J S

I have read and seen a lot of portrayals of Elizabeth I, and this must be the worst. Dreadful mis-casting for Elizabeth. The actress must be related to the director, to have landed the role because she can’t act and doesn’t embody an intelligent, strategic girl. Her voice is hoarse, weak and grating. The fictional love story created from the ashes of what was clearly grooming and some level of abuse by the step-father Thomas Seymour, and some complicity from Catherine Parr was stomach churning. All other cast were excellent. They took the limited script as far as they could, and the costumers and set direction was excellent.