A willful king … a prophetic ghost … family betrayals … revenge! It sounds like a play by Shakespeare, but it’s a drama about the future.
MASTERPIECE presents an adaptation of the Tony®-nominated hit Broadway show "King Charles III," starring the late Tim Pigott-Smith as Prince Charles after his accession to the throne, sometime in the years ahead.
Mr. Pigott-Smith, who died unexpectedly on April 7, had appeared in several MASTERPIECE productions, including THE JEWEL IN THE CROWN and most recently DOWNTON ABBEY.
MASTERPIECE Executive Producer Rebecca Eaton commented, “The MASTERPIECE family is heartbroken at the loss of Tim Pigott-Smith, a wonderful actor and a warm and charming man. We are going to miss him.”
"King Charles III" playwright Mike Bartlett remembered him as “one of the real greats, both as an actor and a man.”
Daringly scripted in blank verse by Bartlett (DOCTOR FOSTER, DOCTOR WHO) and directed by Rupert Goold (THE HOLLOW CROWN), "King Charles III" focuses on the crisis-strewn transition of power after the eventual death of Queen Elizabeth II, currently the longest-serving monarch in British history.
For his part, Charles is the longest heir-in-waiting ever, and Bartlett envisions the turmoil that rocks the monarchy when his turn finally comes.
Also starring are Oliver Chris (BREATHLESS) as Charles’s heir, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge; Charlotte Riley ("In the Heart of the Sea," PEAKY BLINDERS) as William’s bride, Kate; Richard Goulding (RIPPER STREET) as Charles’s younger son, Prince Harry; Tamara Lawrance (UNDERCOVER) as Harry’s love interest and self-proclaimed revolutionary, Jess Edwards; Margot Leicester (MI-5) as Charles’s doting wife, Camilla; and Adam James (GRANTCHESTER, DOCTOR FOSTER) as the polished British prime minister, Tristan Evans.
The original London staging of "King Charles III" won Best New Play accolades from both the Laurence Olivier Awards and the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards. Moving across the Atlantic, it garnered five Tony® nominations during its Broadway run.
This film is not currently available to stream on demand.
REVIEWS:
The New York Times hailed the production as “flat-out brilliant … dazzlingly presumptuous.”
And in London, The New Statesman marveled at the playwright’s audacity: “If the Lord Chamberlain still policed the stage, Bartlett would be in the Tower.”
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CREDITS:
A co-production with Drama Republic for the BBC and airs on MASTERPIECE. MASTERPIECE is presented on PBS by WGBH Boston. Rebecca Eaton is executive producer.
