The Hollow Crown
Genre	Historical drama
Based on	Shakespearean history byWilliam Shakespeare
Developed by	Rupert Goold Ben Power Richard Eyre Dominic Cooke
Directed by	Rupert Goold Richard Eyre Thea Sharrock Dominic Cooke
Starring	See full list below
Music by	Stephen Warbeck Adam Cork Adrian Johnston Dan Jones
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
Production
Executive producer	Sam Mendes
Producer	Rupert Ryle-Hodges
Running time	varies
Production companies	Neal Street Productions NBCUniversal WNET
Original release
Network	BBC Two PBS
Release	30 June 2012 (2012-06-30) – 21 May 2016 (2016-05-21)

The Hollow Crown is a British television series which aired from 30 June 2012 to 21 May 2016 onBBC Two. It is an adaptation ofWilliam Shakespeare'shistory plays. The first series is an adaptation of Shakespeare's second historicaltetralogy, theHenriad:Richard II,Henry IV, Part 1,Henry IV, Part 2 andHenry V^[1] and aired in 2012. The concluding second series which aired in 2016 and known asThe Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses, a reference to the series ofEnglish civil wars known as theWars of the Roses, are based on Shakespeare's first tetralogy:Henry VI, Part 1,Henry VI, Part 2,Henry VI, Part 3 andRichard III. Both series received widespread praise for its production and performances.

The first series is an adaptation of Shakespeare's second historicaltetralogy, theHenriad:Richard II,Henry IV, Part 1,Henry IV, Part 2 andHenry V,^[1] starringBen Whishaw,Jeremy Irons andTom Hiddleston.Olivier Award winnersRupert Goold,Richard Eyre andThea Sharrock directed the telefilms,^[2] which were produced by Rupert Ryle-Hodges forBBC Two and executive produced bySam Mendes andPippa Harris underNeal Street Productions in association withNBCUniversal. The first series, which aired in the United Kingdom in 2012, received positive reviews from critics. Ben Whishaw andSimon Russell Beale wonBritish Academy Television Awards forLeading actor andSupporting actor for their performances asRichard II andFalstaff, respectively, and Jeremy Irons was nominated for aScreen Actors Guild Award forBest Actor for his role asHenry IV. The first episode,Richard II, was nominated for theBest Single Drama at theBAFTA TV Awards.^[3]

TheBBC aired the concluding series in 2016 asThe Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses, a reference to the series ofEnglish civil wars known as theWars of the Roses,^[4] starringBenedict Cumberbatch,Hugh Bonneville,Judi Dench,Sophie Okonedo andTom 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 ofRoyal Court Theatre andOlivier Award winner,Dominic Cooke.^[5] They are based on Shakespeare's first tetralogy:Henry VI, Part 1,Henry VI, Part 2,Henry VI, Part 3 andRichard III.^[6] The adaptation presentsHenry VI in two parts, incorporating all threeHenry VI plays. Benedict Cumberbatch was nominated for the BAFTA Television Award for Best Leading Actor andThe Wars of the Roses was nominated for Best Mini-Series.^[7]

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

For within the hollow crown
That rounds the mortal temples of a king
Keeps Death his court...

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

The second series ofThe Hollow Crown is based onShakespeare's history plays aboutHenry VI (left) andRichard III (right).

TheBBC scheduled the screening of Shakespeare's history plays as part of the2012 Cultural Olympiad, a celebration of British culture coinciding with the2012 Summer Olympics.^[8]Sam Mendes signed up as executive producer to adapt all four plays in September 2010.^[9] He was joined as executive producer byPippa Harris (both representingNeal Street Productions), Rupert Ryle-Hodges as producer,Gareth Neame (NBCUniversal), andBen Stephenson (BBC).^[10] Parts of the series were filmed inKent atSquerryes Court andPenshurst Place.^[11]

The concluding series of plays were produced in 2015 by the same team that made the first series and were directed byDominic Cooke.Richard III was played byBenedict Cumberbatch. Executive producer Pippa Harris stated, "The critical and audience reaction toThe 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 theHenry VI plays as well asRichard 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."^[12] The production returned toKent forThe Wars of the Roses, filming atDover Castle,Leeds Castle andPenshurst Place.^[13]

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 andJack 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 whichDuke of Exeter is depicted inHenry VI, Part 3, it is widely assumed to beHenry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter given the play's setting between 1445 and 1471. The portrayal byAnton Lesser implies that it is the same person as Lesser'sThomas Beaufort fromHenry V andHenry VI, Part 1, who had died in 1426.^{[citation needed]}

The first four plays aired on consecutive Saturday evenings onBBC Two between 30 June and 21 July 2012. The start time ofHenry IV, Part 1 on 7 July was delayed by an hour because of coverage of the2012 Wimbledon Championships, and the play was shown a second time the following evening onBBC Four.^[14] The plays were shown in the United States from 20 September to 11 October 2013 as part of thePBSGreat Performances series.^[15]

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.^[16][17]

The overseas and DVD rights forThe Hollow Crown series are owned by NBC Universal.^[18] A Region 2 DVD set of the four films was released on 1 October 2012.^[19] A Region 1 DVD set was released on 17 September 2013.^[20] A 2-disc DVD set ofThe Wars of the Roses was released on 20 June 2016.

The original musicsoundtrack fromThe Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses composed byDan Jones was released on the Wave Theory Records label in June 2016 and performed by theBBC National Orchestra of Wales.^[21][22]

On thereview aggregator websiteRotten 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."^[23] OnMetacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 89 out of 100 based on 11 critics indicating "universal acclaim".^[24]

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."^[25] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 based on 4 critics indicating "universal acclaim".^[26]

• The Hollow Crown atBBC Online
• The Hollow Crown atIMDb
• The Hollow Crown – Extras
• The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses - About the Series
• The Hollow Crown: Shakespeare's History Plays - About the Series

• 2012 British television series debuts
• 2016 British television series endings
• BBC television royalty dramas
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• Television series set in the 14th century
• Television series set in the 15th century
• The Hollow Crown (TV series)
• Wars of the Roses in fiction
• Cultural depictions of Henry VII of England
• Television shows based on works by William Shakespeare
• Cultural depictions of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York
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• Cultural depictions of Anne Neville
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• Cultural depictions of Elizabeth Woodville
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