It’s hard for me to believe, but early next year the BBC is finally releasing “The Shadow of the Tower” on DVD! I first heard about this program a long time ago when I was putting together my Tudors in the Movies and on Television page and someone emailed me saying that the BBC had done a program on Henry VII during the years they also made the more well-known “The Six Wives of Henry VIII” and “Elizabeth R”. I searched in vain for more information on the program, tried finding it on video, and even wrote to the BBC at one point asking if they had plans to release it. I almost doubted that it had even existed until I found a companion book to the series that had a photo of James Maxwell as Henry VII on the cover. I would periodically search around to see if it had finally been released, and then one day one of my Google news alerts contained a link to this page from the TV Shows on DVD site: The Shadow of the Tower – Before Henry VIII had 6 Wives, Henry VII Established England’s Tudor Dynasty. I believe I actually squeaked when I saw it (I was at work, so anything louder might have startled a few people!).
I know Henry VII isn’t as sexy as his children and grandchildren and he is totally reviled by fans of Richard III, but I find him fascinating. I don’t know if the programs feature much of Henry’s life before 1485 (which is the part I find most interesting), but there is still plenty of politics and intrigue from his reign to fill out 13 hours. And of course, anyone who knows me will not be surprised that I’m very interested in seeing the portrayal of Jasper Tudor (who is in 6 of the episodes if my info is correct), as well as Margaret Beaufort.
The DVDs will be released on January 25, 2011 in the US (appropriately enough, three days before Henry VII’s birthday), but I haven’t been able to find a release date for the UK yet. If you’re interested in pre-ordering from Amazon through my affiliate store, here’s the link:
[edited to add UK ordering information]
Fantastic, I’ve been waiting to see this for 30+ years.
Excellent, I can’t wait to watch it. I had no idea there had been a series about Henry VII.
I will definitely be buying it!
Ooh! Rachel Kempson as “Margaret of Burgundy.” (I assume this is Edward IV’s sister, who spent 20 years trying to drag Henry down.) Madame la Grande indeed.
The rest of the actors I haven’t much heard of, although they seem to be reliable stalwarts and there are a few recognizable names, like Colin Jeavons. There seems to have been a 1965 mini-series called The Wars of the Roses – I wonder if this carries on from that, and if the actors transferred their roles from one series to the next.
I was looking at the IMDB entry for that “Wars of the Roses” mini series. Looks like it ran 3 episodes and was a filmed version of the related Shakespeare plays. Quite some impressive names in there!
I, too, have looked for this program over the years. So glad to see it is finally available….altho at a rather steep price. Sorry to say, but I won’t be purchasing it until some reviews have been posted. Even then I’m hoping our library gets a copy.
Heavens above! I’m with you on the squeaking! About time! Now, when are we going to get “The Devil’s Crown”?
Watched this when it was on telly and loved it..Have been searching on and off for ages….Will be buying…Wonder how it holds up after all these years…Liked it much more than the Henry 8th and Elizabeth stuff…Seemed at the time a lot more true to history than the later stuff..
Hurrah! I missed half the episodes when this was shown on BBC1 as the national power cuts due to the Miners’ strikes meant no TV the evening it was on! I hoped they’d screen it again but they never did. Now perhaps I can finally watch it!
Very interested in seeing this series. Where can I purchase the dvd set and whats the best price?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B004O824DK/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Wonderful history. As an American, one must have already studied the history of the War of The Roses and all the players involved to understand all that is happening.
Henry VII has been eclipsed by the well known history of Henry VIII. that is truly a shame because, in my opinion, Henry VII was far more intelligent and a better king. Too bad that Arthur did not survive.