I wasn't hugely excited about an upcoming period drama until I heard the news that ITV is making a big new series about the young Elizabeth I.
The series sounds similar in concept to the Prime series My Lady Jane, which reimagined the life of the monarch who famously ruled for just nine days.
ITV hasn't exactly been cranking out period dramas recently, so it's great news that they're making a new one about the life of the future queen.
The broadcaster can make great period dramas like Victoria, Sanditon and Mr Selfridge to name a few, but there have been none for a while that I've personally loved.
But hopefully, that will all change with Majesty. Rather than telling the story of Elizabeth when she was Queen (1558-1603), this intriguingly revolves around her place in the court of King Henry VIII. The makers promise that this won't be a dry historical account and it sounds like they might be approaching it in a similar fashion to My Lady Jane, which also reimagined the Tudor world.
They say: "Far from being an historical account of Elizabeth's early years, Majesty, is a bold, intriguing reimagining of her life based upon conspiracy theories which surrounded her as a youth. Was the Virgin Queen hiding a profound secret? And how did this overlooked, embattled princess become the most powerful ruler England has ever known?"
The real Elizabeth was just two when her mother Anne Boleyn was accused of adultery and beheaded. It was by no means certain that she would one day become the monarch and she was imprisoned in the Tower of London at one point by her older sister, Mary I.
The six-part series has been created and written by former Grey's Anatomy showrunners Joan Rater, Tony Phelan and William Harper, who recently collaborated on the eight-episode NatGeo/Disney Plus limited drama series, A Small Light.
The trio said: "Majesty is an emotional, funny, and contemporary-feeling alternate history about how three outsiders try to stay alive while hiding a secret that, if discovered, would rock England to its foundations. Majesty allows us to have fun with history while illuminating who we are now. This show is pure wish-fulfillment of how people devoted tothe public good suddenly find themselves in a position to make a difference."
Filming on Majesty will start in 2025. It's not been announced yet where it will be shown in the US. There's been no casting details announced yet. Unfortunately for fans of My Lady Jane, it was cancelled after just one season but you can still enjoy the first series on Prime.
