ITV Commissions Alternate History Elizabeth I Drama 'Majesty'

Though period dramas have flirted with telling stories about famous faces and eras of history that have nothing to do with Tudor England in recent years, when in doubt this is always going to be a genre that goes back to what it knows best: The family of King Henry VIII, BBC sequel series Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light returns us to the world of Henry's court --- and depicts Thomas Cromwell's downfall --- next year, and ITV has now confirmed they'll once again be tackling the story of his most famous daughter, Elizabeth I, in a new drama. But if the press release for the forthcoming series Majesty is anything to go by, it won't be in a way any of us likely expect. 

Described as an "alternate history" version of the famous queen's life, details about the plot of Majesty are being kept under wraps. But per the announcement press release, ITV plans to tell a story that has very little to do with the history that its viewers already know. Described as a "bold reimagining" of the young queen's life, all we know about the show is that it will be based upon one of the many conspiracy theories surrounding her. 

What that is, exactly, remains unclear. To be fair, there is certainly no shortage of wild rumors about her life, many of which have already been explored on both page and screen That she slept with her stepfather, Sir Thomas Seymour. That she repeatedly plotted against her elder sister Mary's life or that she orchestrated the murder of Amy Dudley, wife of her longtime favorite (and rumored lover) Sir Robert Dudley. Even that she was secretly a man. 

It's this last one --- known as the Bisley Boy theory --- that feels like a perfect fit for a show that's aiming to push boundaries and reimagine history. (You heard it here first if this turns out to be the angle that the series is adapting, by the way.) 

The story goes that the real Elizabeth died young of a fever when she was nine or ten years old. Her nurse, fearing Henry's wrath, used a similar-looking red-headed male child to cover it up and then buried the remains of the real Elizabeth in a coffin that was discovered during the renovations at Overton House many years later. The story of a supposedly male imposter queen was popularized by none other than author Bram Stoker and certainly seems like little more than a misogynistic society still struggling to accept the accomplishments of an exceptional woman. But hey, it will probably make for some wild TV, if this is, in fact, one of the conspiracies Majesty will touch on.

Here's the series description. 

Far from being a historical account of Elizabeth’s early years, Majesty, is a bold, intriguing reimagining of her life based upon conspiracy theories which surrounded her as a youth.

Was the Virgin Queen hiding a profound secret? And how did this overlooked, embattled princess become the most powerful ruler England has ever known?

Majesty is created and written by former Grey's Anatomy showrunners Joan Rater, Tony Phelan, and William Harper. The trio recently collaborated on the eight-episode NatGeo/Disney+ limited drama series, A Small Light, for which they won the Humanitas Prize.  

"Majesty is an emotional, funny, and contemporary-feeling alternate history about how three outsiders try to stay alive while hiding a secret that, if discovered, would rock England to its foundations," Rater, Phelan, and Harper said in a statement. "Majesty allows us to have fun with history while illuminating who we are now. This show is pure wish-fulfillment of how people devoted to the public good suddenly find themselves in a position to make a difference.”

James Strong (Mr Bates Vs The Post Office) will direct the series, and his Strong Film and Television, which he formed with television executives Matt Tombs and Loretta Preece, will produce.

“I could not be more thrilled to be bringing this audacious and original show to the screen," Strong said. "The brilliant scripts are a director’s dream as we get to re-imagine and recreate an iconic piece of English history and tell a period story that looks stunning  but also feels modern and relevant to today's viewer.”

Filming will take place in 2025, with casting to be revealed closer to the start of production.