BBC announces return of beloved period drama after nine years off screen

THE BBC has announced the return of a beloved period drama - nine years after it last aired.

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light will be the second installment in the series about Thomas Cromwell.

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The critically acclaimed show is based on the best-selling book series by Dame Hilary Mantel.

Season one followed the events of the first two novels in the trilogy.

It saw Cromwell's rise to power in the court of King Henry VIII, as the lawyer helped him navigate his way out of unwanted marriages.

He was responsible for the Bill that made the King the head of the Church of England rather than the pope, which allowed Henry to divorce Catherine and then later Anne Boleyn.

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Despite winning several BAFTAs, a follow up series had not been commissioned since the show came out in 2015.

Now the BBC has confirmed a second season is about to start filming.

Award winning actor Mark Rylance will be back to play shrewd main character Thomas Cromwell as he navigates his way through the treacherous Tudor court.

At the end of the first season Anne Boleyn was executed, which put Cromwell in a difficult position after he backed her as queen.

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Now viewers will get the chance to see how he deals with the bloodbath, attempting to stay on Henry's good side as he gets involved with Jane Seymour.

Director Peter Kosminsky shared: "The Mirror and the Light picks up exactly where Wolf Hall ended, with the execution of Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn.

"I'm overjoyed to be able to reunite the extraordinary cast we were lucky enough to assemble for Wolf Hall, led by the brilliant Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis, with the original creative team of Gavin Finney (DOP), Pat Campbell (Designer) and Joanna Eatwell (Costume Designer).

"We are all determined to complete what we started – and to honour the final novel written by one of the greatest literary figures of our age, Hilary Mantel."

BBC Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore gushed: "A stunning and unforgettable adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s sublime novels, Wolf Hall quickly established itself as one of the all-time great television dramas, with millions of adoring viewers across the UK and around the World.

"Almost a decade on we’re delighted to have reunited this exceptional creative team and lead cast to conclude Mantel’s thrilling saga on the BBC."