A young Henry VIII is angry and pitching for war, in this exciting new drama series about the King’s life and loves, written by Michael Hirst (Elizabeth) and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jeremy Northam and Sam Neill.

When his beloved uncle is assassinated by the despised French, Henry is determined to be avenged. But his trusted Chancellor, Cardinal Wolsey, has other plans and a personal agenda. Having been put in charge of the plans for war by his King, the Cardinal goes about meeting the French Ambassador and Bishop to put the wheels in motion. Assuring them that a costly war can be avoided, with no loss of face on either side, Wolsey enlists Sir Thomas More to craft a revolutionary treaty that will guarantee everlasting peace in Europe.

Henry, meanwhile, is concerned with matters closer to home – he is plagued by fears that his Queen is cursed after repeatedly failing to produce a son, and he is at loggerheads with the proud Duke of Buckingham who is furiously demanding retribution having found his daughter in bed with a noble. Henry refuses his demand and Buckingham has had enough. It’s time to assert his birthright to the throne and depose this upstart once and for all. He calls upon his allies and starts laying out his plot. The timely return of Thomas Boleyn from Paris adds an extra string to his bow, but Boleyn has a scheme of his own under way.

Wary of the King’s appetite for war, Wolsey and More propose a plan to greater glory – a summit with the King of France to sign the Treaty of Universal and Perpetual Peace. His name will go down in history as the King who put an end to all war. Henry is persuaded, and, with the preparations for the treaty well under way, Wolsey receives the assurance he’s looking for.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers is King Henry VIII, Sam Neill is Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Jeremy Northam is Sir Thomas More, Maria Doyle Kennedy is Queen Catherine of Aragon, Steven Waddington is Buckingham and Nick Dunning is Sir Thomas Boleyn.