The Six Wives of Henry VIII is a six-part BBC presentation first telecast in England in early 1971. After a successful run in Canada, the production settled into a CBS network berth beginning August 1, 1971. Keith Michell stars as King Henry in each of the series' 90-minute installments, which trace the monarch's lives and loves from age 18 to his dotage. The six wives are played by Annette Crosbie (Catherine of Aragon), Dorothy Tutin (Anne Boleyn), Anne Stallybrass (Jane Seymour), Elvi Hale (Anne of Cleves), Angela Pleasence (Catherine Howard), and Rosalie Crutchley (Catherine Parr). Adapted for television by Rosemary Anne Sisson and narrated for its CBS run by Anthony Quayle, The Six Wives of Henry VIII scored a considerable ratings coup, and was rebroadcast on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre in 1972. That same year, Mitchell starred in a related theatrical-film effort, Henry VIII and His Six Wives. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
