EXCLUSIVE: BBC Select has ordered a second season of Queens That Changed the World.
The history doc series will highlight six formidable historical female rulers, namely Maria Theresa, Mary Queen of Scots, Marie Antoinette, Rani of Jhansi, Agrippina the Younger and Queen Charlotte to explore what drove them, how they asserted their authority, and how being a woman coud prove to be a secret weapon.
The show, which is currently in production, comes from Woodcut Media and distributor Sphere Abacus, which has pre-sold season 2 to BBC Studios America, SBS in Australia, Sky Germany and Czech Television.
The series uses archive footage and stylised recreations, and expert analysis from historians and academics to chart the rise to power of each queen, while investigating key aspects of their reign.
Series producer is Hayley Rhodes, and executive producers are Kate Beal and Angie Cox.
“This series takes a fresh look at the lives and motivations of some of history’s most powerful women. These are women who’ve often been seen as one-dimensional, for example power-hungry, or sexually voracious, or fragile victims of men’s machinations,” said Rhodes.
“We’ve been able to paint a picture that’s much more nuanced, showing how these Queens weathered storms and navigated the difficult dynamics of being a female ruler in a male-dominated world.”
Jonathan Ford, Managing Director, Sphere Abacus added: “We’re delighted to be distributing the second season of this unique and fascinating documentary series. Season 2 will give viewers further, unrivalled insight into the lives of strong female leaders who ruled during key times in global history and examine the long-lasting impact their decisions had on those periods.
Producer Woodcut is behind the likes of Confessions of a Female Serial Killer, The Murder of Meredith, World’s Most Evil Killers/Britain’s Most Evil Killers (10 seasons, 200 episodes) and Fiennes: Return to the Wild and Fiennes: Return to the Nile, while Bell Media-owned distributor Sphere Abacus is known the seller of Heated Rivalry and Leaving Neverland.
