Starz Limited Series The Spanish Princess, starring Charlotte Hope (pictured) as Catherine of Aragon, is the latest production to commence filming at Bristol’s Bottle Yard Studios.
Produced by Playground and All3 Media’s New Pictures, The Spanish Princess is the follow up to the Golden Globe® and Emmy® nominated STARZ Original Miniseries The White Queen and acclaimed STARZ Original Limited Series The White Princess. which was also made at The Bottle Yard Studios.
Drawn from the global best-selling novels ‘The Constant Princess’ and ‘The King’s Curse’ written by Philippa Gregory. Returning to the world of Tudor royal court intrigue, The Spanish Princess is described by STARZ as “a powerful and epic story told uniquely from the point of view of the women, which also sheds light on a previously untold corner of history: the lives of people of colour, living and working in 16th century London.”
Charlie Hampton, Executive Producer, New Pictures, said “We are delighted to be filming The Spanish Princess out of The Bottle Yard. The studios are ideally located for access to a huge range of historic locations and they provide a really convenient and well-managed base for our interior Palace of Westminster sets. The facilities on site, and locally, are a real asset to our production.”
The series is filming in purpose-built sets standing in approximately 30,000 sq. ft. of The Bottle Yard’s Export Warehouse and Tank House 1. London-based New Pictures and Playground are basing the production offices for the duration of production in Bristol and the wider region and the production team is also using build space, stores and costume areas.
Fiona Francombe, Site Director of The Bottle Yard Studios, said: ‘After hosting The White Princess in 2016, it’s a fantastic endorsement for The Bottle Yard Studios that we are now home to the sequel, The Spanish Princess. Our track-record as a base for period drama is exceptionally strong, and this promises to be another visually rich production with fantastic sets once again expertly designed by Will Hughes-Jones. The fact that this major drama will air on a premium cable and satellite channel to a world-wide audience is great news for the local industry working here at the Studios – it shows the world what can be achieved by basing production here in Bristol using South West locations.’
The Spanish Princess is written by Emma Frost (The White Queen, The White Princess, The Man in the High Castle) and award-winning writer Matthew Graham (Life on Mars, Electric Dreams, Dr. Who), with both serving as showrunners and executive producers. The first two episodes will be directed by Birgitte Stærmose (Norskov, Darling), as one of an all-female directing line-up.
Charlotte Hope (pictured above – Game of Thrones, Three Christs) plays the titular role as Catherine of Aragon, the beautiful young princess of Spain who was promised the English throne since she was a child. She arrives in a grey, rain-lashed England with her glorious and diverse court including her lady-in-waiting Lina de Cardonnes, played by Stephanie Levi-John (Top Boy, Youngers).
Promised in marriage to the future King of England Prince Arthur, played by Angus Imrie (Hollow Crown, Kingdom), Catherine is the source of curiosity, resentment and suspicion among her new family; the formidable Margaret Beaufort played by Dame Harriet Walter (The Crown, Call the Midwife), Laura Carmichael (Downton Abbey, Marcella) as Arthur’s guardian Margaret (Maggie) Pole, Ruairi O’Connor (Delicious) in the role of Arthur’s charismatic brother Prince Harry (who will become King Henry VIII), alongside his sister Margaret (Meg) Tudor played by Georgie Henley (The Narnia franchise, The Sisterhood of the Night) with Elliot Cowan (Da Vinci’s Demons) as King Henry Tudor and Alexandra Moen (Fortitude, Dickensian) as Queen Elizabeth. Philip Cumbus (Girlfriends, The Importance of Being Earnest) is Thomas Wolsey. When Prince Arthur dies shortly after their wedding, Catherine finds her future as Queen in question and at the mercy of a divided Tudor court under the threat of enemies both abroad and closer to home.
Executive producing with Frost and Graham are Colin Callender (The White Queen, The Dresser, Wolf Hall) and Scott Huff (Howards End, The White Princess, The Missing) from Playground and Charlie Pattinson (The White Queen, Requiem, The Missing 1 & 2) and Charlie Hampton (Shameless, Wild at Heart, Inspector George Gently) from All3 Media’s New Pictures.