The Six Wives Of Henry VIII (Part 4) (1970)

Part 4: Anne of Cleves. A grieving King Henry is urged to marry again after the death of 3rd wife Jane Seymour by his ministers, who are nervous about only one male heir and a sickly one at that. Thomas Cromwell, who plotted the downfall of Anne Boleyn, persuades Henry to marry Anne of Cleves to secure a English/German alliance after viewing a portrait of her. But he makes a costly error when Henry and Anne dislike each other on sight, putting his own life in peril and that of Anne herself, who has to use her wits about her if she is to avoid the same fate as what befell the previous wife called Anne... Starring Keith Michell, Elvi Hale, Wolfe Morris, Bernard Hepton, Patrick Troughton, Basil Dignum, Patrick Godfrey, Carol MacReady, William Maxwell, Norman Tyrell, David Butler, James Mellor, Mollie Sugden, Jodie Schaller, Stephanie Lacey and Melanie Ackland. This was the 4th of 6 episodes detailing the life of Henry VIII through each of his six wives, and although this has a more comedic edge to it at first, it becomes apparent as the drama progresses that Anne of Cleves is having to play a very clever tactical game in order just to survive. Keith Michell (Captain Beaky himself) does better the further it goes into the period drama, not shirking from portraying the raging monster that Henry became - or was - and indeed he later went on to win a Best Actor BAFTA for his performance. It's nice to know that Elvi Hale (Anne of Cleves) is still going strong in her 90's, while sharp eyed viewers may be able to spot Mollie Sudgen (Are You Being Served's Mrs Slocombe herself) as a ladies' maid.