| The Shadow of the Tower | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Historical |
| Written by | Rosemary Anne Sisson Hugh Whitemore Julian Mitchell |
| Directed by | Prudence Fitzgerald Moira Armstrong Anthea Browne-Wilkinson Joan Kemp-Welch |
| Starring | James Maxwell Norma West |
| Composer | Herbert Chappell |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Production company | BBC |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC 2 |
| Release | 6 January (1972-01-06) – 30 March 1972 (1972-03-30) |
The Shadow of the Tower is a historical drama that was broadcast on BBC2 in 1972. It was a prequel to the earlier serials The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Elizabeth R and featured several actors who had appeared in them (but in new roles). Consisting of thirteen episodes, it focused on the reign of Henry VII of England and the creation of the Tudor dynasty.
| Actor/Actress | Role |
|---|---|
| James Maxwell | King Henry VII |
| Norma West | Elizabeth of York |
| Marigold Sharman | Margaret Beaufort |
| Derek Anders | James IV |
| Adrienne Byrne | Catherine of Aragon |
| Denis Carey | Cardinal Morton |
| John Franklyn-Robbins | Sir William Stanley |
| Gawn Grainger | Earl of Kildare |
| Colin Jeavons | Sir Robert Clifford |
| Michael Johnson | Lord Lovell |
| Jason Kemp | Prince Arthur |
| Rachel Kempson | Margaret of York |
| James Laurenson | Earl of Lincoln |
| Hayward Morse | Thomas Atwood |
| Christopher Neame | Earl of Warwick (as adult) |
| Jake Robson | Earl of Warwick (as boy) |
| Maurice Roëves | Humphrey Stafford |
| John Hamill | Thomas Stafford |
| Nicholas Selby | Earl of Devon |
| Richard Warwick | Perkin Warbeck |
| Joanna Tope | Cicely |
| Gary Warren | Lambert Simnel |
| Brian Badcoe | Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke |
| John Bennett | De Puebla |
| Peter Hawkins, Kevin Moody, Denis Cleary | Voices |
| Episode[1] | Air date | Title | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 Jan. 1972 | Crown in Jeopardy | Henry Tudor emerges victorious over Richard III at the battle of Bosworth Field and seeks to form a coalition from which he hopes to establish a Tudor dynasty. |
| 2 | 13 Jan. 1972 | Power in the Land | Henry consolidates his power when Elizabeth gives birth to Prince Arthur legitimizing Henry's claim of descent from the legendary monarch. |
| 3 | 20 Jan. 1972 | The Schooling of Apes | Henry's enemies represent commoner Lambert Simnel as the Earl of Warwick, the York pretender. The Earl of Lincoln leaves for Ireland to head the army that is forming against Henry. |
| 4 | 27 Jan. 1972 | The Crowning of Apes | Henry forms an army to defend himself against the Irish-German army coming against him from Ireland. |
| 5 | 3 Feb. 1972 | The Serpent and the Comforter | King Henry is intrigued by a preacher who is arrested for heresy and speaks with him to persuade him to give up his dissension against the practices of the Catholic Church. The preacher emphasizes to him the simplicity of the Gospel, and his suffering and convictions impress a young Tower guard.[2] |
| 6 | 10 Feb. 1972 | The White Hart | The year is 1494 and King Henry is alarmed that the powerful and arrogant Sir William Stanley may be implicated in a plot against his crown. |
| 7 | 17 Feb. 1972 | A Fly in the Ointment | Addle-brained Sir John Kendall and his dim-witted nephew devise a ludicrous plan to kill the King with a harmless ointment from phony astrologer. |
| 8 | 24 Feb. 1972 | The Princely Gift | Visionary Italian navigator John Cabot has a difficult time convincing Bristol businessmen and the King that his Western voyage to China is practical and profitable. |
| 9 | 2 Mar. 1972 | Do the Sheep Sin? | Heavy-handed tax policies lead the peasants of Cornwall to march peacefully in protest on London, but an ambitions nobleman wants to use the pilgrimage to his own advantage. |
| 10 | 9 Mar. 1972 | The Man Who Never Was | Commoner Perkin Warbeck, pretender to Henry's throne, finds he's losing support throughout Europe. |
| 11 | 16 Mar. 1972 | The Strange Shapes of Reality | Although Perkin Warbeck enjoys only house arrest for his treason through Henry's mercy, he continues to plot against the King. |
| 12 | 23 Mar. 1972 | The Fledgling | In order to give his dynasty more credibility, Henry tries to arrange a marriage between his son and the Spanish princess, but there are preconditions. |
| 13 | 30 Mar. 1972 | The King without a Face | The year is now 1501 and Henry is now finally secure on the throne with his promising son Arthur about to marry Catherine of Aragon, however in the shadows tragic events are lying in wait for the King. |
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