Ava Pickett’s West End play “1536” is being adapted for television.
HBO and the BBC are set to co-produce the six-episode series, which follows the lives of three working class women in Tudor England against the backdrop of Henry VIII’s failing relationship with Anne Boleyn.
“A darkly comic and terrifyingly relevant story about friendship, sisterhood, and a changing world, ‘1536’ explores how the actions of a man in power changes the fate of working-class women on the edges of the country,” reads the logline. “It asks if a king can murder his queen, what does that mean for women elsewhere and how much have things really changed?”
“I’m so excited and thrilled to be working with HBO, the BBC and Drama Republic on ‘1536’ and feel very lucky to have them champion this story so fiercely,” said Pickett. “And to be collaborating with the brilliantly talented Molly Manners is a dream come true. I can’t wait to bring this story about power, patriarchy and friendship to a new audience.”
HBO’s head of drama Francesca Orsi said: “We’re elated to partner with Ava Pickett and the BBC to bring her first television series to life. Ava is an immense talent, and we couldn’t be more excited and honored to work with her on transforming her singular vision of ‘1536’ from stage to screen.”
Lindsay Salt, director of drama at the BBC, added: “We are thrilled to be working once again with the HBO team and look forward to bringing Ava’s brilliantly bold scripts to life together with the team at Drama Republic. We can’t wait for viewers to see these funny, courageous, and iconic female characters on screen.”
“1536” is produced by Drama Republic, a Mediawan Group Company. Pickett will serve as showrunner, writer and exec producer on the show, which will be directed by Molly Manners (“One Day”). Manners will also serve as an exec producer alongside Jude Liknaitzky, Roanna Benn, Rebecca de Souza, and Chloe Beeson for Drama Republic and Anna Ferguson for the BBC.