The BBC has confirmed a new eight-part drama series titled 1536, adapting Ava Pickett's stage play set in Tudor England. The story follows three young women whose lives are upended by the arrest of Anne Boleyn. It explores themes of friendship and misogyny with relevance to the modern world.
The BBC has revealed details of an upcoming series called 1536, produced by Drama Republic under its Riot Women banner. This adaptation of Ava Pickett's stage play consists of eight 30-minute episodes and is set against the historical backdrop of Anne Boleyn's arrest in Tudor England.
The narrative focuses on three young women—Anna, Mariella, and Jane—in an Essex village. As described in the synopsis, they spend their time gossiping, arguing, and dreaming while awaiting changes in their lives. The news of King Henry VIII arresting his queen reaches them, sparking unforeseen consequences. Over the following weeks, they observe a growing wave of puritanism and misogyny. The women navigate challenges including marriage, relationships, betrayals, and births, realizing the dangers faced by women in a turbulent nation.
Their friendship is tested as they confront their own destinies, questioning whether they can endure together or must betray one another to survive. The story is presented as a darkly comic and relevant tale of friendship, sisterhood, and societal shifts. It examines how decisions by those in power, such as a king's actions toward his queen, impact ordinary working-class women far from the center, and ponders the extent of progress since that era.
Ava Pickett, who is writing the adaptation, has credits on shows like The Great, Ten Pound Poms, Bad Education, The Buccaneers, Brassic, and How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. She stated: "1536 is something I am immensely proud of and I feel so lucky and privileged to have the chance to bring Anna, Jane and Mariella to a wider audience and to build out their lives even more. In a world where every decision made in the corridors of power ricochets through all of our lives, this story feels more relevant than ever. I’m so grateful to Lindsay Salt for being such a champion of it from the start."
Rebecca de Souza, executive producer at Drama Republic, commented: "Ava Pickett’s writing is truly unique, thrilling, and funny, and we are so excited to be working with her in producing her first original series. Audiences were knocked out by her play 1536; it is so bold and entertaining, but it also creeps under your skin, leaving a profound warning for the modern world - a period show from a fresh and urgent viewpoint."
No cast details have been released yet, with more information expected later. The series will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
