History Series / TheHollowCrown

''The Hollow Crown'', created by Creator/TheBBC as a part of the "Cultural Olympics" in 2012, is a mini-series based on the ''Henriad'' or ''Major Tetralogy'', the quartet of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's plays ''Theatre/RichardII'', ''Theatre/HenryIV [[Theatre/HenryIVPart1 Part 1]]'' and ''[[Theatre/HenryIVPart2 Part 2]]'', and ''Theatre/HenryV''. It features relatively lavish production values, and an all-star cast, headlined by Creator/BenWhishaw (Richard II), Creator/RoryKinnear (Henry Bolingbroke/Young Henry IV), Creator/PatrickStewart (John of Gaunt), Creator/DavidSuchet (Edmund, Duke of York), Creator/JeremyIrons (Henry IV), Creator/TomHiddleston (Henry V), Simon Russell Beale (Falstaff), and Creator/JohnHurt (Chorus in ''Theatre/HenryV'').

A second season, covering the ''Minor Tetralogy'' (the ''Theatre/HenryVI'' plays and ''Theatre/RichardIII'') subtitled ''The Wars of the Roses'' aired in 2016--coinciding with the nationwide commemoration of Shakespeare's 400th death anniversary, as well as being just a year after the reburial of UsefulNotes/RichardIII. The episodes were primarily headlined by Hugh Bonneville (Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester), Creator/SophieOkonedo (Margaret of Anjou), Creator/TomSturridge (King Henry VI), Creator/KeeleyHawes (Queen Elizabeth Woodville), Creator/BenedictCumberbatch (Richard of Gloucester/Richard III) and Creator/JudiDench (Cecily Neville, Duchess of York).

* ParentChildTeam: In the opening scene of ''Henry VI Part 2'', Richard Duke of York and his son Edward are shown fighting side-by-side in the Battle of Saint Albans. Edward saves his father when he loses his sword, allowing York to finish off his opponent.

* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: In the opening of ''Henry VI Part 2'', Warwick has disarmed the Duke of Suffolk and is about to kill him when Richard Duke of York shows up and tells him to not kill him, "[[ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself For [he] himself must hunt this deer to death]]". Richard allows Suffolk to pick up his sword before dueling and killing him.
* OutOfFocus: Very little screentime is accorded to John Talbot, despite being supposedly one of the bigger tragic characters of ''Theatre/HenryVIPart1'' -- which translates to more focus on this production's central character, Humphrey of Gloucester.
* PatrickStewartSpeech: Subverted by John of Gaunt's famous speech about the greatness of England, as the end of the speech suggests that it is doomed. Coincidentally, the one delivering this version is Creator/PatrickStewart himself.

** ''Henry VI Part 2'' shows how Richard, son of the Duke of York (the future Richard III), started out as an earnest (if slightly obsessed) young man and how he gradually turned into the villain we see in his respective play; his home is destroyed, his father and younger brother are killed (the latter ''right in front of him'' while he's powerless to help) and he constantly has to watch his older brothers screw up or betray each other while failing to properly avenge their family, every setback causing him to lose more faith in just about everything. His hunched-back, withered arm, and the subsequent taunting he gets because of them, don't help.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: When the York brothers are reintroduced after ten years of Edward IV's rule, Edward is not only drinking but getting a refill, George is totally absorbed in a book and Richard is reading through some official documents, apparently the only one getting any actual work done when it comes to ruling the kingdom.

* HypercompetentSidekick: Richard of Gloucester to his brother Edward IV. It's part of what sours Richard on his older brothers. He has to pull all the weight of the family after their father's death, while Edward IV and the middle brother George Duke of Clarence waste their time bickering with each other.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: When the York brothers are reintroduced after ten years of Edward IV's rule, Edward is drinking, George is reading a book, and Richard is reading through some documents, apparently the only one actually doing any work when it comes ruling the kingdom.

** ''Henry VI Part 2'' shows how Richard, son of the Duke of York (the future Richard III), started out as an earnest (if slightly obsessed) young man and how he gradually turned into the villain we see in his respective play; his home is destroyed, his father and younger brother are gruesomely killed in front of him, he constantly has to watch his older brothers screw up or betray each other while failing to properly avenge their family, and every setback causes him to lose more faith in just about everything. His hunched-back, withered arm, and the subsequent taunting he gets because of them, don't help.

''The Hollow Crown'', created by Creator/TheBBC as a part of the "Cultural Olympics" in 2012, is a mini-series based on the ''Henriad'' or ''Major Tetralogy'', the quartet of Shakespeare's plays ''Theatre/RichardII'', ''Theatre/HenryIV [[Theatre/HenryIVPart1 Part 1]]'' and ''[[Theatre/HenryIVPart2 Part 2]]'', and ''Theatre/HenryV''. It features relatively lavish production values, and an all-star cast, headlined by Creator/BenWhishaw (Richard II), Creator/RoryKinnear (Henry Bolingbroke/Young Henry IV), Creator/PatrickStewart (John of Gaunt), Creator/DavidSuchet (Edmund, Duke of York), Creator/JeremyIrons (Henry IV), Creator/TomHiddleston (Henry V), Simon Russell Beale (Falstaff), and Creator/JohnHurt (Chorus in ''Theatre/HenryV'').

* AllForNothing: The final fate of Richard III is a harsh DownerEnding to the once good-intentioned ideals of the Yorkist regal claim--all facilitated by Richard's cunning and murders (and also likely products of his damaged and conniving psyche). Had Richard not been as suspicious and self-centered by the end, he might have been able to keep his crown and strengthen the Yorkist claim to the throne. Instead, he destroys his bloodline and [[DyingAlone dies alone in the battlefield]].