Charles Edwards - current and upcoming TV projects

Henry IX

Charles plays a fictional, contemporary king in this three part series from UKTV Gold. The final episode will be broadcast next Wednesday.

In an interview with the Radio Times, he praised writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais:

"They’re very clever guys and lovely people to work with. And there’s no bulls**t. They know exactly what they want and when you get the sense you’re giving it to them, it’s very pleasing."

Likewise, in an Clement and La Frenais had very positive things to say about Charles in this interview from the British Comedy Guide:

What was the most crucial element in the pre-production of Henry IX?
Dick: Casting was key. The moment we saw Charles Edwards audition, we were all knocked out by him. We stuck in our heels and said, "Look no further. This guy is absolutely perfect." He persuaded everyone with that audition. At the read-through, he didn't miss a trick, and actually added a lot of stuff of his own. Suddenly, it had life.

What are Charles's strongest characteristics as an actor?
Dick: He is exactly the right age to play Henry. He is handsome and has great charm and likeability. Also, you feel sympathy for him. The poor guy is trapped, and Charles conveys that brilliantly.
Ian: He's such a gifted actor. We were still a bit insecure about this project. When we sat down for the read through. But as soon as Charles started reading the part, suddenly it just came alive. Dick and I said to each other, "That really worked." Charles is so superb. He brings an enormous amount of subtlety to the role. He does so much with so little. We came away from the read through, feeling elated and thinking, "It works!"

The following videos are the teaser trailer and two clips:


Media round up

• The Spectator "In the role of Henry, Charles Edwards does a fine job of making the king’s predicament a sympathetic one... Clement and La Frenais keep the jokes coming at a good rate"
• The Guardian "With an elegant cast – including Charles Edwards, Colin Salmon and Sally Phillips – exchanging dry lines in echoey state rooms, it feels like an eccentric UK cousin to The Young Pope."
• The RTS (Royal Television Society) selected the show as a top pick for the week commencing 3rd April
• The Arts Desk "Charles Edwards is excellent as Henry, and there's an equally starry cast around him – among them Annette Crosbie's dotty ancient mother and his equerries (Colin Salmon and Gina Bellman)"
• hellyescharlesedwards has a scans of a promo image of Henry looking like he can't be bothered to be on the throne and various articles from TV magazines such as Total TV Guide, TV & Satellite Week, TV Times and Inside Soap

The Terror

This is an AMC series adapted from Dan Simmons' novel - a fictional account of Captain Sir John Franklin's lost expedition to the Arctic (The Chronicle). Charles plays Alexander McDonald, assistant surgeon on HMS Terror. According to IMDB he will feature in one episode. Other cast members include Jared Harris, Ciaran Hinds and Tobias Menzies.