light in 2020, following on from Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. In his five-star review, The Independent’s Martin Chilton called the novel “a masterpiece of historical fiction” and “a stunning conclusion to one of the great trilogies of our times”.
The Mirror and the Light will track the final four years of Henry VIII’s life, detailing his journey from a self-made man to a feared, influential figure. “The inevitable question remains: how long can anyone survive under Henry’s cruel and capricious gaze?” the synopsis reads.
Here’s a breakdown of the new and returning cast of Wolf Hall:The Mirror and the Light…
Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell
The six-part series will see Mark Rylance return to front the show as Thomas Cromwell, principal adviser to England’s Henry VIII. Back in 2016, Rylance won the leading actor Bafta for his performance in Wolf Hall, a role he only took on after his “wife said the books were good”.
Damian Lewis as King Henry VIII
Damian Lewis will reprise his role as King Henry VIII for the final season of Wolf Hall. The Homeland star has previously said he empathises with the Tudor monarch, who he said only became obese, paranoid and cruel after a jousting accident forced him to retire from sports in 1536.
Kate Phillips as Jane Seymour
Kate Phillips will return to Wolf Hall as Jane Seymour, who Henry VIII will marry following the beheading of Anne Boleyn. Phillips had her breakthrough role on the series. She has since starred as Venetia Scott in The Crown, Princess Mary in Downton Abbey and Linda Shelby in Peaky Blinders.
Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Wolsey
The final instalment in the Wolf Hall series will also see Jonathan Pryce reprise his role as Cardinal Wolsey, who was removed from his position as Lord Chancellor after failing to get Henry VIII’s marriage to his first wife Catherine of Aragon annulled.
Lilit Lesser as Princess Mary
Lilit Lesser will return to Wolf Hall as Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon’s daughter Mary. Henry’s only surviving child by his first wife, Mary was declared illegitimate and barred from the line of succession. Lesser has also appeared in the TV series Endeavour and The Alienist.
Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Rafe Sadler
Thomas Brodie-Sangster returns to Wolf Hall as Rafe Sadler, Cromwell’s chief clerk, who came to Cromwell to train under him when he was only seven years old. Since Wolf Hall, Brodie-Sangster has appeared in the Maze Runner franchise and The Queen’s Gambit series.
Harry Melling as Thomas Wriothesley
Brodie-Sangster’s The Queen’s Gambit co-star Harry Melling will join the cast as Thomas Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton. Melling is best known for his role as Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter franchise. He later appeared as a young Edgar Allan Poe in the Netflix thriller The Pale Blue Eye.
Timothy Spall as the Duke of Norfolk
Harry Melling’s Harry Potter co-star Timothy Spall, who is known for his role in the franchise as Peter Pettigrew (or Wormtail), as well as his roles in Wicked Little Letters and Secrets & Lies, will join Wolf Hall as the Duke of Norfolk.
Alex Jennings as Stephen Gardiner
A Very English Scandal and The Crown star Alex Jennings will appear in Wolf Hall as Stephen Gardiner, formerly played by Mark Gatiss. Gardiner is secretary to Cardinal Wolsey and Cromwell’s implacable nemesis in court.
Harriet Walter as Lady Margaret Pole
Harriet Walter, who played Shiv’s mum Lady Caroline Colingwood on Succession, will star in the final season of Wolf Hall as the powerful landowner Lady Margaret Pole. Walter is also known for her appearances in Downton Abbey as Lady Shakleton and Queen Adelaide in The Young Victoria.
Charlie Rowe as Gregory Cromwell
Charlie Rowe stars as the only son of Thomas Cromwell, Gregory, in the forthcoming season of Wolf Hall – a role formerly played by Tom Holland. Rowe has previously appeared in the sci-fi romance Never Let Me Go, the family adventure film The Golden Compass and the ITV drama Vanity Fair.
Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light will air on BBC One on 10 November.
