HBO Joins 1536 Series That Will Tell the Story Without…

HBO and BBC are coming together for a new historical drama that will look at the reign of Henry VIII from outside the royal palace.

HBO has joined as a co-producer for the 1536 project developed for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The series will be prepared by Ava Pickett, the playwright, who will also serve as the series lead and executive producer.

The Palace's Decision Will Change the Lives of Three Women in Essex

1536 takes place during the days when the news of Anne Boleyn's arrest by Henry VIII spread across England. However, the story does not center on the king, the queen, or palace members.

The series will follow childhood friends Anna, Mariella, and Jane living in Essex. The three young women will initially regard the news from London as distant royal gossip, only to realize that the events in the palace directly affect their relationships, security, and futures.

Thus, the production will ask a different question instead of narrating Anne Boleyn's downfall as a palace intrigue once again: If the most powerful man in the country can accuse and execute his wife, how safe can ordinary women be in the same society?

A Story of Female Friendship as Much as a Historical Drama

1536 is described not only as a period drama but also as a dark comedy about friendship.

The long-standing closeness of Anna, Mariella, and Jane will be tested under the pressures of marriage, class differences, male violence, sexuality, and increasingly heavy societal expectations. The central conflict of the series is based more on how decisions made from above seep into the daily lives of women living on the margins of the country than on the reenactment of significant historical events.

This approach sets the project apart from traditional biographical productions about Anne Boleyn. Boleyn will be more of a harbinger of the impending change in the world of the three women than a visible character at the center of the story.

The Number of Episodes Seems to Have Changed Since the Initial Announcement

When the BBC first announced the project in February, it stated that the adaptation would consist of approximately eight 30-minute episodes. However, current industry sources reporting on HBO's partnership describe 1536 as a six-episode series.

Therefore, it is necessary not to use the “8x30 minutes” information from the previous announcement as the definitive format. It is possible that the episode structure has been reorganized with HBO's involvement; however, neither the BBC nor HBO has released a separate statement regarding the changes in duration.

The cast and release date are also not yet known.

The One Day Team Will Work Again for BBC and HBO

The production of the series will be handled by Drama Republic, the team behind Netflix's One Day adaptation and BBC's Riot Women series.

The directing role has been given to Molly Manners, known for One Day and In My Skin episodes. Manners will also be part of the executive producer team. Jude Liknaitzky, Roanna Benn, Rebecca de Souza, and Chloe Beeson will represent Drama Republic, while Anna Ferguson will serve as an executive producer for the BBC.

HBO's partnership transforms the British production from a local adaptation aimed solely at BBC viewers into a project that is more visible in the US and international markets.

The Award-Winning Play Sold Out

Ava Pickett's first play, 1536, premiered in 2025 at the Almeida Theatre in London and transferred to the West End after sold-out performances.

The play won the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and also earned Pickett the Best Writer award at the Stage Debut Awards. The three main characters in the West End production were played by Siena Kelly, Tanya Reynolds, and Liv Hill.

Margot Robbie's company, LuckyChap, has also joined Sonia Friedman Productions, Annapurna Theatre, and Almeida Theatre as producers for the West End production of the play. However, it has not yet been announced whether LuckyChap will be involved in the television adaptation; the company's currently confirmed connection is limited to the stage production.

HBO's Involvement Could Expand the Scale of the Story

Much of the play took place in a single meeting spot in Essex, progressing through the conversations of the three women. Pickett mentioned that with the announcement of the BBC adaptation, she would have more opportunities to develop the lives of Anna, Jane, and Mariella.

It is unknown whether the series will show the palace, whether an actress will be cast for Anne Boleyn, or whether the narrative will expand to other regions. Nevertheless, the fundamental perspective of the project will not change: Instead of focusing on the queen at the center of history books, the series will follow women who hear about what happens to her from afar.

Therefore, 1536 will be a series about what happens to Anne Boleyn and what it tells other women rather than a new Anne Boleyn series.