The Hollow Crown (TV series) (2025)

The Hollow Crown
The Hollow Crown (TV series) (1)
GenreHistorical drama
Based on

Shakespearean history
by

  • William Shakespeare
Developed by
  • Rupert Goold
  • Ben Power
  • Richard Eyre
  • Dominic Cooke
Directed by
  • Rupert Goold
  • Richard Eyre
  • Thea Sharrock
  • Dominic Cooke
Starring
  • Ben Whishaw
  • Patrick Stewart
  • Jeremy Irons
  • Tom Hiddleston
  • Benedict Cumberbatch
  • Hugh Bonneville
  • Judi Dench
  • Sophie Okonedo
  • Tom Sturridge
Music by
  • Stephen Warbeck
  • Adam Cork
  • Adrian Johnston
  • Dan Jones
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerSam Mendes
ProducerRupert Ryle-Hodges
Running timevaries
Production companies
  • Neal Street Productions
  • NBCUniversal
  • WNET
Original release
Network
  • BBC Two
  • PBS
Release30 June 2012–
21 May 2016

The Hollow Crown is a series of British television film adaptations of William Shakespeare's history plays.

The first series is an adaptation of Shakespeare's second historical tetralogy, the Henriad: Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V,[1] starring Ben Whishaw, Jeremy Irons and Tom Hiddleston. Olivier Award winners Rupert Goold, Richard Eyre and Thea Sharrock directed the telefilms,[2] which were produced by Rupert Ryle-Hodges for BBC Two and executive produced by Sam Mendes and Pippa Harris under Neal Street Productions in association with NBCUniversal. The first series, which aired in the United Kingdom in 2012, received positive reviews from critics. Ben Whishaw and Simon Russell Beale won British Academy Television Awards for Leading actor and Supporting actor for their performances as Richard II and Falstaff, and Jeremy Irons was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor for his role as Henry IV. The first episode, Richard II, was nominated for the Best Single Drama at the BAFTA TV Awards.[3]

The BBC aired the concluding series in 2016 as The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses, a reference to the series of English civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses,[4] starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Hugh Bonneville, Judi Dench, Sophie Okonedo and Tom Sturridge. The plays were produced in 2015 by the same team that made the first series of films but were directed by the former artistic director of Royal Court Theatre and Olivier Award winner, Dominic Cooke.[5] They are based on Shakespeare's first tetralogy: Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, Henry VI, Part 3 and Richard III.[6] The adaptation presents Henry VI in two parts, incorporating all three Henry VI plays. Benedict Cumberbatch was nominated for the BAFTA Television Award for Best Leading Actor and The Wars of the Roses was nominated for Best Mini-Series.[7]

The title of the series is taken from a line in Richard II:

For within the hollow crown
That rounds the mortal temples of a king
Keeps Death his court...

— Richard II, act 3, scene 2

Contents

  • 1 Cast
  • 2 Episodes
    • 2.1 Series 1 (2012)
    • 2.2 Series 2 (2016)
  • 3 Production
    • 3.1 Faithfulness of adaptation
  • 4 Broadcast
  • 5 Home media
  • 6 Reception and accolades
    • 6.1 Series 1
    • 6.2 Series 2
  • 7 References
  • 8 External links

Cast[]

List indicators:

  • A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.
  • Italics indicates a non-speaking cameo
RoleThe Hollow Crown (2012)The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (2016)
Richard IIHenry IV,
Part 1
Henry IV,
Part 2
Henry VHenry VI,
Part 1
Henry VI,
Part 2
Richard III
King Richard IIBen Whishaw
King Henry IV Henry BolingbrokeRory KinnearJeremy Irons
Queen IsabellaClémence Poésy
John of Gaunt
Duke of Lancaster
Patrick Stewart
Duke of YorkDavid Suchet
Duchess of YorkLindsay Duncan
Duke of Aumerle later Duke of YorkTom HughesPaterson Joseph
Earl of NorthumberlandDavid MorrisseyAlun Armstrong
Lady NorthumberlandNiamh Cusack
Thomas Mowbray
Duke of Norfolk
James Purefoy
King Henry V Prince HalTom Hiddleston
Sir John FalstaffSimon Russell Beale
Mistress Nell QuicklyJulie Walters
Mistress Doll TearsheetMaxine Peake
BardolphTom Georgeson
Ned PoinsDavid Dawson
Sir Henry Percy
Harry Hotspur
Joe Armstrong
Earl of WorcesterDavid Hayman
Lady Kate PercyMichelle Dockery
Sir Edmund MortimerHarry LloydMichael Gambon
Prince John of LancasterHenry Faber
Humphrey, Duke of GloucesterWill AttenboroughHugh Bonneville
Earl of WestmorlandJames Laurenson
Ancient PistolPaul Ritter
Owen GlendowerRobert Pugh
Lady MortimerAlex Clatworthy
Justice Robert ShallowDavid Bamber
Lord Chief JusticeGeoffrey Palmer
Duke of ExeterAnton Lesser
Captain FluellenOwen Teale
MontjoyJérémie Covillault
King Charles VI of FranceLambert Wilson
Louis, the DauphinEdward Akrout
Princess KatherineMélanie Thierry
AliceGeraldine Chaplin
ChorusJohn Hurt
King Henry VITom Sturridge
Queen MargaretSophie Okonedo
Eleanor Cobham
Duchess of Gloucester
Sally Hawkins
Richard Plantagenet
Duke of York
Adrian Dunbar
Cecily
Duchess of York
Lucy RobinsonJudi Dench
Bishop of WinchesterSamuel West
Earl of WarwickStanley Townsend
Earl of SomersetBen Miles
Duke of SuffolkJason Watkins
Lord TalbotPhilip Glenister
Joan of ArcLaura Frances-Morgan
King Richard III
Richard Plantagenet
Benedict Cumberbatch
Queen ElizabethKeeley Hawes
Edmund PlantagenetAngus Imrie
King Edward IV
Edward Plantagenet
Geoffrey Streatfeild
George Plantagenet
Duke of Clarence
Sam Troughton
Lord CliffordKyle Soller
Earl of WestmorlandRichard Lynch
Duke of BuckinghamBen Daniels
Queen AnnePhoebe Fox
Lord HastingsJames Fleet
King Louis XI of FranceAndrew Scott
King Henry VII Earl of RichmondAndrew DaviesLuke Treadaway
CatesbyPaul Bazely

Episodes[]

The Hollow Crown (TV series) (2)

Series 1 (2012)[]

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Richard II"Rupert GooldRupert Goold & Ben Power30June2012
22"Henry IV, Part 1"Richard EyreRichard Eyre7July2012
33"Henry IV, Part 2"Richard EyreRichard Eyre14July2012
44"Henry V"Thea SharrockBen Power & Thea Sharrock21July2012

Series 2 (2016)[]

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
51"Henry VI, Part 1"Dominic CookeDominic Cooke & Ben Power7May2016
62"Henry VI, Part 2"Dominic CookeDominic Cooke & Ben Power14May2016
73"Richard III"Dominic CookeDominic Cooke & Ben Power21May2016

Production[]

The Hollow Crown (TV series) (3)

The Hollow Crown (TV series) (4)

The second series of The Hollow Crown is based on Shakespeare's history plays about Henry VI (left) and Richard III (right).

The BBC scheduled the screening of Shakespeare's history plays as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, a celebration of British culture coinciding with the 2012 Summer Olympics.[8] Sam Mendes signed up as executive producer to adapt all four plays in September 2010.[9] He was joined as executive producer by Pippa Harris (both representing Neal Street Productions), Rupert Ryle-Hodges as producer, Gareth Neame (NBCUniversal), and Ben Stephenson (BBC).[10]

Parts of the series were filmed in Kent at Squerryes Court and Penshurst Place.[11]

The concluding series of plays were produced in 2015 by the same team that made the first series and were directed by Dominic Cooke. Richard III was played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Executive producer Pippa Harris stated, "The critical and audience reaction to The Hollow Crown series set the bar high for Shakespeare on screen, and Neal Street (Productions) is delighted to be making the concluding part of this great history cycle. By filming the 'Henry VI' plays as well as 'Richard III,' we will allow viewers to fully appreciate how such a monstrous tyrant could find his way to power, bringing even more weight and depth to this iconic character."[12] The production returned to Kent for The Wars of the Roses, filming at Dover Castle, Leeds Castle and Penshurst Place.[13]

Faithfulness of adaptation[]

The first series is largely faithful to the plays, although the text is abridged and lines are occasionally cut. The second series notably compresses the three-part Henry VI into two episodes. Significant scenes involving Talbot and Joan of Arc are cut and Jack Cade's Rebellion is not included. Many elements from the Suffolk part are incorporated into the character of Somerset. While the text does not directly specify which Duke of Exeter is depicted in Henry VI, Part 3, it is widely assumed to be Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter given the play's setting between 1445 and 1471. The portrayal by Anton Lesser implies that it is the same person as Lesser's Thomas Beaufort from Henry V and Henry VI, Part 1, who had died in 1426.[citation needed]

Broadcast[]

The first four plays aired on consecutive Saturday evenings on BBC Two between 30 June and 21 July 2012. The start time of Henry IV, Part 1 on 7 July was delayed by an hour because of coverage of the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, and the play was shown a second time the following evening on BBC Four.[14] The plays were shown in the United States from 20 September to 11 October 2013 as part of the PBS Great Performances series.[15]

All four plays were shown again on consecutive evenings on BBC Four in April 2016 as part of the BBC Shakespeare Festival commemorating the 400th anniversary of the playwright's death. The second series of plays aired on consecutive Saturday evenings on BBC Two commencing Saturday 7 May 2016.[16][17]

Home media[]

The overseas and DVD rights for The Hollow Crown series are owned by NBC Universal.[18] A Region 2 DVD set of the four films was released on 1 October 2012.[19] A Region 1 DVD set was released on 17 September 2013.[20] A 2-disc DVD set of The Wars of the Roses was released on 20 June 2016.

The original music soundtrack from The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses composed by Dan Jones was released on the Wave Theory Records label in June 2016 and performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.[21][22]

Reception and accolades[]

Mike Hughes of The Salinas Californian wrote, "Amazing TV – perfectly filmed."[23]

Series 1[]

AwardResultCategoryRecipient
Music & Sound Awards 2013NominatedSound Design (TV Programme)The Hollow Crown
South Bank Sky Arts Awards 2013NominatedBest TV Drama
WonTimes BreakthroughTom Hiddleston
Broadcasting Press Guild 2013WonBest Single DramaThe Hollow Crown
NominatedBest ActorBen Whishaw
BAFTA Television Awards 2013WonBest Leading Actor (Richard II)
WonBest Supporting ActorSimon Russell Beale (Henry IV Part 2)
NominatedBest Single DramaRichard II
RTS Programme Awards 2013WonSingle Drama
BAFTA Craft Awards 2013WonBest Original Television MusicStephen Warbeck (Henry IV)
WonBest Sound (Fiction)Tim Fraser, Adrian Rhodes, Keith Marriner (Richard II)
NominatedBest Costume DesignOdile Dicks-Mireaux (Richard II)
British Society of CinematographersNominatedBest Cinematography in a Television DramaBen Smithard
4th Critics' Choice Television AwardsNominatedBest MiniseriesThe Hollow Crown

Series 2[]

AwardResultCategoryRecipient
BAFTA Television Awards 2017NominatedBest Leading ActorBenedict Cumberbatch
NominatedBest Mini-SeriesThe Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses
BAFTA Television Craft Awards 2017NominatedBest Costume DesignNigel Egerton (Richard III)

References[]

  1. The Hollow Crown: Series Info. Thetvdb.com.
  2. Lawson, Mark (2012-06-29). The Hollow Crown: as good as TV Shakespeare can get?. The Guardian.
  3. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2088: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. BBC Two announces further casting for The Hollow Crown: The Wars Of The Roses. BBC Media Centre (21 August 2014).
  5. BBC Two (6 April 2014). Richard III.... Twitter.
  6. Tony Hall announces greatest commitment to arts for a generation. BBC Media Centre (25 March 2014).
  7. Bafta TV awards 2017: full list of winners (14 May 2017).
  8. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2088: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2088: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  10. BBC Drama Publicity (2011-11-24). "Cast confirmed for BBC Two's cycle of Shakespeare films". Press release. https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/shakespeare-cast.html. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
  11. Kent Film Office (13 July 2012). Kent Film Office The Hollow Crown – Henry V Article.
  12. Barraclough, Leo (6 April 2014). Benedict Cumberbatch to Play Richard III in Neal Street's Film for BBC. Variety.
  13. Kent Film Office (27 April 2016). Kent Film Office The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses Article.
  14. Henry IV – Part 1.
  15. The Hollow Crown: Shakespeare's History Plays – About the Series. PBS (9 July 2013).
  16. Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Henry VI. UPI.
  17. The best star studded Shakespeare TV adaptations. UK Radio Times.
  18. Brown, Maggie (2 July 2012). Sam Mendes: BBC Worldwide rejected 'Hollow Crown' Shakespeare films. The Guardian.
  19. The Hollow Crown (4 Discs).
  20. The Hollow Crown: The Complete Series.
  21. The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (Film music soundtrack by Dan Jones) (24 November 2014).
  22. The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (Dan Jones & BBC National Orchestra of Wales).
  23. Hughes, Mike (2016-12-10). WEEKEND TV: Disney hits 'Mary Poppins' and 'Frozen' (en-US).

External links[]

  • v
  • t
  • e

William Shakespeare's Henriad

  • Richard II
  • Henry IV, Part 1
  • Henry IV, Part 2
  • Henry V
On screen
Richard II
  • King Richard II (1954; TV)
  • An Age of Kings (1960; TV)
  • The Life and Death of King Richard II (1960; TV)
  • King Richard the Second (1979; TV)
  • Richard the Second (2001)
  • The Hollow Crown: Richard II (2012; TV)
Henry IV, Part 1
  • An Age of Kings (1960; TV)
  • Chimes at Midnight (1966)
  • Henry the Fouth, Part I (1979; TV)
  • The Hollow Crown: Henry IV, Part 1 (2012; TV)
  • The King (2019)
Henry IV, Part 2
  • An Age of Kings (1960; TV)
  • Chimes at Midnight (1966)
  • Henry the Fourth, Part II (1979; TV)
  • The Hollow Crown: Henry IV, Part 2 (2012)
  • The King (2019)
Henry V
  • Henry V (1944)
  • An Age of Kings (1960; TV)
  • Chimes at Midnight (1966)
  • Henry the Fifth (1979; TV)
  • Henry V (1989)
  • The Hollow Crown: Henry V (2012)
  • The King (2019)
Characters
  • Ancient Pistol
  • Bardolph
  • Charles VI
  • Corporal Nym
  • Doll Tearsheet
  • Falstaff
  • Fluellen
  • Henry IV
  • Henry V
    • Prince Hal
  • Owain Glyndŵr
    • Owen Glendower
  • Poins
  • Nell Quickly
  • Richard II
  • Robert Shallow
Sources
  • Holinshed's Chronicles
  • The Famous Victories of Henry V (c.1585)
  • Thomas of Woodstock (c.1593)
Related plays
  • The Merry Wives of Windsor (c.1597)
  • Sir John Oldcastle (1599)
  • Falstaff's Wedding (1760)
Related music
  • Falstaff (1913)
  • At the Boar's Head (1925)
  • Suite from Henry V (1963)

Template:Shakespeare tetralogy

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