The White Queen (TV series)

The White Queen
Series titles over a background of carved roses
GenreDrama
Historical fiction
Based on
by Philippa Gregory
Written by
Directed by
Starring
ComposerJohn Lunn[1]
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes10 (list of episodes)
Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox television with "list_episodes" parameter using self-link. See Infobox instructions and MOS:INFOBOXPURPOSE.
Production
Executive producers
Production locationBelgium
Running time580 minutes
Production companiesCompany Pictures[2]
Czar Television[2]
Budget£25 million
Original release
NetworkBBC One
Release16 June (2013-06-16)[3] –
18 August 2013 (2013-08-18)
Related
The White Princess
The Spanish Princess
The Real White Queen and Her Rivals
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The White Queen is a British historical drama television drama serial based on Philippa Gregory's historical novel series The Cousins' War.[4] The first episode premiered on BBC One on 16 June 2013 in the UK.[5]

The drama is set against the backdrop of the Wars of the Roses and presents the story of the women involved in the long conflict for the throne of England. It starts in 1464; the nation has been at war for nine years fighting over who is the rightful king of England, as two branches of the Plantagenet family, the House of York and the House of Lancaster, contest the throne. The story follows three women, Elizabeth Woodville (Rebecca Ferguson), Margaret Beaufort (Amanda Hale) and Anne Neville (Faye Marsay), who manipulate events behind the scenes of history to gain power.[6] Elizabeth Woodville is the protagonist in the novel The White Queen, and Margaret Beaufort and Anne Neville are the focus of the novels The Red Queen and The Kingmaker's Daughter; the three characters appear in the three novels that make up the television drama.

The final episode of The White Queen aired on 18 August 2013 and the drama was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc the following day. Two days later, the BBC confirmed that The White Queen was always planned as a miniseries that would not be returning for a second series.[7] However, there were two sequels in 2017 and 2019.

The White Queen was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards and a People's Choice Award.

  1. ^ "Composers: John Lunn". Coolmusicltd.com. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  2. ^ a b Filothea: BBC: Films "The White Queen" television series in Belgium/Ghent Linked 2013-06-17
  3. ^ BBC Media Centre: The White Queen Linked 2013-06-17
  4. ^ "BBC – Media Centre: The White Queen, a new ten-part drama for BBC One". BBC.co.uk. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  5. ^ "Media Centre – Programme Information – The White Queen". BBC. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  6. ^ "Media Centre – The White Queen, a new ten-part drama for BBC One". BBC. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  7. ^ "'The White Queen' ditched by BBC: It is axed too soon?". Digital Spy. 20 August 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.