MASTERPIECE on PBS has shared its airdate and a trailer for the eagerly awaited and years-in-the-making historical drama, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. The brand-new TV adaptation continues the spellbinding story of royal power broker Thomas Cromwell (Mark Rylance) during the cruel and capricious reign of Henry VIII (Damian Lewis) and is based on the final novel in Hilary Mantel’s multi award-winning trilogy. Learn what history Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light covers, which stars are returning to and joining the cast, when it’s premiering, and see the new preview!
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What is Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light About?
The TV sequel picks up in May 1536 after the beheading of Anne Boleyn and follows the last four years of Thomas Cromwell’s life, completing his journey from self-made man to the most feared and influential figure of his time. These are years when Henry’s regime is severely tested by religious rebellion at home, traitors plotting abroad and the threat of invasion. Cromwell must deftly navigate the moral complexities that accompany the exercise of power in this bloody time; he’s caught between his desire to do what’s right and his instinct to survive. The question is: how long can anyone survive under Henry’s brutally mercurial gaze?
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When is Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light Airing?
The sequel made its broadcast premiere on MASTERPIECE from March 23 to April 20, 2025. You can now stream full episodes by accessing PBS Passport as a station member.
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Who’s in the Cast of Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light?
Academy Award® winner Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies, Ready Player One, Dunkirk) returns to his celebrated role as Thomas Cromwell, a performance TIME called “spectacular” and which earned him the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award. Emmy® Award winner Damian Lewis (Billions, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, Homeland) is also back as King Henry VIII, alongside Academy Award® nominee Jonathan Pryce (Slow Horses, The Two Popes, The Wife) as Cardinal Wolsey, and Kate Phillips (Miss Scarlet and The Duke, Peaky Blinders) as Henry’s third wife Jane Seymour. Also reprising their roles from Wolf Hall series one are Lilit Lesser (Passing Through, To Nowhere) as Princess Mary, daughter of Henry and his first wife Catherine of Aragon, Thomas Brodie-Sangster (The Queen’s Gambit, Love Actually) as Rafe Sadler, Joss Porter (The Undeclared War, Humans) as Richard Cromwell, James Larkin (Black Mirror, McMafia) as Master Treasurer Fitzwilliam, Richard Dillane (Argo, Pennyworth) as the Duke of Suffolk, Will Keen (Operation Mincemeat, His Dark Materials) as Archbishop Cranmer, and Hannah Steele (The Night Manager, Black Mirror) as Mary Shelton.
Joining the sequel’s cast are Alex Jennings (Mr Bates vs The Post Office, Victoria, The Crown) to play Stephen Gardiner, Harriet Walter (Succession, Killing Eve) as Lady Margaret Pole, with Timothy Spall (Wicked Little Letters, Harry Potter films, Spencer) as the Duke of Norfolk, among others.
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See the Trailer for Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light
