Becoming Elizabeth

CinemaSerf6/10

Dec 13, 2025

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I'm not so sure that this ought not to have been called "Becoming Edward VI" as it's eight episodes really only focus on that turbulent period in English history following the death of his father, Henry VIII. The King (Oliver Zetterström) was barely nine years old when he acceded and with his Roman Catholic sister Mary (Romola Garai) on one side of his throne and Protestant Elizabeth (Alicia von Rittberg) on the other, he finds his realm governed by his maternal uncle, the Duke of Somerset (John Heffernan). Mary is largely excluded from the early part of the series as we focus on the relationships of Elizabeth, her adopted mother Queen Catherine Parr (Jessica Raine) and her new husband, the Lord High Admiral and brother of the Protector, Thomas Seymour (Tom Cullen). It is clear that the latter of these characters is an ambitious man and this ultimately puts him at odds with both his brother and the council. When he attempts to seize the King, he is duly charged with a treason that not only sees him endanger himself but the future of his brother, who is facing opposition from both the increasingly confident Princess Mary and from the Duke of Northumberland (Jamie Parker). Meantime, Elizabeth is struggling to remain aloof from these conspiracies, and as the series heads towards more of the Northumberland years, she depends more on her friendship with his son Robert (Jamie Blackley) as the powers-that-be try to arrange unwelcome but strategic marriages for both her and her half-sister. As the series approaches it's conclusion it has become clear that the young King won't make old bones and that the succession planning isn't neccessarily going to go the way the old King had wanted. This is all perfectly adequate stuff with a superior production design to support some rich veins of historical manoeuvring, politicking and beyrayal. Regrettably, though, it's paced as though at least four series were intended and so the plot advances, soap opera style, in a very slow, methodical and dreary fashion. The writing is fairly pedestrian and none of the acting really convinces as it takes what seems like an age to establish the characters. This series could have easily been condensed into it's first two episodes thereby allowing us to focus more on the Jane Grey story and then the sisterly rivalry that proved so dangerous and so pivotal for Elizabeth across the rest. With no further series planned, it all fizzles out and doesn't really do much justice to any of it's colourful, deceitful and shrewd personalities. It passes the time fine, but as Tudor costume dramas go - it's unremarkably passionless and dry.