The BBC Will Adapt Ava Pickett’s 1536

The BBC has commissioned 1536, a new drama series for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, based on Ava Pickett’s play of the same name, from Drama Republic.

The 8x30’ drama, written by Ava (How To Get To Heaven from Belfast, The Great), is set in the heart of Tudor England against the backdrop of Anne Boleyn’s arrest and weaves royal scandal with rural struggle.

It centres around Anna, Mariella and Jane: three young women gossiping, arguing and dreaming in an Essex village, desperately waiting for their lives to start. When the news reaches them that King Henry VIII has had his Queen, Anne Boleyn, arrested, the three of them never suspect that this act will change their lives forever.

As the weeks unfold, Anna, Jane and Mariella notice a rising tide of puritanism and misogyny. They attempt to navigate marriage, relationships, betrayals and births but as the fate of a Queen in a tower is sealed, they discover that being a woman in a volatile country is dangerous. As their own fates come into focus, the three try desperately to hold on to their friendship - but can it last or must they turn on each other to survive?

A darkly comic and terrifyingly relevant story about friendship, sisterhood and a changing world, 1536 is a series that explores how the actions of a man in power changes the fate of working class women on the edges of the country. It asks if a King can murder his Queen, what does that mean for women elsewhere and how much have things really changed?

Ava Pickett says: “1536 is something I am immensely proud of and I feel so lucky and privileged to have the chance to bring Anna, Jane and Mariella to a wider audience and to build out their lives even more. In a world where every decision made in the corridors of power ricochets through all of our lives, this story feels more relevant than ever. I’m so grateful to Lindsay Salt for being such a champion of it from the start.”

Rebecca de Souza, executive producer for Drama Republic, says: “Ava Pickett’s writing is truly unique, thrilling, and funny, and we are so excited to be working with her in producing her first original series. Audiences were knocked out by her play 1536; it is so bold and entertaining, but it also creeps under your skin, leaving a profound warning for the modern world - a period show from a fresh and urgent viewpoint.”

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, adds: “From the moment we saw Ava’s play we knew that we had to have the TV version on the BBC. Visceral, funny, provocative, timely and full of courage, this is a piece of work like no other. Ava is an exceptional voice, so we feel very lucky to be working with her and the brilliant team at Drama Republic to bring three iconic female characters to the screen.”

1536 is written by Ava Pickett. The executive producers are Jude Liknaitzky, Roanna Benn, Rebecca de Souza, Chloe Beeson and Ava Pickett. The series was commissioned by Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama.