5 COMMISSIONS GROUNDBREAKING HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY SERIES PHILIPPA GREGORY’S SIX QUEENS (W/T) 

ACCLAIMED AUTHOR PHILIPPA GREGORY UNCOVERS THE REAL STORIES OF HENRY VIII'S WIVES

Broadcaster 5 has commissioned Philippa Gregory’s Six Queens (w/t), a landmark six-part historical documentary series co-produced by Coming Up Roses (part of All3Media’s Objective Media Group) and WPP Media Motion Entertainment, in which bestselling author Philippa Gregory explores the real identities of the six women who married Henry VIII. The series is set to air later in 2026.

Bringing her novelist’s imagination and her historian’s rigour, Dr Philippa Gregory explores the motives of six young women coming from the luxury of the Alhambra Palace Spain to the shabby gentry-status of Wolf Hall England who take the enormous risk of marrying a wife-killer. For one it is the desire to outdo her sister, for one it is her family’s political future. Each woman takes her life into her own hands and risks everything to be queen of England for a different reason. Each one plays her cards her own way, and each one is faced with the dilemma of how to hold a husband who is incapable of lasting love.

The famous rhyme "Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived" only speaks of the end of their lives, traditional history writes of the women in the context of a man, this series examines so much more than the endings of the marriages – it answers the question of “why.” 

Across the series a dynamic blend of the latest AI technology combined with dramatic reconstruction will bring the wives, courtiers and the Tudor court to life in vivid and compelling detail, revealing six extraordinary women who navigated the most dangerous court in Europe and changed the course of English history.

In an age where women are still defined by their relationships with men, where divorce is unequal and unjust, and history still written by those in power, Philippa Gregory’s Six Queens (w/t), shows that their full stories have never been more relevant.

Dr Philippa Gregory said: “I have long wanted to look at the Tudor wives in the round – each one as an individual and each one as the product of her society. It is too easy to take Henry’s view of the unique and different women who had the courage to dare to marry him. And I have long wanted to present a history documentary with the present-day omitted. In this series I step back into time and never break the spell of a re-created past.”

Oliver Wright, Creative Director at Coming Up Roses, said: "Coming Up Roses is thrilled to be working with Philippa Gregory. Her extraordinary imagination and encyclopaedic knowledge make her the perfect voice for these women's stories. They have so often been misrepresented or reduced to footnotes in Henry's story, but Philippa's unique vision gives them back their voices, and we cannot wait to bring that to life on screen."

Lucy Willis, Commissioning Editor, 5, said: “One of the biggest challenges in history documentaries is working out how to get beyond simply the facts and help the viewer feel what it would really have been like to spend time in, for example, the Tudor Court. Philippa’s books do just that. They have that rare ability to transport us back in time in a way that is second to none. In this series her gripping storytelling and phenomenal grasp of the real lives of the six Queens, not only gives them back their voices, but it allows the viewer to walk in their shoes.” 

Melanie Darlaston, Head of Factual (UK), WPP Media Motion Entertainment said: “It’s a pleasure to be working with Coming Up Roses and the gifted Phillipa Gregory, on what will be a fascinating deep dive into the lives of these famous Queens. It’s a series that promises to elevate them from ‘wife’ to real life characters who lived and died in such a culturally, religiously, and politically transformative period in history.”

Philippa Gregory’s Six Queens (w/t) is commissioned by 5 and co-produced by Coming Up Roses (part of All3Media’s Objective Media Group) and WPP Media Motion Entertainment. Executive produced by Oliver Wright and Melanie Darlaston. The series has been commissioned by Lucy Willis. The series will air on 5 later in 2026. The series will be distributed by All3media international.

ENDS

PRESS ENQUIRIES 

For more information, please contact: Catherine Hunter Smith – Senior PR Manager CatherineHunter-Smith@objectivemedia.group

ABOUT 5: 

5 is the home of award-winning content from the UK’s third largest commercial PSB, a culmination of the creative transformation of Channel 5 over more than a decade. 5 is part of the Paramount Skydance Corporation.   

Through a mix of live TV channels and bingeable boxsets, the free-to-air service allows UK audiences to watch or stream the breadth of programming from the 5-branded portfolio, the dedicated preschool brand Milkshake!, and a wide selection from the wider Paramount family of brands, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV Entertainment Studios, Paramount+ and more.   

In keeping with its PSB remit, 5 tells the story of modern Britain by reflecting the lives of people across the UK, featuring well-known faces and fresh new talent. Its programme roster spans original UK drama, premium factual, true crime, science, news & current affairs and kids’ content, which continue to attract critical acclaim.   

Recent wins include Channel of the Year at the 2025 Edinburgh TV Awards, BAFTA Television and RTS Awards for the documentary White Nanny, Black Child in 2024, along with a BAFTA nomination for Endurance Race to the Pole. Factual hit The Yorkshire Vet and the broadcaster’s series on air fryers also won RTS Yorkshire awards, while Michael Palin received the Radio Times Special Judges Award for his 5 documentaries.   

ABOUT COMING UP ROSES:

Launched in March 2023 Coming Up Roses is headed by Oliver Wright and is an Objective Media Group company, part of All3Media. The company develops and produces high quality factual series and documentaries, with drive, energy and passion. Recent and current productions include critically acclaimed feature documentary Diana : The Princess & The Bodyguard, popular prime time series Royal Births Marriages & Deaths, Secrets of the Royal Traditions and Secrets of the Royal Palaces, three True Crime Awards nominations; My Wife, My Killer & the Secret Footage, Fatal Fall: Murder or Accident? and Serial Killer Wives,  plus the forthcoming recommission of hit features format The Taste Test Restaurant.   

ABOUT OBJECTIVE MEDIA GROUP:

Objective Media Group, an All3Media Company, comprises industry-leading production companies across London, Glasgow and Manchester. Within the group are Coming Up Roses, Objective Entertainment, Objective Fiction, OMG Scotland, Purple, and Tannadice Pictures. 

OMG companies excel in world class, award-winning scripted, factual, factual entertainment, and entertainment programming. These include The Gold, Alan Carr’s Picture Slam and Doorbell Detectives for BBC; Legends, Feel Good and Wayward for Netflix; TOWIE, Lingo and The Larkins for ITV; Celebs Go Dating, Peep Show and The Undateables for Channel 4; Motorway Cops: Catching Britain’s Speeders, A Taste Test Restaurant and Nick Knowles Adventures for Channel 5; Wheeler Dealers for Discovery; The Great American Recipe for PBS; Worst Cooks in America for Food Network; 12 Dates of Christmas for HBO Max, and The Cube for ITV and TBS. 

 ABOUT WPP MEDIA MOTION ENTERTAINMENT:

WPP Media Motion Entertainment funds, develops, produces, and distributes both original and third-party premium content to create value and opportunities for its partners and advertisers.  Working with the world’s leading talent, producers and distributors Motion aims to support the editorial, creative, and commercial requirements of over 200 networks and platforms.