The Virgin Queen

The Virgin Queen is a 2005 BBC and Power co-production, four-part miniseries based upon the life of Queen Elizabeth I, starring Anne-Marie Duff. As a drama, it focused heavily on the Elizabeth's private life - particularly her relationship with Robert Dudley, and explored the politics of her reign in rather less depth.

It was originally intended to air first on the BBC in September 2005, but as the date would have coincided with the release of the Channel 4 two-part mini Elizabeth I (starring Helen Mirren), it was decided to delay the BBC release until January 2006, two months after the US opening in November 2005 on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre.

Despite being a biopic of Elizabeth's life and reign, the series presented its main character with particular interest in several themes, most notably the emotional impact of her mother's execution and her love for Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester.

The drama played up the ambiguity of Elizabeth's virginity, featuring a scene where Elizabeth fantasizes about making love to Dudley. However, Anne-Marie Duff later stated that the director and scriptwriter explicitly told her to play the queen as a life-long virgin.

Historical accuracy

Described by its producers as "... [a] regal portrait ... steeped in historical accuracy", the series followed the general flow of history, but deviated from historical truth in numerous ways, such as:

• In the film, Elizabeth meets with Lettice Knollys after a long estrangement. In fact, Elizabeth snubbed Lettice, although Essex arranged the meeting.
• Elizabeth died standing up in the movie. In reality, she was persuaded to lie on a pile of cushions, then later to proceed to her bed, where she died.

Cast and credits

Cast

Production credits

• Producer - Paul Rutman
• Director - Coky Giedroyc
• Writer - Paula Milne
• Composer - Martin Phipps
• Director of Photography - David Odd
• Production Designer - Donal Wood
• Film Editor - Joe Walker
• Make Up Supervisor - Karen Hartley
• Costume Designer - Amy Roberts
• Casting Director - Nina Gold
• Executive Producers - Justin Bode, Laura Mackie, Kate Harwood, Simon Curtis

Filming locations

• Alnwick Castle (Execution scenes)
• Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire (Dudley's home)
• Chastleton House (Whitehall Palace interiors and gardens)
• Chillingham Castle (Fotheringhay)
• Labyrinthine Keep at Warkworth Castle (Tower of London)
• London's Middle Temple (Receiving Chamber)
• Lord Leycester hospital (the Strand)
• New College, Oxford (Anointment room)
• Raby Castle (Whitehall Palace)

Soundtrack

Original score was composed by Martin Phipps featuring vocals by the Mediæval Bæbes and the London Bulgarian Choir. The score won an Ivor Novello Award for "Best Television soundtrack". The Lyrics on the track played during the opening sequence were derived from a poem written by Elizabeth I.

See also

• Historical drama film
• BBC television drama
• BBC
• PBS

References

• The Virgin Queen -PBS
• The Virgin Queen - metacritic.com
• C16th makeups: The Virgin Queen
• The Virgin Queen at the Internet Movie Database
• The Virgin Queen - BBC Drama

External links

• The Virgin Queen at the Internet Movie Database
• The Virgin Queen at Allmovie