When Will The New Wolf Hall Series Air?

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The latest historical drama to have on your radar

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While it may have first hit screens in 2015 – and bookstores in 2009 – Wolf Hall continues to be one of the BBC’s best-loved historical dramas on the platform. Boasting a stellar cast, stunning period costumes and high-stakes drama courtesy of author Hilary Mantel, the show was something of a short-lived wonder – until now.

A second series of Wolf Hall (with the subtitle The Mirror and the Light, the third and final book in Mantel’s trilogy) is set to bring back much of the main cast of the original show, nine years later, and bring the BBC show to its long-awaited finale. Here are all of the details.

Wolf Hall Season 2: Cast, Plot, Release Date & More

Harry Melling as Thomas Wriothesley in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light coming to BBC One and iPlayer

What Is Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light About?

Wolf Hall season 2 (aka The Mirror and the Light) will pick up right where the first series left off, beginning in May 1536. ‘Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife, is dead,’ the BBC says. ‘As the axe drops, Thomas Cromwell emerges from the bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master, Henry, settles to short-lived happiness with his third queen, Jane Seymour.

‘Cromwell, a man with only his wits to rely on, has no great family to back him, and no private army. Navigating the moral complexities that accompany the exercise of power in this brutal and bloody time, Cromwell is caught between his desire to do what is right and his instinct to survive. But in the wake of Henry VIII having executed his queen, no one is safe.

‘Despite rebellion at home, traitors plotting abroad and the threat of invasion testing Henry’s regime to breaking point, Cromwell’s robust imagination sees a new country in the mirror of the future. All of England lies at his feet, ripe for innovation and religious reform. But as fortune’s wheel turns, Cromwell’s enemies are gathering in the shadows.

‘The inevitable question remains: how long can anyone survive under Henry’s cruel and capricious gaze?’

Charlie Rowe as Gregory Cromwell in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light coming to BBC One and iPlayer

Is It Based On A Book?

Yes, the second season of Wolf Hall is based on Hillary Mantel’s novel, The Mirror and the Light, the third and final book in her Thomas Cromwell trilogy. Season 1 was based on the trilogy’s first two novels, Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies, which both won the Booker Prize, in 2009 and 2012 respectively. The Mirror and the Light was published in 2020 – her first novel in more than eight years.

Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Rafe Sadler in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light coming to BBC One and iPlayer

Recap: What Happened In Wolf Hall?

Before Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, there was simply Wolf Hall. Back in 2015, the BBC released a six-part series adapted from the first two novels of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall series, titled Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. The fictionalised biography documented the rapid rise of Thomas Cromwell in the English court of King Henry VIII, with the first three episodes following the first book and the last three episodes following the second.

For those who have become (understandably) unfamiliar with the plot of series one of Wolf Hall in the nine years since its release, don’t fret – we’ve detailed a quick recap below.

*spoilers ahead*

Wolf Hall opens with the downfall of Cardinal Wolsey, the powerful Lord Chancellor to King Henry VIII. Wolsey has failed in his mission to secure an annulment of the King’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon, and this perceived failure has made him an enemy of both the Queen and the King’s mistress, Anne Boleyn.

Enter Thomas Cromwell, Wolsey’s former secretary, who sets out to restore the Cardinal to the King’s good graces. Cromwell is a shrewd political operator, secretly meeting with Protestant reformers while publicly maintaining a facade of loyalty to the Catholic Church. However, Cromwell’s efforts to help Wolsey are complicated by Thomas More, a staunch Catholic ally of the King. More sees Cromwell as a heretic and the two men become embroiled in a bitter rivalry.

As Wolsey is stripped of his position and exiled, Cromwell takes up his cause at court. He navigates the treacherous politics, aligning his interests with the King’s desire to annul his marriage and marry Anne Boleyn. Cromwell proves himself invaluable to the king, helping to orchestrate the break from the Catholic Church and the dissolution of the monasteries

Eventually, however, the King becomes infatuated with his next love interest: Jane Seymour. The series culminates in Anne Boleyn’s downfall and execution, with Cromwell, now the master of Henry’s court, playing a key role in her undoing.

Timothy Spall as the Duke of Norfolk and Alex Jennings as Stephen Gardiner in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light (c) BBC/Nick Briggs

Why Was There Such A Big Gap Between The First & Second Series?

Fans of Wolf Hall have eagerly been awaiting the return of the series for several years now, but the BBC refrained from making another series on its own without material from author Hilary Mantel. The Mirror and the Light was only published in 2020, and was Mantel’s first novel in eight years (Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies were released in 2009 and 2012 respectively). The novel was released to critical acclaim, paving the way for another TV instalment.

This instalment was announced back in November 2023, with the BBC and MASTERPIECE PBS giving the greenlight on a new series and bringing back several of the original cast members from the first series.

Kate Phillips as Jane Seymour in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light coming to BBC One and iPlayer

How Historically Accurate Is Wolf Hall?

Being a historical drama, much of what takes place in Wolf Hall and Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light is based on real events and features real people. Based on the Wolf Hall novels by Hilary Mantel, the show is set between 1500 and 1540 and follows the rise and fall of English statesman Thomas Cromwell in the court of King Henry VIII.

Main plot points, such as the separation of the Church, the marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and (spoiler alert) the eventual execution of Thomas Cromwell, are all historical and real – but Mantel has admitted that ‘facts are not truth’ in historical fiction, and that her books (and, by association, the BBC adaptation) are prone to dramatization for entertainment’s sake.

Harriet Walter as Lady Margaret Pole in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light (c) BBC/Nick Briggs in Wolf Hall (c) BBC/Nick Briggs

Wolf Hall: The Mirror & The Light Cast

Fans of the original Wolf Hall series will be happy to know that several members of the original cast will be returning for the second instalment, including Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis, Jonathan Pryce, Kate Phillips and Lilit Lesser. An impressive roster of new names will also be joining the project, including Timothy Spall, Harry Melling and Succession alum Harriet Walter. However, the likes of Saskia Reeves, Charity Wakefield, Jessica Raine and Tom Holland will not be returning for the sequel.

The full cast for Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light includes:

Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell
Damian Lewis as Henry VIII
Lilit Lesser as Princess Mary
Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Wolsey
Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Rafe Sadler
Timothy Spall as Duke of Norfolk
Harriet Walter as Lady Margaret Pole
Karim Kadjar as Eustache Chapuys
Charlie Rowe as Gregory Cromwell
Lydia Leonard as Jane Rochford
Harry Melling as Thomas Wriothesley
Kate Phillips as Jane Seymour

Lilit Lesser as Princess Mary in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light coming to BBC One and iPlayer

Is There A Trailer?

Not yet, but watch this space for updates.

Release Date

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light is expected to debut before the end of 2024. All six episodes will air on BBC One before landing on BBC iPlayer in the UK.