ITV confirms gripping royal drama set to rival Wolf Hall - but there's a long wait

ITV has confirmed an exciting new period drama, titled Majesty, will portray the early years of Elizabeth I and her role in King Henry VIII's court.

The show promises not to be a faithful recount of the iconic monarch's life but rather "a bold, intriguing reimagining of her life based upon conspiracy theories which surrounded her as a youth".

The synopsis teases: "Was the Virgin Queen hiding a profound secret? And how did this overlooked, embattled princess become the most powerful ruler England has ever known?"

The six-part series has been created and written by former Grey’s Anatomy showrunners Joan Rater, Tony Phelan and William Harper.

It will be directed by multi- BAFTA award-winning Director James Strong, who is well known for his recent work onMr Bates vs The Post Office, which is ITV’s most successful drama in over a decade.

Majesty will be released on ITV1 and STV and streaming on ITVX and STV Player. Polly Hill will oversee production on behalf of the broadcaster. Production is expected to start in 2025, with casting details yet to be announced later.

"Majesty is an emotional, funny, and contemporary-feeling alternate history about how three outsiders try to stay alive while hiding a secret that, if discovered, would rock England to its foundations," the creators Harper, Rater and Phelan revealed.

They added: "Majesty allows us to have fun with history while illuminating who we are now. This show is pure wish-fulfilment of how people devoted to the public good suddenly find themselves in a position to make a difference."

Director Strong also shared his enthusiasm: "I could not be more thrilled to be bringing this audacious and original show to the screen.

"The brilliant scripts are a directors' dream as we get to reimagine and recreate an iconic piece of English history and tell a period story that looks stunning but also feels modern and relevant to today's viewer."

Meanwhile ITV’s Director of Drama, Polly Hill, added: “I’m delighted to be announcing Majesty and to be working with James and his team on such an intriguing and thought-provoking story.

"Majesty is a perfect illustration of the range of drama that we want to see on ITV as we continue to strive to make the best and most ambitious mainstream drama for our UK audiences.”

Majesty will air on ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player.