Latest news with #EnglishReformation
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Netflix latest 'must-watch' film for royal fans with star-studded cast
The Other Boleyn Girl, which is currently available to stream on Netflix, stars two of Hollywood's biggest actresses and has been praised by viewers for its 'very good' acting. The understated period drama The Other Boleyn Girl, released in 2008 and featuring Scarlett Johansson alongside other top-tier talent, has been praised for its "very good" performances. Set in the 16th century, it tells the story of royal affairs. At the heart of the film is Mary Boleyn, once a consort of King Henry VIII, and her sister Anne, whose ultimate fate was to face execution by the same king. It is now currently available to stream on Netflix. A critic from Rotten Tomatoes observed: "With all of the dukes, earls, counts, viscounts, countesses, and whatnot to keep track of, The Other Boleyn Girl will probably appeal primarily to fans of British royalty and all of the associated hoopla that goes along with it." Dipping into an era thick with scandal, the storyline delves into the dramatic episodes that culminate in Anne Boleyn's harrowing downfall, depicting her union with the monarch as fraught with treachery and anguish. The beheading of Anne Boleyn in 1536 on charges of treason marked a pivotal moment, setting alight the sparks of the English Reformation, as reported by the Mirror. Natalie Portman plays the ill-starred Anne Boleyn, Scarlett Johansson embodies Mary, while Eric Bana takes on the role of King Henry VIII. Following her celebrated performance in the memorable V for Vendetta, Portman embraces the bygone epoch with hair extensions for her role. Commentators have remarked: "Very good acting from both Portman and Johansson. An overall good watch. Not periodically sound, but the execution was very good." The Other Boleyn Girl compellingly recasts a family entrenched in political machinations, vying for influence over the king. The film not only offers a window into the alleged off-stage drama within the Royal Family, but also sets itself against a pivotal chapter in British history, marking the era when Henry VIII made divorce part of the country's narrative. Despite the consensus that the performances are a highlight, the movie has encountered its fair share of critics. A spectator remarked: "I found the movie to be very entertaining. I don't know what happened in the past history for the events that occurred, but the movie itself was quite good." Upon its release, The Guardian awarded the production a respectable three stars out of five, dubbing it a "flashy, silly, undeniably entertaining Tudor romp". Someone in the audience noted the film as a "routinely narrated story". They added: "Here it is told well with a great cast delivering performances that are trying to keep pace given the squeezing of so much into such a relatively short time frame. Yes, it takes liberties with the original how else do you retell it? Certainly worth a watch."
Daily Record
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Pop Idol star makes same British royal discovery as Danny Dyer after nine years
Another famous face delves into their family history on Who Do You Think You Are? and the results are shocking EastEnders icon Danny Dyer left viewers gobsmacked when he found out his bloodline had been linked to English Royalty, and now a Pop Idol celebrity has stumbled upon a similarly astonishing discovery. Will Young is set to appear on Who Do You Think You Are? where he's poised to uncover a bombshell that promises to shake his world to its core. The 46-year-old chart-topper delves into historical records to trace any hidden secrets within his family tree. In an episode that promises to drop jaws, the Pop Idol winner discovers a connection to Hugh Le Despenser, a one-time confidant of King Edward II. Hugh Le Despenser, a name etched in history, had amassed great wealth by acquiring lands in South Wales, becoming one of the wealthiest men of his era, reports Surrey Live. But the revelations didn't stop there, Will was astounded to learn that he is a direct descendant of King Edward I, not once but twenty times over. Known as the Hammer of the Scots, Edward I reigned as King of England from 1272 until 1307. Overwhelmed by the magnitude of his lineage, Will described the revelation as "soul nourishing" and expressed his astonishment: "I didn't expect it, my 20 times great-grandfather was Edward I, that's just bonkers, and then we move to the man, the myth, the legend, the horror that is Hugh Le Despenser, who's just an absolute monster of a man." The episode took a poignant turn as the artist learnt his late grandfather Digby Young had been a bomber pilot and prisoner of war during WWII, a fact previously unknown to him. Digby was detained in a German-occupied prison in Poland until he talked his way out and earned the role of Squadron Leader, piloting jets. Will shared poignantly: "It's completely not how I saw him at all. I didn't know he went on to do any of this. Now I feel like I've got another grandfather. I didn't feel like I had a right, really, to claim another grandfather, because I didn't know him." To honour his grandfather's memory, the pop star had a tattoo done with Digby's squadron number. Will's revelation shares similarities with actor Danny Dyer's discovery that he descends from William the Conqueror and King Edward III, uncovered on the 2016 series of Who Do You Think You Are? Like Will, Danny also found out he was related to Thomas Cromwell, the counsellor to Henry VIII and protagonist of the English Reformation. Will Young's royal discovery will air on June 3, at 9pm on BBC One.
Metro
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Another celebrity discovers they're related to a king 9 years after Danny Dyer
It's been nine years since Danny Dyer unforgettably discovered he was related to English royalty – and now Will Young is following in his footsteps. The EastEnders star, 47, couldn't have possibly have predicted he shared a direct bloodline with William the Conqueror and King Edward III when he appeared on BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? in 2016. Not only that, but he even has ties with Henry VIII's adviser and English Reformation advocate, Thomas Cromwell – all of which was explored in his hands-on 2019 documentary Right Royal Family. Nothing screams niche British nepo baby like finding some blue-blooded skeletons in your closet and now the 46-year-old singer has his own aristocratic claim to fame on his episode of the genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? During the episode, the former Pop Idol winner discovered his relation to Hugh Le Despenser, an adviser to King Edward II who became one of the richest men of the time after seizing land in South Wales. But the shock revelations didn't end there as he also discovered King Edward I – who ruled on the turn of the 13th and 14th century – was his direct ancestor, 20 times over. Reflecting on it all he called it one of the most 'soul nourishing experiences I've ever had.' He continued: 'I didn't expect it, my 20 times great-grandfather was Edward I, that's just bonkers, and then we move to the man, the myth, the legend, the horror that is Hugh Le Despenser, who's just an absolute monster of a man.' It won't be long before the UK has accidentally built an exclusive selection of British celebs who can unite to overthrow the monarchy with their own claim to the throne. Elsewhere in the episode the actor grew emotional after finding out his grandfather Digby Young was a prisoner of war during the Second World War at German-occupied prison in Poland. The bomber pilot managed to bribe himself out and went onto become a Squadron Leader flying jets. He reflected: 'It's completely not how I saw him at all. I didn't know he went on to do any of this. Now I feel like I've got another grandfather. I didn't feel like I had a right, really, to claim another grandfather, because I didn't know him.' And even got a tattoo of his plane and squadron number in his memory. The Strictly Come Dancing star is behind four UK number one singles and recently told Metro that he was considering a career change after finding a passion for helping young people. ''If I don't end up fostering I've been looking into training to become a school counsellor,' Will told Metro. More Trending 'I think there's a huge need for school counsellors, and so I will definitely be in some sort of way aiding, helping and guiding younger people, because I'm of that age now. 'I think it's important for people to know that you can be parental, even if you don't have kids. 'You can still find that part of you, and I think that's really important for people to realise, and important for myself,' he explained. View More » Will Young's episode of Who Do You Think You Are airs on BBC One at 9pm on June 3. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 'Humanising trans people is so important right now – our BBC series does that' MORE: Gary Lineker breaks 26-year streak with mistake on final Match of the Day MORE: Former CBBC child star reveals she's been diagnosed with perimenopause at 36
BBC News
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
New Lincoln exhibit to explore lost treasures of cathedral
An exhibition inspired by objects taken from Lincoln Cathedral during the English Reformation is to open next month. A Right Royal Heist will open at the cathedral on 3 May as part of Lincoln's Festival of 1536, items including jewels and vestments were removed from Lincoln Cathedral as part of the destruction of the monasteries after Henry VIII declared that he, not the Pope, was head of the Church of artists are bringing the items back to life at the exhibition through digital illustration, ceramics, painting and textiles. The register and inventory of all jewels, vestments and other ornaments was written by cathedral treasurer Henry Lytherland and has survived for more than 400 years, Lincoln Cathedral from artists Mel Langton, Fiona Hodges, Lisa Tank and Hannah Cawthorne from Indigo Crow Gallery will be on display in the Exhibition Gallery until the end of Langton and Ms Hodges said they had been inspired by Henry VIII and their pieces focus on him, depicting a monstrous giant removing the objects and a ceramic sculpture showing him enthroned as the ultimate magpie, surrounded by works depict the cathedral's vestments and the inventory document itself. 'Really exciting' Fern Dawson, curator at Lincoln Cathedral, said: "When the project was first developed, I really wanted to leave the options open for the artists involved to bring their own personality and material skills to express how the document inspired them. "Bringing an historic document to life in this way has been really exciting and the ideas it has inspired are fantastic – we can wait for the exhibition to open and for everyone to see these new works."Admission to the exhibition is included in the cathedral entrance to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Church clock thought to date from 1400 refurbished
A church clock thought to date back as far as 1400 is being removed from its tower to be refurbished. The clock at St Catherine's Church, in Montacute, Somerset, still has a number of its original components, including the outer frame. Church representatives knew the clock to be centuries old but research carried out in-house found its construction methods likely date back to the 15th century. It will be removed by a specialist team later before an audience of pupils from All Saints Church of England Primary School. More news stories for Somerset Listen to the latest news for Somerset Churchwarden Nic Laycock said the discovery of the clock's age had made its removal a big community story in Montacute. "The belief was it went back as far as the English Reformation - 1539 - when the old priory in the village was dissolved by Henry VIII. "But, when experts came and looked at the construction - the quality of the workmanship, or lack thereof because it's of fairly crude construction, they decided it was a good deal older. "We've no written provenance of the date, but the style and quality of the work puts it around 1400, we're told, which makes it one of the oldest working clocks in the country." He added: "We've now got the primary school involved in marking this by writing a poetry anthology." The current clock face was added in 1815 by villager George Baker. Beyond the clock's great age and its removal from the church tower, there are community links that cement its place in local folklore. "There's the story of Eric Rogers, who wound the clock every single day from 1914 for 67 years," says Mr Laycock. "He'd promised his uncle he would do so until his uncle returned from the First World War, which tragically never happened." Mr Rogers wound the clock daily until the 1980s, when local man Humphrey Hamlin took over. Although Mr Hamlin later electrified the clock, he still monitors its condition in his 90s - just the second person in more than a century to be its keeper. To add to the story, he now lives in the house where George Baker made the clock face in 1815. Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Churchyards encouraged to embrace nature Locals asked to help fill in wedding records gap Church bell rings after 150 years of silence
