BBC Adapts Ava Pickett’s Hit Play 1536 into Eight-Part Drama Series
The BBC has commissioned an eight-episode television adaptation of Ava Pickett’s award-winning Tudor drama, following its sold-out success at the Almeida Theatre and West End transfer.
Ava Pickett’s breakout stage hit 1536 is heading to television. The BBC has confirmed that the award-winning play will be adapted into an eight-part drama series, marking the latest high-profile theatre-to-screen transfer.
Written by Pickett, whose stage debut won the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, 1536 premiered at the Almeida Theatre in 2025 to sold-out audiences and strong critical response. The production is currently transferring to the West End for a limited run at the Ambassadors Theatre from 2 May to 1 August 2026.
The television version will be produced by Drama Republic, the company behind Riot Women and One Day, and commissioned by the BBC. The series will run for eight half-hour episodes.
Pickett said she was “immensely proud” to bring the story to a wider audience, adding that the opportunity to expand the lives of Anna, Jane and Mariella for the screen felt especially timely. In a world where decisions made “in the corridors of power ricochet through all of our lives”, she said, the story feels “more relevant than ever.”
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, described the play as “visceral, funny, provocative, timely and full of courage”, adding that the BBC had wanted to secure the adaptation from the moment they saw it on stage.
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Set in Tudor England during the fallout from Anne Boleyn’s arrest, 1536 follows three young women in rural Essex as gossip from court begins to take on personal consequences. What begins as idle speculation gradually reveals the fragility of their own security in a world shaped by male power and political volatility. The stage production became known for its sharp tonal shifts, blending dark comedy with an atmosphere of gathering threat.
The adaptation continues Pickett’s growing presence across stage and screen. In addition to her theatre work, she has written for television series including The Great and How To Get To Heaven From Belfast, and is currently co-writing Baz Luhrmann’s forthcoming film about Joan of Arc.
The stage version of 1536 is produced in the West End by the Almeida Theatre, Sonia Friedman Productions, Annapurna Theatre and LuckyChap, with LuckyChap — the production company run by Margot Robbie — also attached to the project. Robbie is a co-producer on the stage production.
The BBC has not yet announced casting or a release date for the television adaptation.
Elena Leo is the Culture & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.
