I had already seen the great actress, star of Women in Love, play Queen Elizabeth I in the film Mary, Queen of Scots, it was sad to hear about her death at the age of 87, I had recorded this TV serial, which followed the successful The Six Wives of Henry VIII, I watched it shortly after she died, it was repeated on BBC Four. Basically, following the death of Henry VIII (Keith Michell), his only surviving son, young Edward VI (Jason Kemp) ascends to become king. It is a dangerous time for the young Princess Elizabeth (twice Emmy winning and nominated, and BAFTA nominated Glenda Jackson), after narrowly avoiding the suggestion that she was involved in the attempted abduction of Edward by Sir Thomas Seymour (John Ronane). Elizabeth becomes an unintentional figurehead for a Protestant rebellion led by Thomas Wyatt the Younger (Robert Garrett). Her devout Roman Catholic half-sister Mary I (Daphne Slater) succeeds to the throne following Edward's abdication. At the age of twenty-five, Elizabeth I is the new queen and is unmarried. Her Council urges her to marry quickly, particularly the man she trusts most, Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley (Ronald Hines), to ensure the succession. The only men that interest the queen are Lord Robert Dudley (Robert Hardy), at first her Master of the Horse, and later the Earl of Leicester. Elizabeth meets her most eligible suitor, Francis, Duke of Alençon (Michael Williams), the younger brother of the French king. It is hoped a marriage will cement France's sought alliance with England. Elizabeth seems taken with the witty Francis, but there is opposition from Puritans in the country, while zealously anti-Catholic councillor Sir Francis Walsingham (Stephen Murray) secretly approves of it. Elizabeth faces tough decisions as her duties as queen clash with her personal feelings. Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots (Vivian Pickles) is found guilty of plotting against Elizabeth and imprisoned for nineteen years. There is a clampdown on conspiring Roman Catholics, but Mary's actions inspire many attempts to overthrow Elizabeth. Elizabeth fears Mary's death will condemn her in the eyes of God. After Mary, Queen of Scots is executed, the feeble King Philip II of Spain (Peter Jeffrey) wants to avenge her death. Philip orders an unprepared fleet, commanded by the inexperienced Duke of Medina Sidonia (Gordon Gostelow), to sail to England. Even as Elizabeth rebukes the privateers in her council, including both Walsingham and Sir Francis Drake (John Woodvine), hoping for peace, the Spanish Armada invades England. The fate of the queen and the future of the country is now in the hands of Drake and the Navy. Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex (Robin Ellis) is admired by the people, along with Lord Charles Howard (Peter Howell), after successfully capturing the Spanish seaport of Cádiz. Devereux rises to power being made Lord Deputy of Ireland and crushing the uprising of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone (Patrick O'Connell). But Devereux squanders his army, makes a humiliating truce with O'Neill, and returns to England without permission. Devereux's unsuccessful uprising against the queen results in his execution in London. The elderly Queen Elizabeth I is radiant in her final address to Parliament but dies soon afterward. Her last action regards the query of Sir Robert Cecil (Hugh Dickson) about her successor being King James VI of Scotland. Also starring John Shrapnel as Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex, Bernard Horsfall as Sir Christopher Hatton, John Nettleton as Sir Francis Bacon, Angela Thorne as Lettice Knollys, Lady Leicester, Hugh Dickson as Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, Nicholas Selby as Sir Walter Raleigh, Rosalie Crutchley as Catherine Parr, Peter Egan as Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, Hayden Jones as Charles Blount, 8th Baron Mountjoy, Sonia Fraser as Elizabeth Wriothesley, Countess of Southampton, and Sarah Frampton as Lady Jane Grey. Jackson gives a superb performance throughout all stages in the life of the Virgin Queen, and the supporting cast are all good as well. I'm not going to pretend I understand a lot about royalty and the politics of the programme, and each episode of the series is 90 minutes long which is a little testing, but for the performance of Jackson, the period detail and costume design, and a good script, it is a worthwhile historical drama. It won the Emmys for Outstanding New Series, Outstanding Series - Drama, and Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design, and it was nominated for Outstanding Single Program - Drama or Comedy. Very good!
Review of Elizabeth R
