Elizabeth I drama for ITV

ITV has commissioned Tudor period drama, Majesty, which depicts the life of a young Elizabeth I and her place in the court of King Henry VIII…

Far from being an 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?

ITV’s Director of Drama, Polly Hill:  

“I’m delighted to be announcing Majesty and to be working with James and his team on such an intriguing and thought-provoking story. Majesty is a perfect illustration of the range of drama that we want to see on ITV as we continue to strive to make the best and most ambitious mainstream drama for our UK audiences.”

Created by former Grey’s Anatomy showrunners Joan Rater, Tony Phelan and William Harper, Majesty has been commissioned for transmission on ITV1 and STV and streaming on ITVX and STV Player.

Tony Phelan, Joan Rater and William Harper / ITV

Majesty is being produced by James Strong’s newly founded production company, Strong Film and Television, which James formed with fellow television executives Matt Tombs and Loretta Preece, and which is backed by leading producer-distributor STUDIOCANAL.

Most recently, Rater, Phelan and Harper collaborated on the eight-episode NatGeo/Disney+ limited drama series, A Small Light for which they won the Humanitas Prize in Limited Series; the Gotham Award for Best Breakthrough Series; and the Television Academy Honours for a drama series.

William Harper, Joan Rater and Tony Phelan:   

“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. Majesty allows us to have fun with history while illuminating who we are now. This show is pure wish-fulfilment of how people devoted to the public good suddenly find themselves in a position to make a difference.”

This six-part series will be directed by International Emmy and multi- BAFTA award-winning Director James Strong. Filming will commence in 2025 with casting revealed closer to the drama going into production.