Blood, Sex & Royalty cast: who stars in Henry VIII Netflix series with Max Parker and Amy James-Kelly?

Blood, Sex & Royalty is an upcoming Netflix historical comedy series set in the court of King Henry VIII. It follows the king’s attempts to annul his marriage to his first wife Catherine of Aragon so that he can marry her lady in waiting, Anne Boleyn.

The series synopsis states that the show ‘offers a window into the lives of history’s deadliest, sexiest and most iconic monarchs’. Blood, Sex & Royalty features a cast of relatively unknown actors who will play the roles of royalty and noblemen. This is where you will have seen the cast before:

Who is in the cast of Blood, Sex & Royalty?

Max Parker as King Henry VIII

Henry VIII, the king of England, and serial husband is still married to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, at the start of the series. He wants to have his marriage annulled so that he can marry Anne Boleyn. Parker previously appeared in the ITV soap Emmerdale, playing Luke Posner, and Alasdair Newman in Casualty. He also played Mikhail Tanner in the fantasy series Vampire Academy.

Amy James-Kelly as Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn is an outspoken woman at Henry’s court and succeeds in catching the king’s eye, causing a rift between the king and his current wife that will change England forever. James-Kelly played Maddie Heath in more than 100 episodes of soap opera Coronation Street, and Jenny Delaney in Netflix crime drama Safe. Her other roles include playing Grace in crime drama The Bay, and Suzannah Washington in BBC historical drama Gentleman Jack.

Lois Brabin-Platt as Mary Boleyn

Mary Boleyn is Anne Boleyn’s sister and Henry’s mistress, which could make things a little awkward now that he wants to shack up with Anne. Brabin-Platt has featured in the low budget films Red Rage, Righteous Villains, Original Gangster, and Bull. She is due to feature in the upcoming video game adaptation Hitmen, the short Christmas film Deck the Halls, and comedy thriller The Abomination.

Callum Coates as Cardinal Wolsey

Wolsey is the man tasked by Henry with securing his annulment from Catherine of Aragon, freeing him up to marry Anne Boleyn. You may recognise Coates from his small roles in Inside No. 9, Red Dwarf, The Witcher, Outlander, and The Crown. He also featured in Gentleman Jack, playing Lord Stuart De Rothesay.

Stephen Fewell as Thomas Cromwell

Thomas Cromwell is Wolsey’s apprentice, and the man who takes over the work on the king’s Great Matter when his boss fails. Fewell played Archbishop Raymond DeGoth in historical adventure series Knightfall, and Grey in historical epic Netflix film The King. He also had a small role in the Starz anthology series The Girlfriend Experience.

Jhon Lumsden as George Boleyn

George Boleyn is Anne’s brother - his fortunes are interwoven with hers, and as she rises in status so does he. Lumsden ‘s previous credits include a small role in Doctors, and the TV short Pancake, an uncredited role in the action sequel The King’s Man, and the role of Ziggy Malkiewicz in crime drama Karen Pirie.

Sophie Boettge as Jane Boleyn

Jane was one of Catherine of Aragon’s ladies in waiting and was married to Anne’s brother George - she is believed to have been involved in her husband’s downfall. Boettge also only has one other acting credit, having played Laurel in the short drama film The Escape Room.

Adam Astill as Thomas Boleyn

Thomas is a prominent politician at Henry’s court and Anne’s father - he uses his daughters to advance his family’s position. Astill will be recognised for his role as Dan Hamilton in medical drama Holy City, and Anthony Harker in soap opera Doctors. He also played Luke Browning in EastEnders and Mr Hammond in the children’s shows Andy’s Safari Adventures, and Andy’s Aquatic Adventures.

Nikhita Lesler as Lady Worcester

Worcester was Anne Boleyn’s lady in waiting, and was likely another of Henry VIII’s mistresses. Lesler only has one other screen credit to her name, having played Casualty  Aliya Azad in one episode of Casualty.

Matas Dirginčius as King Francis

King Francis was the ruler of France during most of Henry’s reign - he tried to form an alliance with Henry, but the two nations were at odds over the England’s turn to Protestantism. Dirginčius had a small role in historical series Chernobyl, featured in the miniseries The Gates of Riga, and played Tadas in the short film I Was Max.

Georgia Sansom as Marguerite D’Angouleme

D’Angouleme is the sister of King Francis and a friend of Anne Boleyn, who had spent much of her youth in France. Sansom’s only other role to date is in the comedy podcast series Curl Up & D.I.

The three part series was released on Netflix on Wednesday 23 November - all episodes are available to watch now.