‘Wolf Hall’ Director Reveals Cuts To Exterior Scenes Due To Funding Issues

March 23, 2025: Peter Kosminsky, the director behind the critically acclaimed historical TV drama Wolf Hall, has shared some behind-the-scenes challenges that plagued the production of the second series. In an interview with the BBC, Kosminsky revealed that many editorial decisions had to be made due to lack of funding, forcing the team to cut several key elements.

The second series, which aired on the BBC in 2024, was based on Hilary Mantel’s Bring Up the Bodies, part of her bestselling Wolf Hall trilogy. While the first series received high praise, the second series faced significant budget constraints. According to Kosminsky, many exterior scenes were scrapped, and the show shifted its focus to more intimate “conversations in rooms,” a far cry from the sweeping historical drama envisioned in the original script.

One major casualty was a planned joust scene, which was meant to be a standout moment in the series. Kosminsky explained that the entire scene had to be cut due to funding issues. “We had a whole joust, an extraordinary scene as conceived by Hilary Mantel, the original novelist, and we had to cut everything,” Kosminsky said. “That’s not something that has ever happened to me before, in all the years I’ve been making programmes, that you actually have to stop six weeks from production.”

Kosminsky also revealed that other elements of the production, including costumes, props, and locations, had to be scaled back to make the project financially viable. These decisions were made after Kosminsky, lead actor Sir Mark Rylance, and screenwriter Peter Straughan (who won an Oscar for Conclave in 2025) agreed to take significant pay cuts to help get the show made.

In addition to discussing the challenges of the Wolf Hall series, Kosminsky also expressed concern about the future of British television. He called for a 5% levy on UK subscription streaming revenues, with the proceeds directed to a British cultural fund. Kosminsky warned that without financial changes, the UK television industry risks being squeezed out of the competitive global market.

Wolf Hall, which stars Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis, is based on Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, which chronicles the life of Thomas Cromwell, the key advisor to King Henry VIII. Despite the production struggles, the series received praise for its strong performances and its adaptation of Mantel’s complex novels, further cementing its place as one of the most distinguished historical dramas of recent years.