Masterpiece to Air Film of Tony® Award-Nominated Play King Charles III

MASTERPIECE on PBS and the BBC announced that the hit Broadway show King Charles III will be adapted for television. A 2016 Tony® nominee for Best Play, King Charles III imagines Prince Charles’ ascension to the throne following Queen Elizabeth’s death. It will air on MASTERPIECE on PBS in 2017.

Lauded by the New York Times as a “flat-out brilliant portrait of a monarch in crisis,” the play, originally produced by the Almeida Theatre, was critically acclaimed in London and New York. The 90-minute adaptation will reunite the Tony®-nominated creative team behind the play: Writer Mike Bartlett will adapt from his own script — daringly written in blank verse—and Rupert Goold will direct.

“King Charles III is an ingenious play that promises to be as riveting on television as it was on stage,” says MASTERPIECE Executive Producer Rebecca Eaton. “It's a play set in the near future, but with Shakespeare never far away.” MASTERPIECE is presented on PBS by WGBH Boston.

“We are delighted and excited in equal measure that Mike Bartlett, one of Britain's most gifted writers, and the visionary Rupert Goold will re-unite to bring their extraordinary theatre production to television. Alongside MASTERPIECE and the BBC we are as proud as anything to be the producers of this standout event,” said Executive Producers Greg Brenman and Roanna Benn.

Screenwriter Mike Bartlett said, “I'm thrilled that on Broadway, American audiences have responded so well to the story of King Charles III. It's therefore fantastic that the film of the play has found a perfect home at MASTERPIECE. It will mean that, along with original director Rupert Goold, we can tell this story to people across the whole country."

King Charles III is a coproduction of the BBC and MASTERPIECE, in association with Drama Republic. The screenwriter is Mike Bartlett and the director is Rupert Goold. The Executive Producers for Drama Republic are Greg Brenman and Roanna Benn, alongside Mike Bartlett and Rupert Goold. The Executive Producer for MASTERPIECE is Rebecca Eaton.