Radio Times

• Episode 1/10

  Tensions rise between the Church and the king, culminating in Henry appointing himself head of the Church of England. He's determined to have his marriage annulled and marry Anne Boleyn. A cook is blackmailed into taking part in a murderous plot, with terrible consequences. And it falls to Thomas Cromwell to break the news to Queen Katherine that she has been banished from the court.

• Episode 2/10

  Henry is determined to drive through the annulment of his marriage to Katherine, against strong opposition from the Catholic Church. Meanwhile, Anne receives a sinister anonymous message hinting that she will come to a horrible end. But the would-be queen is unstoppable in her quest for power.

• Episode 3/10

  Henry marries Anne Boleyn in secret, but danger lurks in the shadows - the new queen narrowly escapes death when someone attempts to shoot her. The Pope wants Anne dead and she is widely loathed by the British populace, but her coronation proceeds nonetheless. Soon after, Henry's wish for a son and heir looks like it may be fulfilled at last when Anne becomes pregnant.

• Episode 4/10

  Henry takes steps to create an Act of Parliament that will ensure only children from his current marriage can ascend the throne, knowing full well that Thomas More will almost certainly object. Baby Elizabeth is baptized and sent to Hatfield to be looked after by Katherine's daughter Mary, while Anne keeps a watchful eye on her husband. It's not long before she notices how Henry behaves around Lady Eleanor and promptly acts to make sure her rival is removed from court.

• Episode 5/10

  Sir Thomas More and Bishop Fisher refuse to sign the Oath of Supremacy that would make Henry head of the Church of England. Angered by their actions and determined to have his way, Henry has the men charged with high treason and imprisoned in the Tower of London under threat of execution. Meanwhile, Anne suffers a miscarriage and realises that her failure to produce a male heir is making her position at court increasingly precarious.

• Episode 6/10

  Henry is troubled by terrible nightmares following the execution of Thomas More. In an attempt to salve his conscience, he blames Anne for influencing his decision. But their relationship is already collapsing under the pressure of Henry's persistent philandering. Meanwhile, an attempt is made to marry Elizabeth off to a French monarch, but the plan fails when Elizabeth is deemed illegitimate.

• Episode 7/10

  Henry's advisers want to limit the power and influence of the Catholic Church, and with Thomas Cranmer urging its absolute suppression, the English Reformation grows in force. Anne experiences terrifying dreams in which she is burned to death, and tells Henry that she cannot be at ease while Katherine and her daughter are still alive. Jane Seymour is brought to court to be a lady-in-waiting to Anne.

• Episode 8/10

  The beautiful Jane Seymour arrives at court and Anne requires her to swear an oath to act modestly. But it's not long before Henry has Jane secretly brought to his rooms so that he can declare his love for her. Later Henry takes part in a jousting tournament in which he is seriously wounded. As Anne prays for Henry's survival, Cromwell makes plans for the coronation of young Elizabeth.

• Episode 9/10

  Anne miscarries a son and, with Henry plainly in love with Jane Seymour, realises she is in more danger than ever before. Her enemies seize their moment and tell Henry that Anne has been involved with several men at court. The suspects are rounded up, brutally interrogated and accused of treason. Despite being the only one who could be deemed guilty, Wyatt alone escapes execution.

• Episode 10/10

  Anne's final moments are made even more traumatic as the swordsman who is to perform the execution is delayed and she has a brief but torturous reprieve. With her marriage to Henry annulled, Anne's daughter Elizabeth loses her right to the throne, whereas Mary is returned to the court. Meanwhile, Henry finds it difficult to accept the onset of middle-age, and his life of excess begins to take its toll.

Go to Series one