Tudor Drama Series ‘1536’ Based on Ava Pickett’s West End Play Set at HBO, BBC
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HBO and the BBC are co-producing a six-part television adaptation of "1536", Ava Pickett's acclaimed West End play, marking Pickett's first television project as showrunner. The drama, set during the collapse of Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn, follows three working-class women in Tudor England and uses the period setting to explore themes of power, patriarchy and friendship that the creators say remain relevant today.
The series is produced by Drama Republic, part of the Mediawan Group, with Pickett writing and executive producing alongside director Molly Manners, known for "One Day". Additional executive producers include Jude Liknaitzky, Roanna Benn, Rebecca de Souza and Chloe Beeson for Drama Republic, and Anna Ferguson for the BBC, while HBO's Francesca Orsi and the BBC's Lindsay Salt both voiced enthusiasm for bringing Pickett's stage work to screen.
- HBO and BBC are adapting Ava Pickett's play "1536" into a TV series
- Six-episode drama follows three working-class women during Henry VIII's era
- Pickett showruns; Molly Manners ("One Day") directs for Drama Republic
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Anne Boleyn's marriage to Henry VIII was collapsing by 1536, ending in her execution that year on charges of treason and adultery that historians widely regard as engineered to clear the way for the king's next marriage. The period was marked by brutal power struggles at court, where women, regardless of status, had little control over their own fates. This turbulent moment forms the backdrop for "1536", a play by British writer Ava Pickett that reimagines the era through the eyes of three ordinary working-class women rather than the royals themselves.
The play was well received in its West End run and is now being turned into a six-part television series, a joint venture between the American premium channel HBO and Britain's BBC. It will be Pickett's first time leading a television production as showrunner, working alongside director Molly Manners, who previously directed the adaptation of "One Day". The production company Drama Republic, part of the larger Mediawan Group, is making the series.
The story matters partly because of what it represents in the television industry: a stage play by a relatively new writer being picked up for a major transatlantic co-production, with senior executives from both broadcasters publicly backing it. It also reflects a broader trend of period dramas being used to explore present-day issues, such as the treatment of women and imbalances of power, through a historical lens.
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