Tudor rose

Emily Bader plays Lady Jane Grey in a rip-roaring fantasy comedy drama that reimagines 16th-century England

- ALISON SLADE, SEAN MARLAND

NEW COMEDY DRAMA

My Lady Jane From Thu 27 June, Prime Video

Lady Jane Grey has a place in the history books as England’s shortest reigning monarch – Queen of England for just nine days in 1553 before her execution in 1554. But it’s fair to say there’s not much historical accuracy in Prime Video’s enjoyably irreverent Tudor romp My Lady Jane.

Based on a series of young-adult novels, the eight-part comedy drama is set in a version of history where Jane wasn’t executed by her rival to the throne, Princess Mary. Instead, Jane is crowned and rules over a deeply divided realm, before embarking upon a mission to save a magical people from her political rivals.

‘It’s like a jigsaw puzzle of different genres,’ says US actor Emily Bader, who plays Jane. ‘There’s history, fantasy, satire and it’s really sexy as well. It’s also a feminist take on history, because Jane was a tragic heroine and this series gives her a second chance. In reality, Jane was a young girl who was forced into a position because of her station and intelligence – and then killed for it.’