Details

1546 - Henry VIII is dying. He spends his days shut away in his chambers, brooding. He is ill, paranoid and grossly overweight, so much so that he can't even wipe his own royal backside. Instead, this most honoured - and frequent - duty falls to The Groom of the Stool, Sir Anthony Denny, Henry's most trusted confidant. Everyone sees that Henry's death is close - except, that is, Henry himself. And this is a worse problem for Denny than the King's inclement bowels; Henry needs to be persuaded to put his house in order and ensure a peaceful succession for his young son. In short, some vexatious Lords need to be relieved of their heads; if not, trouble looms for England and for Denny. But convincing Henry to act also means persuading him to accept his own impending death and how does one persuade a king who desires immortality of that? Especially when to even imagine Henry's death is treason and treason means the block...

Creatives/Company

Author: Matthew Houghton
Company: Distant Mirror
Director: Ed Browning