For further information:
Louise Zayed
Senior Press Officer
Tel: +353 1 419 3428
louise.zayed@tv3.ie
Kevin Shore
Press Officer
Tel: +353 1 419 3387
kevin.shore@virginmedia.ie
publicity@tv3.ie
TV3 GROUP NEWS RELEASE IMMEDIATE: Wednesday 8th April, 2009
THE TUDORS IS BACK EXCLUSIVELY TO TV3 WITH BRAND NEW SEASON 3
Boasting new cast members, including Grammy Award nominee Joss Stone
Series 3 starts on TV3 Tuesday 21st April at 10pm
Passion, ambition, and madness collide in season 3 of this compelling drama about the early years of King Henry VIII's infamous 40-year reign.
Starring Irish born Golden Globe winner Jonathan Rhys Meyers as King Henry VIII in an all-new season of THE TUDORS. The lustful monarch finally has everything he's ever wanted - true love, untold riches and absolute power - but now he's in danger of losing it all. Decadence and treachery run rampant in court, a growing rebellion threatens his rule and the Pope is more determined than ever to dethrone him. With England in turmoil, Henry must fight to keep his crown, his life and his legacy. This third series focuses on the people's response to the creation of a new national Church and on the king's third and fourth marriages.
From the beginning of his 40-year hold on power, England's King Henry VIII was a monarch of voracious appetites and little interest in the affairs of state, making him ripe for exploitation by his scheming Chancellor, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, whose papal ambitions dominated his personal agenda. But King Henry's desire for a male heir, and the inability of his wife - Katherine of Aragon - to produce one, sets his empire on an historic course that threatens his authority, fosters the rise of Anne Boleyn, a mistress determined to be the new queen, and sparks a bloody Protestant Reformation that undermines the primacy of the Catholic Church in Europe.
Despite challenges from a powerful Pope in Rome, ambitious and corrupt monarchs across the continent and even his own subjects, Henry will stop at nothing, including exiling and killing those closest to him, to get what he wants. Against this background are set the private lives and political intrigues of several members of the royal court and chancery.
In the wake of the execution of Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour, his third wife and the woman destined to bear him a son. Though the Queen's pregnancy is cause to rejoice, Henry is faced with mounting threats to his authority from a commoners' revolt inside England and an angry Pope determined to stem the rising tide of Protestantism. In the war on the home front, loyalty becomes a scarce commodity as friends become foes and tragedy strikes again and again. No one is safe from Henry's growing madness as the volatile and anguished monarch is cornered by a country that has come to hate him and all he stands for.
Episode 301:
Season 3 begins with the marriage of Henry (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) to his third wife, Jane Seymour (Annabelle Wallis). In contrast to the scheming upstart Anne Boleyn, Jane is a shy and demure young woman of noble birth, given away on her wedding day by her brother Edward Seymour (Max Brown). Henry's wife may have changed but his marital ambition remains constant, siring a male heir to the Tudor Dynasty.
Starring Golden Globe winner Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Mission Impossible III), Academy Award® nominee Max von Sydow (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), Henry Cavill (The Count of Monte Cristo), James Frain (Into the Blue), Gerard McSorley (The Constant Gardener), Annabelle Wallis (Body of Lies) and Joss Stone (Eragon)
ENDS.
For further information:
Maureen Catterson
TV3 PRESS OFFICE
+353 1 419 3430 / 087 780 0737
maureen.catterson@tv3.ie; publicity@tv3.ie
www.tv3.ie
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