Ahead of the highly-anticipated return of Wolf Hall for the second and final season, The Mirror and the Light, the BBC has released the first five minutes of the opening episode - and shows to return of Claire Foy, Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis as Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell and King Henry VIII respectively.
The scene marks the death of Anne Boleyn and the beginning of the King's marriage to his third wife, Jane Seymour, with scenes of Anne's beheading being interspersed with Henry preparing to marry his new bride. In reality, the wedding took place only 11 days after his second wife's death.
Claire, who plays Anne Boleyn, previously starred as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown - and is incredible in the role of Henry's wife, who was beheaded after being found guilty of treason, having been accused of adultery, incest and plotting to kill the King. Watch the opening clip above.
The show also sees the return of fellow The Crown actor Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Wolsey, as well as Kate Phillips as Jane Seymour, Lilit Lesser as Princess Mary and Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Rafe Sadler.
The show also has amazing stars joining the cast including Timothy Spall as the Duke of Norfolk, Harry Melling as Thomas Wriothesley, Harriet Walter as Lady Margaret Pole, Alex Jennings as Stephen Gardiner and Charlie Rowe as Gregory Cromwell.
What is season two about?
The synopsis for the new series reads: "May, 1536. Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife, and five of her coterie are dead. As the axe drops, Thomas Cromwell emerges from the bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master, Henry, settles to short-lived happiness with his third queen, Jane Seymour.
"Cromwell, a man with only his wits to rely on, has no great family to back him, and no private army. Navigating the moral complexities that accompany the exercise of power in this brutal and bloody time, Cromwell is caught between his desire to do what is right and his instinct to survive. But in the wake of Henry VIII having executed his queen, no one is safe… The inevitable question remains: how long can anyone survive under Henry’s cruel and capricious gaze?"
Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One at 9pm on Sunday 10 November
