Jane, the Quene

This is a 109-page feature film screenplay based on the events of the short nine-day reign of Lady Jane Grey. Thrust into power by the maligned Tudor nobility, Lady Jane must cling to her queenship – not for greed, but for survival amid a divided kingdom. It is important to me that Jane’s story gets told without focussing on a non-existent love story between her and her husband, nor leaning too far into caricatures of Tudor period dramas. So, my aim for this screenplay is for it to be grounded in reality – both in regard to themes and also historical accuracy – whilst still being a compelling story.

The screenplay is accompanied by a contextual analytical essay on film adaptations of Regnant British Queens, written to express the context for writing Jane, the Quene. In this essay, I discuss the problematic ways in which British Regnant Queens are portrayed in film and why historical accuracy is important when understanding character motivation and depicted historical events. The essay further evaluates the balance between historical accuracy and the purpose of historical adaptations In film, asking whether in-accuracy can be forgiven when the narrative contains a message to modern audiences. This work largely comments on the films portraying Lady Jane Grey, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Anne and Victoria.