Princes in the Tower (2005) (TV)

Director:

Justin Hardy

Writer:

Tina Pepler (writer)

Release Date:

12 May 2005 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

16 years after the 'deaths' of the two boy Princes held captive in the Tower, Perkin Warbeck makes his...

Cast

Mark Umbers	...	Perkin Warbeck
Nadia Cameron-Blakey	...	Queen Elizabeth
Paul Hilton	...	Henry VII
Roger Hammond	...	Bishop De Cambrai
John Castle	...	Dr. Argentine
Sally Edwards	...	Margaret Beaufort
Nicholas Rowe	...	Ambassador
Timotei Cresta	...	Edward V aged 12
Correntin Combeau	...	Richard aged 10

Runtime:

UK:120 min (including commercials)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

RDF Media

Quotes:

Perkin Warbeck: You used to sing me to sleep, do you remember? La-le, La-le my little child, sleep and now be still...
Queen Elizabeth: ... if thou be a little child, yet may thou have thy will

A gorgeous little piece of drama ...

I must admit I was quite excited to see a new drama about the princes who disappeared so mysteriously in the Tower way back when, especially since increasingly more History A-level students, myself included, have had the opportunity to study the subject as part of the Henry VII syllabus. And - I say this and feel utterly convinced - I was not disappointed. "Princes in the Tower", unlike several other TV historical dramas I could mention, was refreshingly non-cheesy, informative, and boasted what I can only describe as one of the hottest actors working today (Mark Umbers, playing Perkin Warbeck). Whilst the drama was a fairly focused piece with detailed characters and an intriguing basis in truth, it also made no flagrant assumptions or claims as to the truth about the princes' fate - something that still has yet to be proved - and did not seem to "victimise" any of the historical figures depicted within, including Richard III - and as a staunch Ricardian this was also very refreshing! Of course, there were a few things that were to be expected of Channel 4, such as the "comic relief" in the form of an absurd Spanish ambassador, and a few unrealistic character aspects - from what we know of Henry VII he certainly would not have considered abdicating in favour of "the truth", and indeed he would not have bothered to attend Warbeck's interrogation. However, I definitely felt that the characters by and large were highly empathic, and several moments were undoubtedly moving. All in all, a gorgeous little piece of drama - it is so great when terrestrial TV strikes gold like this every once in a while. I taped this when it was on and would definitely watch it again. I probably wouldn't recommend it as a study aid for History A-level because the story has been "glamourised" to an extent, but it's a great way to indulge an interest in the subject. A resounding 10/10..