Please note this is a region 2 DVD & will require a region 2 or region free DVD player in order to play Historian & broadcaster Dr David Starkey follows his acclaimed series Monarchy with this gripping portrait of England&s best-known king In 1509 Henry VIII&s accession to the throne was greeted with wild rejoicing Tall athletic & handsome he filled the nation with hope Yet by his death 38 years later Henry VIII had earned the reputation of a tyrannical & ruthless monarch Dr David Starkey reveals how this glamorous prince became the nation&s most notorious tyrant From the young man who became heir to the throne at the sudden death of his brother to his establishment of the Church of England & the bellicose quest to become a major player in Europe The series reveals the truth of the King&s relationships the beautiful Anne Boleyn; the machiavellian Cardinal Wolsey; Thomas More the lifelong friend he beheaded & of course the bloody cycle of marriage divorce & execution It tells of a ruthless King infatuated with power who released an orgy of iconoclasm & sadistic revenge on those who rebelled against him This compelling series brings this fascinating monarch to vivid life shows how he influence our very sense of identity & nationhood & tells one of the strangest & most dramatic stories in history Actors Ken Bones Siobhan Hewlett Sophie Hunter Laurence Spellman & Ryan Kiggell Director David Sington Certificate Universal Suitable for All Languages English