Jason Watkins & Lady Jane Grey: A Tower of London Special

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Summary

The actor tries to find the truth behind two family mysteries, with historian Tracy Borman helping discover whether he is related to John Brydges, the royal courtier responsible for overseeing the imprisonment and execution of Lady Jane Grey, England's shortest-reigning queen. According to family legend, Jason could also be connected to another, even more famous figure, renowned Georgian author Jane Austen

Review

Jane Rackham

He’s narrated six series of Channel 5’s Inside the Tower of London but Jason Watkins only recently discovered that he may have a personal connection to the place. In a Who Do You Think You Are?-type journey, historian Tracy Borman researches the actor’s Tudor ancestry, discovering that, as he thought, he is distantly related to Sir John Brydges, the Tower Lieutenant who was charged with looking after Lady Jane Grey when she was imprisoned by her cousin, Mary I. Brydges then, as immortalised in Paul Delaroche’s celebrated 19th-century painting, oversaw Jane’s execution in 1554.

That’s incredible enough, but it doesn’t end there, and Borman uncovers yet another family connection. “How has this happened?” gasps Watkins. A new series of Inside the Tower of London starts on Thursday at 8.00pm

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rolenamePresenterJason WatkinsParticipantTracy BormanProducerSimon SmithDirectorSimon SmithProducerEmma Randle-CarprezExecutive producerSarah Sarkhel

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