Becoming Elizabeth

 

The six year reign of Edward V1 can be divided into two. When Henry V111 dies in the January of 1547, the new young king falls under the nearly three year protectorship of Edward Seymour, soon to become the Duke of Somerset. The series Becoming Elizabeth spends six of the eight episodes on this period which ends with John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland taking over as Somerset is locked in the Tower of London in October 1549.

Only the first two of the later three years of Edward's reign are portrayed in the final two episodes which end with the execution of Somerset in January 1552. So it is obvious that those first three years are far more interesting and that is why my screenplay called The Seymours concentrates on that period. I'm not surprised that Becoming Elizabeth was cancelled after the first series as viewing figures plummeted. My screenplay is for a one off feature of a couple of hours instead of six episodes over four and a half hours.

Becoming Elizabeth could therefore easily have been titled The Seymours as Edward and Thomas are far more prominent than King Edward and his sisters.

But Elizabeth's name sells tickets or viewing figures. One critic tells us that the series "belies any historical accuracy". Having studied the period I cannot agree. Of course there are elements that are there for dramatic effect, there is far too much padding in the romantic scenes, and too many profanities for me. But the main historical facts are there. Even if a one off feature would have been better.

However, I felt that it was the final episode that was far better written than anything that went before. I thought that Jamie Parker (famous for playing the adult Harry Potter in the stage version) as John Dudley was the best thing in the whole series, except maybe for Romola Garai who was wonderful as Mary. Although I had invested a lot in writing about the Seymour brothers and, despite their excellent casting, they were not quite top drawer actors. And then there is Elizabeth played by Alicia von Rittberg. I have no idea why they chose a minor German actress. She seemed straight out of drama school. 

We then get that awful cliff-hanger ending to the final episode that so many TV series now play for the next series to come. Edward has revived from near death, Somerset is executed, and Mary and Elizabeth disappear. However, there is to be no more as any new series has been cancelled and I'm not surprised. Maybe the best idea is to consolidate those existing episodes into that one feature and call it The Seymours. With a decent ending. Now isn't that a good idea.