Tudor reign continues on BBC Two
BBC News, 17 October 2007
The second series of popular historical TV drama The Tudors will be shown next year, the BBC has confirmed.
Created by Michael Hirst, writer of the film Elizabeth, the series was shot in Ireland over the summer with Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the young Henry VIII.
Hirst promises “old and new conflicts, both at court and outside it”.
Launched earlier this month, The Tudors has been a ratings success for BBC Two with an average audience of 3.2 million viewers tuning in each week.
The series also features Sam Neill as Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Jeremy Northam as Sir Thomas More and Maria Doyle Kennedy as Catherine of Aragon, Henry’s first wife.
‘Compulsory viewing’
The second season sees veteran actor Peter O’Toole join the cast as Pope Paul III.
“We are extremely pleased with our viewers’ positive reactions to The Tudors,” said George McGhee, controller of programme acquisitions.
“Henry VIII and his six wives are still compulsory viewing in the 21st century as portrayed by this young and excellent cast.”
Executive producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner also produced Elizabeth and its forthcoming sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
More on the good ratings for series one of “The Tudors” in the UK and Canada:
It delivered BBC2’s best Friday peak share for 13 weeks when it launched earlier this month, pulling in 3.2 million viewers and a 15% share - over a million more than the slot average.
The CBC notched impressive numbers for Showtime’s “The Tudors,” a Canadian-Irish co-production it pre-licensed. The miniseries about the early days of Henry VIII drew 957,000 viewers out of the gate, according to BBM/Nielsen Media Research, just short of the 1 million-viewer benchmark considered success in Canadian primetime.
Sources: BBC News, Guardian Unlimited, Hollywood Reporter
Added a new article from Variety where Jonathan talks about his role as Henry VIII in “The Tudors”. Thanks to Sheila.
According to Broadcast Industry News, the second season of “The Tudors” is now filming in Ireland:
Second Series Of ‘The Tudors’ Filming Underway
06 June 2007
The second season of the major TV series ‘The Tudors’, starring Irish Golden Globe winner Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (Match Point), John Kavanagh (The Tiger’s Tail), Nick Dunning (Alexander) and Maria Doyle Kennedy (Tara Road) has started shooting in Ardmore studios.
‘The Tudors’ focuses on the turbulent early years of King Henry VIII’s reign as King of England, and will shoot for approx 20 weeks in Ardmore Studios and key locations around Dublin and Wicklow. The budget of the series is €25 million with the Irish spend of the project expected to be in the region of €15 million.
The first series of ‘The Tudors’ which was broadcast on the Showtime channel in the US, opened to the largest audience ever received by a Showtime series in the history of the channel.
Produced by TM Productions and PA Tudors, with the support of Morgan O’Sullivan’s production company World 2000 Entertainment., it is an official Irish/Canadian co-production and is co-financed by Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board through the IFB international production fund.
From the Vancouver Sun comes news that “The Tudors” will air this fall as part of the CBC schedule in Canada.
Recent articles and blogs related to “The Tudors” and all that Emmy buzz:
Yesterday’s edition of Daily Variety has “The Tudors” boldly featured on the cover with a dvd inside containing the last 4 episodes of the series!
And some dates to keep in mind:
- June 3: Episode 9 airs
- June 10: Season finale airs
- July 19: Primetime Emmy nominations will be announced
“Elvis” is reairing on Showtime this Sunday at 6 pm. Be sure to check local listings for exact showtimes in your area. Showtime is also having a marathon of “The Tudors” starting Sunday at 10 pm.
And Hugo Boss has put up a US website and UK website with a different version of Jonathan’s ad, behind the scenes photos, and a hot featurette on the making of the ad. Be sure to check it out (both versions of the website are a little different.)
According to AMC Pictures, Jonathan is no longer attached to “Brontë”. No further details are none at this time.
You have the opportunity to give Showtime feedback about “The Tudors”. Fill out the survey online.
Showtime is releasing a series of podcasts featuring Jonathan talking about the making of “The Tudors”. You can subscribe or download them.
The reviews keep rolling in for “The Tudors” and the Emmy buzz is growing (with a strong push by Showtime of course). A few choice quotes:
I have precisely three words to describe to why you must watch this Sunday’s premiere of the new Showtime series The Tudors:
Jonathan.
Rhys.
Meyers.
- E! Online
Read the rest of this entry »
Added more images to the Gallery from last Monday night:
Thanks Silvia, Mouret and the various sources used. It would not be impossible without their contributions!
Jonathan has been seen out and about in Los Angeles and New York City as he attends “The Tudors” premieres and makes the press rounds. He is also setting up his new home in Los Angeles. E! Online has a great video interviewing Jonny from the Los Angeles premiere. Be sure to watch the whole thing.
I’m slowly adding images from this week’s events (as well as past ones). There are so many new goodies for us to enjoy but I have not had the time to keep up. I’m sorry about that! Newest additions to the Gallery:
Lots more coming soon!
“The Tudors” premiered last night at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Jonathan attended looking very happy and dashing. Photos from the premiere and after party will be posted as I gather them up. Be sure to check out the various entertainment shows tonight for possible coverage (ET, Extra, Access Hollywood, The Insider).
Tomorrow evening there will be another premiere party in New York. This will be followed up by Jonathan’s appearance on The View on Thursday morning. According to the NY Post, the NY premiere party will be held at the Hearst Tower’s Joseph Urban Theater. And Jonny will be in attendance.
Expect this weekend to be a JRM fest on Showtime. Not only are they rebroadcasting “Elvis”, but they are also showing “The Lion in Winter” at 3pm on April 1st.
