The Hollow Crown is a British television series which aired from 30 June 2012 to 21 May 2016 on BBC Two. It is an adaptation 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 and aired in 2012. The concluding second series which aired in 2016 and known 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, are based on Shakespeare's first tetralogy: Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, Henry VI, Part 3, and Richard III. Both series received widespread praise for their production and performances.

Overview 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, starring Ben Whishaw, Jeremy Irons and Tom Hiddleston. Olivier Award winners Rupert Goold, Richard Eyre and Thea Sharrock directed the telefilms, 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, respectively, 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.

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, 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. They are based on Shakespeare's first tetralogy: Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, Henry VI, Part 3 and Richard III. 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.

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

Cast A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film Italics indicates a non-speaking cameo appearance

Role The Hollow Crown (2012) The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (2016) Richard II Henry IV,Part 1 Henry IV,Part 2 Henry V Henry VI,Part 1 Henry VI,Part 2 Richard III King Richard II Ben Whishaw colspan="6" King Henry IV Henry Bolingbroke Rory Kinnear Jeremy Irons colspan="4" Queen Isabella Clémence Poésy colspan="6" John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster Patrick Stewart colspan="6" Duke of York David Suchet colspan="6" Duchess of York Lindsay Duncan colspan="6" Duke of Aumerle later Duke of York Tom Hughes colspan="2" Paterson Joseph colspan="3" Earl of Northumberland David Morrissey Alun Armstrong colspan="4" Lady Northumberland colspan="2" Niamh Cusack colspan="4" Thomas Mowbray Duke of Norfolk James Purefoy colspan="6" King Henry V Prince Hal Tom Hiddleston colspan="3" Sir John Falstaff Simon Russell Beale colspan="3" Mistress Nell Quickly Julie Walters colspan="3" Mistress Doll Tearsheet Maxine Peake colspan="3" Bardolph Tom Georgeson colspan="3" Ned Poins David Dawson colspan="4" Sir Henry Percy Harry Hotspur Joe Armstrong colspan="5" Earl of Worcester David Hayman colspan="5" Lady Kate Percy Michelle Dockery colspan="4" Sir Edmund Mortimer colspan="1" Harry Lloyd colspan="2" Michael Gambon colspan="2" Prince John of Lancaster colspan="1" Henry Faber colspan="4" Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester colspan="1" Will Attenborough colspan="1" Hugh Bonneville colspan="2" Earl of Westmorland colspan="1" James Laurenson colspan="3" Ancient Pistol colspan="2" Paul Ritter colspan="3" Owen Glendower Robert Pugh colspan="5" Lady Mortimer Alex Clatworthy colspan="5" Justice Robert Shallow colspan="2" David Bamber colspan="4" Lord Chief Justice colspan="2" Geoffrey Palmer colspan="4" Duke of Exeter colspan="3" Anton Lesser Captain Fluellen colspan="3" Owen Teale colspan="3" Montjoy colspan="3" Jérémie Covillault colspan="3" King Charles VI of France colspan="3" Lambert Wilson colspan="3" Louis, the Dauphin colspan="3" Edward Akrout colspan="3" Princess Katherine colspan="3" Mélanie Thierry colspan="3" Alice colspan="3" Geraldine Chaplin colspan="3" Chorus colspan="3" John Hurt colspan="3" King Henry VI colspan="4" Tom Sturridge Queen Margaret colspan="4" Sophie Okonedo Eleanor Cobham Duchess of Gloucester colspan="4" Sally Hawkins colspan="2" Richard Plantagenet Duke of York colspan="4" Adrian Dunbar Cecily Duchess of York colspan="4" Lucy Robinson Judi Dench Bishop of Winchester colspan="4" Samuel West colspan="2" Earl of Warwick colspan="4" Stanley Townsend Earl of Somerset colspan="4" Ben Miles Duke of Suffolk colspan="4" Jason Watkins Lord Talbot colspan="4" Philip Glenister colspan="2" Joan of Arc colspan="4" Laura Frances-Morgan colspan="2" King Richard III Richard Plantagenet colspan="5" Benedict Cumberbatch Queen Elizabeth colspan="5" Keeley Hawes Edmund Plantagenet colspan="5" Angus Imrie King Edward IV Edward Plantagenet colspan="5" Geoffrey Streatfeild George Plantagenet Duke of Clarence colspan="5" Sam Troughton Lord Clifford colspan="5" Kyle Soller Earl of Westmorland colspan="5" Richard Lynch Prince Edward colspan="5" Barney Harris Duke of Buckingham colspan="5" Ben Daniels Queen Anne colspan="5" Phoebe Fox Lord Hastings colspan="5" James Fleet King Louis XI of France colspan="5" Andrew Scott King Henry VII Earl of Richmond colspan="5" Andrew Davies Luke Treadaway Catesby colspan="6" Paul Bazely

Episodes

Series 1 (2012)

Series 2 (2016)

Production

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. Sam Mendes signed up as executive producer to adapt all four plays in September 2010. 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). Parts of the series were filmed in Kent at Squerryes Court and Penshurst Place.

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." The production returned to Kent for The Wars of the Roses, filming at Dover Castle, Leeds Castle and Penshurst Place.

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.

Release 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. The plays were shown in the United States from 20 September to 11 October 2013 as part of the PBS Great Performances series.

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.

Home media The overseas and DVD rights for The Hollow Crown series are owned by NBC Universal. A Region 2 DVD set of the four films was released on 1 October 2012. A Region 1 DVD set was released on 17 September 2013. 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.

Reception

Critical response

Series 1 On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 23 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "The Hollow Crown summons some of Britain's most exemplary acting talent and gorgeously crafted production values to enliven the Swan of Avon's immortal words with an energetic panache fit for the 21st Century." On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 89 out of 100 based on 11 critics indicating "universal acclaim".

Series 2 On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 19 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "The Hollow Crown deftly demonstrates that even the Bard's most obscure work can be sumptuous appointment viewing -- saving Benedict Cumberbatch's riveting incarnation of Richard III as a parting treat." On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 based on 4 critics indicating "universal acclaim". Mike Hughes of The Salinas Californian wrote, "Amazing TV – perfectly filmed."

Accolades

Series 1 Award Result Category RecipientRef. Music & Sound Awards 2013 Sound Design (TV Programme) The Hollow Crown South Bank Sky Arts Awards 2013 Best TV Drama Times Breakthrough Tom Hiddleston Broadcasting Press Guild 2013 Best Single Drama The Hollow Crown Best Actor Ben Whishaw BAFTA Television Awards 2013 Best Leading Actor (Richard II) Best Supporting Actor Simon Russell Beale (Henry IV Part 2) Best Single Drama Richard II RTS Programme Awards 2013 Single Drama BAFTA Craft Awards 2013 Best Original Television Music Stephen Warbeck (Henry IV) Best Sound (Fiction) Tim Fraser, Adrian Rhodes, Keith Marriner (Richard II) Best Costume Design Odile Dicks-Mireaux (Richard II) British Society of Cinematographers Best Cinematography in a Television Drama Ben Smithard 4th Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Miniseries The Hollow Crown

Series 2 Award Result Category RecipientRef. BAFTA Television Awards 2017 Best Leading Actor Benedict Cumberbatch Best Mini-Series The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses BAFTA Television Craft Awards 2017 Best Costume Design Nigel Egerton (Richard III)

References

External links

The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses - About the Series The Hollow Crown: Shakespeare's History Plays - About the Series