As Anne Boleyn’s blood is sluiced from the scaffold, Thomas Cromwell picks his way through the wreckage of her death to take his place as principal councillor to King Henry VIII. (s.)

Joss Stone as Anne of Cleves in The Tudors (2007-2010) | Season one, Episode seven

Jessica Raine and Claire Foy as Jane Boleyn/Rochford and Anne Boleyn Wolf Hall (2015) — 'Master of Phantoms'

Jessica Raine as Jane Boleyn /Lady Rochford in Wolf Hall (2015)

Outside factors might partially explain Wolf Hall’s journey towards darkness. But the story itself has its own natural arc. “The first six episodes were about ascent,” he says. “They were about Cromwell scrambling from a poor, ill-educated background to the top of the power structure. They had a mood of optimist chutzpah. This is the story of a descent. By its nature it’s going to be much darker.” Executive producer Colin Callender agrees. Nonetheless, he feels that amid all the talk of darkness, we shouldn’t forget about the light. “At its core, it’s about a man reflecting on his life,” he says. “Cromwell’s looking back – that’s the mirror. But he’s also looking forward – that’s the light.”

SAM REID.