| My Lady Jane | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
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| Created by | Gemma Burgess |
| Based on |
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| Directed by | Jamie Babbit Stefan Schwartz |
| Narrated by | Oliver Chris |
| Music by | Rael Jones |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer | Paula McBreen |
| Cinematography | Maja Zamojda |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Amazon Prime Video |
| Release | 27 June 2024 (2024-06-27) |
My Lady Jane is a British historical fantasy television series made for Amazon Prime Video starring Emily Bader as the titular character. Produced by MacDonald & Parkes the television series is adapted by Gemma Burgess from a novel by Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton and Cynthia Hand that provided a historical reimagining of the life of Lady Jane Grey.[1]
In the 16th century, Lady Jane Grey is coerced by her family to marry Lord Guildford Dudley. Jane, as cousin to Edward VI, is in line to the throne. The England of My Lady Jane is plagued by Ethians, humans who can take animal form. The ordinary humans, known as Verity, drive the Ethians out of society.
| No. overall | No.in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Who'll Be the Next in Line?" | Jamie Babbit | Gemma Burgess | June 27, 2024 (2024-06-27) | |
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When Jane's father Henry Grey[a] dies without a male heir, his great uncle the Duke of Leicester inherits everything. Leicester wants Jane to marry Lord Guildford Dudley. Jane and her maid Susannah attempt to flee Jane's forced marriage to Guildford, but are captured. Susannah escapes, revealing herself to be an Ethian. Edward prepares his will, secretly naming Jane as his heir. Edward's dog, Petunia, reveals herself as an Ethian, sent to protect Edward by his great-grandmother. Edward learns that he is not, as he thought, suffering from the Affliction, but instead is being slowly poisoned. At the marriage ceremony, Jane feigns illness.
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| 2 | 2 | "Wild Thing" | Jamie Babbit | Gemma Burgess | June 27, 2024 (2024-06-27) | |
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Jane completes the marriage ceremony with Guildford. She learns that Guildford is an Ethian, but is unable to control his changes and so is a man by night and a horse by day. He begs her to discover a cure. Edward finds a merchant selling tofana. Mary and Seymour plot to speed up Edward's death. Seymour accuses Lord Dudley of being Edward's poisoner and Dudley is sent to the Tower of London. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "With a Girl Like You" | Jamie Babbit | Shepard Boucher & Gemma Burgess & Meredith Glynn | June 27, 2024 (2024-06-27) | |
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Edward disappears, and it is assumed that he threw himself from a high window in despair at his illness. Seymour sends soldiers to kill Jane and Guildford who have travelled into the woods to rescue Susannah whom Jane believes is being held hostage by other Ethians. Jane learns that Susannah's kidnapping was a ploy to get money for the Ethians. She and Guildford escape the murder attempt. Jane is named queen. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Bluebird Is Dead" | Jamie Babbit | Cathy Lew | June 27, 2024 (2024-06-27) | |
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Jane and Guildford discover proof that Mary and Seymour colluded to murder Edward. When Jane confronts Mary, Mary attacks Jane and destroys the proof. Frances witnesses Guildford changing into a horse. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "I'm Gonna Change the World" | Stefan Schwartz | Bisanne Masoud | June 27, 2024 (2024-06-27) | |
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Lady Margaret Beaufort, Edward's great-grandmother and now a member of a religious order, nurses Edward back to health. Lord Dudley pressures Jane to name Guilford as her king. Mary agrees to make Lord Norfolk her chancellor when she is on the throne in exchange for the use of Norfolk's army. Jane disbands the Kingsland guards and invites the Ethians to attend her coronation banquet. After being threatened by Frances, Jane consummates her marriage to Guilford. Bess tries to flee with Petunia but is captured by Seymour. Margaret reveals to Edward that he is an Ethian, just as she is. Jane tells Guilford that his Ethianism cannot be cured.
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| 6 | 6 | "I Feel Free" | Stefan Schwartz | Alyssa Lerner | June 27, 2024 (2024-06-27) | |
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Mary, facing arrest, has fled. Guildford runs away with an Ethian who promises him a cure. An assassin attempts to murder Jane who is saved by Archer, representative of the Ethians. Edward, unable to switch to an Ethian form, realizes Margaret is insane when she tells him of her plan to exterminate all Verities and escapes with the help of Fitz, an Ethian. Archer and Norfolk wager the fate of Division Laws on a bowling match; Archer wins. Guildford is attacked by his Ethian companion but escapes. Jane abolishes the Division Laws. Mary, Norfolk, and Seymour take over the palace and arrest Jane.
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| 7 | 7 | "Another Girl, Another Planet" | Stefan Schwartz | Gemma Burgess & Meredith Glynn | June 27, 2024 (2024-06-27) | |
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Guildford sneaks in to see Jane, but she refuses to leave with him because her family is being held hostage by Mary. Jane's trial on charges of high treason begins. Bess rises to support Jane's claim that she was fulfilling the orders of the king's will. Edward sneaks into the palace and surprises Jane when she is taken to her room. Jane sends him away to raise an army so he can fight Mary. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "God Save the Queen" | Jamie Babbit | Gemma Burgess & Meredith Glynn | June 27, 2024 (2024-06-27) | |
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Jane is taken to the Tower of London. Mary kills Norfolk when he criticizes her tyrannical behavior. Edward and Fitz beg the Ethians to help fight against Mary. At the execution, flying Ethians attack the executioner and guards. Jane, freed by Susannah, rushes through the crowd to untie Guildford before the fire reaches him but is unable to undo the knots. Guildford is finally able to control his change. Lord Dudley and Stan clear a path so Jane can ride free on Guildford's back.
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The series is based on the historical young adult novels by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand and Jodi Meadows. Production company Parkes & MacDonald are producing the series with Gemma Burgess and Meredith Glynn as co-showrunner and executive producers, and Jamie Babbit directing the pilot and executive producer, whilst Sarah Bradshaw and Laurie MacDonald are executive producers.[2] Eight episodes were ordered for season one of the series.[3] In November 2022 Anna Chancellor, Rob Brydon, Dominic Cooper and Jim Broadbent were announced to have supporting roles as aristocrats.[4]
Filming took place in the UK in 2022 ahead of a projected late 2023 release.[5] In November 2022, filming was reported at Great Chalfield Manor, standing in for the Greys' residence Bradgate House,[6] and Herstmonceux CastleinEast Sussex, standing in for Hampton Court Palace.[7] Production designer Will Hughes-Jones initially intended to use the real Hampton Court, but found its architecture had evolved too much since the 16th-century, whereas Herstmonceux "looks more like Hampton Court did back then than it does now". Still, the grounds of Hampton Court were used in the series for outdoor scenes. Hughes-Jones selected Broughton Castle for the Dudleys' residence.[8] Other filming locations included Dover Castle, Dorney Court, Hatfield House, Ashridge, Chiltern Open Air Museum, Langley Park, St Bartholomew-the-Great, St Etheldreda's Hatfield, and Crossways Farm.[9]
The series had its world premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival on 12 June 2024, and was streamed on Amazon Prime Video on 27 June 2024.
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 92% "Certified Fresh" score, based on 24 reviews with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "A romp-antasy for revisionary souls, My Lady Jane has her cake and slays it too."[10]OnMetacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 70 out 100 based on reviews from 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[11]
