''Elizabeth R'' is a BBC television drama serial of six 85-minute plays starring Glenda Jackson as Queen

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

of England. It was first

broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began wi ...

on BBC2 from February to March 1971, through the ABC in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

and broadcast in America on PBS's '' Masterpiece Theatre''. The series has been repeated several times, most recently from 17 February 2021, by BBC Four to celebrate the show's fiftieth anniversary.

Production

''Elizabeth R'' was filmed at a variety of locations including Penshurst Place which doubled as the queen's castle grounds and Chiddingstone in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, though all the interiors were recorded at the BBC Television Centre. The first episode was broadcast on 17 February 1971, beginning on screen with the year 1549 as the setting, with the then Princess Elizabeth's difficult ascent to the throne of England nine years later. The final episode was shown on 24 March 1971, the 368th anniversary of the Queen's death on March 24, 1603. It was repeated almost immediately in response to audience demand. The series followed the successful '' Six Wives of Henry VIII'' (1970), with several performers reprising their roles in ''Elizabeth R'' (all in the first episode) from the earlier series, notably John Ronane as Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, Bernard Hepton as Cranmer, Basil Dignam as Bishop Gardiner and Rosalie Crutchley as Catherine Parr. In February 1972, ''Elizabeth R'' first aired in the United States on '' Masterpiece Theatre'', then hosted by Alistair Cooke on PBS. In the summer of 1972, it was rebroadcast with commercials on the New York local station WOR-TV Channel 9. Glenda Jackson's performance in the title role won her two

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s—for Best Actress in a Drama Series and Best Actress in a Movie/TV Special (for the episode "Shadow in the Sun"). The series itself won the Emmy for the Best Dramatic Series in 1972 (the first British TV series ever to win the American TV award, before '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' carried the award two years later). At around the same time, Jackson also played the part of Elizabeth in the film ''

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

'' (1971). Costume designer Elizabeth Waller won an Emmy for her designs; she recreated many of the historical Elizabeth's actual gowns, adapting them from a number of the Queen's official portraits. They later went on display at

Hampton Court Palace Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chie ...

. ''Elizabeth R'' featured many well-known British actors, including Malcolm McFee, Michael Williams, Margaretta Scott, John Woodvine, James Laurenson, Angela Thorne, Brian Wilde,

Robin Ellis Anthony Robin Ellis (born 8 January 1942) is a British actor and cookbook writer best known for his role as Captain Ross Poldark in 29 episodes of the BBC classic series ''Poldark'', adapted from a series of books by the British author Winsto ...

Robert Hardy Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy (29 October 1925 – 3 August 2017) was an English actor who had a long career in theatre, film and television. He began his career as a classical actor and later earned widespread recognition for roles such as Sieg ...

and Peter Egan. The series was parodied in ''

Monty Python's Flying Circus ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' (also known as simply ''Monty Python'') is a British surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, who became ...

'' in an absurdist sketch where a Japanese film director, disguised unconvincingly as Luchino Visconti, forces his cast to perform as Queen Elizabeth's court while sitting on motor-scooters and speaking Engrish. Therefore, the title was changed to "Erizabeth L". ''Elizabeth R'' was first released for

DVD Region 1 DVD region codes are a digital rights management technique introduced in 1997. It is designed to allow rights holders to control the international distribution of a DVD release, including its content, release date, and price, all according to ...

during 2001 by BBC Warner and then re-released by BBC Worldwide in 2011. In DVD Region 2, it was issued by 2 Entertain in 2006.

Cast

''Note: This list is incomplete.'' * Glenda Jackson as

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, (24 June 1532 – 4 September 1588) was an English statesman and the favourite of Elizabeth I from her accession until his death. He was a suitor for the queen's hand for many years. Dudley's youth was o ...

* Ronald Hines as Sir

William Cecil, Lord Burghley William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 15204 August 1598) was an English statesman, the chief adviser of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State (1550–1553 and 1558–1572) and Lord High Treasurer from ...

* Stephen Murray as Sir

Francis Walsingham Sir Francis Walsingham ( – 6 April 1590) was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I of England from 20 December 1573 until his death and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Born to a well-connected family of gentry, Wal ...

John Shrapnel John Morley Shrapnel (27 April 1942 – 14 February 2020) was an English actor. He is known mainly for his stage work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre in the United Kingdom and for his many television appearances. ...

as Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex *

Bernard Horsfall Bernard Arthur Gordon Horsfall (20 November 1930 – 28 January 2013) was an English actor of stage and screen. Early life Horsfall was born in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, and educated at Rugby School. He trained as an actor at the Webbe ...

as Sir Christopher Hatton *

Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, KG, PC (; 10 November 1565 – 25 February 1601) was an English nobleman and a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he was placed under house arrest followin ...

* Jason Kemp as

Edward VI of England Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first ...

Daphne Slater Daphne Helen Slater (3 March 1928 – 4 October 2012) was an English actress noted for Shakespearean and period films. Biography She was born in London and educated at Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls, when it was in Acton, before attendi ...

Mary I of England Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She ...

* Vivian Pickles as

* Hamilton Dyce as Amyas Paulet * Rachel Kempson as Kat Ashley *

Peter Jeffrey Peter Jeffrey (18 April 1929 – 25 December 1999) was an English character actor. Starting his performing career on stage, he would later have many roles in television and film. Early life Jeffrey was born in Bristol, the son of Florence ...

Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...

* Margaretta Scott as

Catherine de' Medici Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King ...

* Michael Williams as François, Duke of Anjou (and Alençon) * James Laurenson as Jean de Simier * Jill Balcon as Lady Cobham, Lady-in-Waiting * David Collings as

Anthony Babington Anthony Babington (24 October 156120 September 1586) was an English gentleman convicted of plotting the assassination of Elizabeth I of England and conspiring with the imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots, for which he was hanged, drawn and quarte ...

Bernard Holley Bernard John Holley (9 August 1940 – 22 November 2021) was a British actor whose career spanned more than six decades. Life and career Holley was born in Eastcote, Middlesex. He attended Kilburn Grammar School and the Rose Bruford Drama Sch ...

Gilbert Gifford Gilbert Gifford (c. November 1560–November 1590) was a double agent who worked for Sir Francis Walsingham and played a role in the uncovering of the Babington Plot. Shortly before his death in Paris, he was ordained as a Catholic priest in Rh ...

David Nettheim David Cosman Nettheim (10 July 1925 – 11 March 2008) was an Australian actor and stage writer, he acted on stage and film, but was best known for his roles in numerous television series. Early life Born in Sydney, New South Wales, and broug ...

Thomas Phelippes Thomas Phelippes (1556–1625), also known as Thomas Phillips was a linguist, who was employed as a forger and intelligence gatherer. He served mainly under Sir Francis Walsingham, in the time of Elizabeth I, and most notably deciphered the cod ...

* John Graham as William Davison * John Woodvine as Sir Francis Drake * Peter Howell as Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham * John Nettleton as Sir

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...

* Angela Thorne as

Lettice Knollys Lettice Knollys ( , sometimes latinized as Laetitia, alias Lettice Devereux or Lettice Dudley), Countess of Essex and Countess of Leicester (8 November 1543Adams 2008a – 25 December 1634), was an English noblewoman and mother to the courtier ...

* Hugh Dickson as Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury * Nicholas Selby as Sir

Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebelli ...

* Clifford Rose as Thomas Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley * John Ronane as Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley * Bernard Hepton as

Archbishop Cranmer Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556) was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Henry's ...

* Basil Dignam as Bishop Gardiner * John Ruddock as

Archbishop Whitgift John Whitgift (c. 1530 – 29 February 1604) was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1583 to his death. Noted for his hospitality, he was somewhat ostentatious in his habits, sometimes visiting Canterbury and other towns attended by a retinue of 8 ...

* Rosalie Crutchley as Catherine Parr * Brian Wilde as Richard Topcliffe * David Garfield as John Ballard * Peter Egan as

Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, (pronunciation uncertain: "Rezley", "Rizely" (archaic), (present-day) and have been suggested; 6 October 1573 – 10 November 1624) was the only son of Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of So ...

* Hayden Jones as Charles Blount, 8th Baron Mountjoy * Patrick O'Connell as Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone * Sonia Fraser as

Elizabeth Wriothesley, Countess of Southampton Elizabeth Wriothesley (''née'' Vernon), Countess of Southampton (11 January 1572 – 23 November 1655) was one of the chief ladies-in-waiting to Elizabeth I of England in the later years of her reign. Family Elizabeth Vernon was the grandda ...

* Shirley Dixon as Penelope Rich, Lady Rich * Judith South as

Frances Radclyffe, Countess of Sussex Frances Radclyffe, Countess of Sussex ( Sidney; 1531–1589) was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth I and the founder of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. She was the daughter of Sir William Sidney,Chisholm, 1911, pp. 164–165 of ...

* Raf De La Torre as John Dee * Stanley Lenore as Sir Robert Tyrwhitt * Nicolette Bernard as Lady Elizabeth Tyrwhitt * Kevin Brennan as Bridges * Julian Holloway as

Antoine de Noailles Antoine, 1st comte de Noailles (4 September 150411 March 1563) became admiral of France, and was ambassador in England for three years, 1553–1556, maintaining a gallant but unsuccessful rivalry with the Spanish ambassador, Simon Renard. Antoi ...

* Brendan Barry as

Simon Renard Simon Renard, Sieur of Bermont and Lieutenant of Aumont or Amont, (1513- 8 August 1573) was a Burgundian diplomat who served as an advisor to Emperor Charles V and his son Philip II of Spain, who were also counts of Burgundy. Renard had the co ...

* Robert Garrett as

Thomas Wyatt the Younger Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger (152111 April 1554) was an English politician and rebel leader during the reign of Queen Mary I; his rising is traditionally called " Wyatt's rebellion". He was the son of the English poet and ambassador Sir Thoma ...

* Alan Foss as Sir

Henry Bedingfeld Sir Henry Bedingfeld (1505–1583F. Blomefield, 'Oxburgh', in ''An Essay Towards A Topographical History of the County of Norfolk'', Vol. 6: Hundred of South Greenhoe (W. Miller, London 1807)pp. 168-97(British History Online), accessed 5 Febru ...

* Philip Brack as

John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1504Loades 2008 – 22 August 1553) was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady J ...

* Ian Barritt as Fowler *

Blake Butler John David Blake Butler (22 October 1924 – 15 April 1981) was an English actor best known for his role as the lecherous chief librarian Mr. Wainwright during the first and third series of ''Last of the Summer Wine'' in 1973 and 1976 res ...

Thomas Parry Thomas Parry may refer to: * Thomas Parry (Comptroller of the Household) (c. 1515–1560), serving Queen Elizabeth I of England * Thomas Parry (ambassador) (1541–1616), English MP, ambassador to France and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster * T ...

* Richard Parry as Guard * Sarah Frampton as Lady Jane Grey * Robert Barry as Lord Guildford Dudley * Michael Culver as John Tregannon * Esmond Knight as Bishop Álvaro de la Quadra

Episodes

References

External links

* * {{EmmyAward NewSeries 1971 British television series debuts 1971 British television series endings 1970s British drama television series BBC television royalty dramas Cultural depictions of Edward VI of England Cultural depictions of Elizabeth I Cultural depictions of Mary I of England English-language television shows Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series winners Television set in Tudor England