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Tracy Borman tells the story of the downfall of Henry VIII's second wife, charting her arrest, trial and execution.
Seasons
Episode 1
Tracy Borman tells the story of the downfall of Henry VIII's second wife, charting her arrest, trial and execution.
In the first episode, Tracy visits Greenwich to follow the course of events on the day Anne was arrested. She was watching a game of tennis when she received a message calling her before the Privy Council to face accusations of adultery. The programme examines documents revealing her poor standing at court, and why her miscarriage sealed her fate.
Tracy Borman traces the events of Monday 15th May 1536, the day of Anne Boleyn's trial in the Tower of London, where she is accused of adultery and treason. Tracy examines the trial papers in the National Archive with lawyer Afua Hirsch, to see if Anne ever stand any chance of a fair hearing.
Historian Tracy Borman reaches May 19, 1536, the day Anne is set to be executed. She discovers astonishing details of the day - of how Anne, despite being found guilty of adultery, incest and treason, still lived in hope that the King would intervene and save her. The penalty for treason was either burning at the stake or being hung, drawn and quartered. Yet King Henry insisted on the French method of beheading by sword. For this he called over an expert swordsman from France - but as Tracy discovers, there is something intriguing about the timeframe.
