---
title: "The Hollow Crown"
year: 2012
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/the-hollow-crown"
fi1m_id: "the-hollow-crown"
imdb_id: "tt2262456"
tmdb_id: 44037
wikidata_id: "Q115647"
fi1m_score: 82
critics_reviews: 2
published: "2026-10-07T16:32:11.322631+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-07T16:32:11.704113+00:00"
region: "BG"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Hollow Crown (2012)

Created by Dominic Cooke, Richard Eyre, Thea Sharrock, Rupert Goold · Drama, History

## Identity

The Hollow Crown

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/the-hollow-crown
- **Type:** Series
- **Fi1m ID:** the-hollow-crown
- **IMDb ID:** tt2262456
- **TMDB ID:** 44037
- **Wikidata ID:** Q115647
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2262456/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/44037, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q115647

**Fi1m score: 82** · Critics: 2 of 6 reviews so far

*In a sentence:* Ben Whishaw makes being king look exhausting, particularly for everyone else

> Ben Whishaw’s self-dramatising King Richard gives *The Hollow Crown* its strongest reason to watch. This is rewarding historical drama that asks for concentration, though the close-ups sometimes insist on feelings the performances already make clear.

## Synopsis

*The Hollow Crown* brings together King Richard (Ben Whishaw), Bollingbroke (Rory Kinnear) and John of Gaunt (Patrick Stewart) in a historical drama series. David Suchet plays Duke of York, Lindsay Duncan plays Duchess of York, and David Morrissey plays Earl of Northumberland. The first series consists of four episodes; the second, titled *The Wars of the Roses*, consists of three. Rupert Goold, Richard Eyre, Thea Sharrock and Dominic Cooke are among the directors, with Tom Hughes as Duke of Aumerle and James Purefoy as Thomas of Mowbray.

## Review

Our strongest reason for recommending *The Hollow Crown* is Ben Whishaw’s King Richard, a ruler whose self-importance is maddening and painfully recognisable. This is demanding, rewarding historical drama, though it can press too close to its actors when their voices already tell us enough. Its interest lies in how people behave once everyone is obliged to take them seriously. The language asks for concentration, and the production generally repays it by making temperament as important as rank.

Whishaw makes Richard’s capriciousness feel personal, with the king apparently as absorbed by his own performance as anyone watching him. Self-dramatisation can become a tiresome acting trick, yet here it helps explain why the character is so difficult to dismiss. We were moved more than we expected by how human Whishaw makes this exasperating man. Richard’s need for attention remains visible even when it is least attractive, and the performance does not ask us to mistake that need for wisdom.

Rory Kinnear’s Bollingbroke is another reason the programme survives its weight of language. He makes the character understandable without making every thought obvious, and that restraint gives us something to watch as well as something to hear. The danger with material this dense is that actors begin delivering explanations rather than speaking to one another. Kinnear avoids that stiffness, and the clarity of his performance is worth more than any amount of additional emphasis.

Ben Smithard and Danny Cohen are credited with the cinematography, and the close-ups are useful but occasionally wearing. They let us study Whishaw’s self-absorption, though repeated scrutiny can make a performance feel over-explained. There are moments when a little more distance would let us decide where to look and whom to believe. Gareth C. Scales’s editing keeps the drama comprehensible, although clarity alone cannot make every stretch feel brisk. We can follow what is being said and still wish the production would move on.

John Stevenson’s production design and Nigel Egerton’s costume design make the ranks and titles convincing before the actors have much explaining to do. The clothes help us read status, a useful contribution when the language already requires close attention. Dan Jones’s music leaves less of an impression than the performances, and we would have welcomed a more distinctive contribution from it. These departments support the actors capably, but none supplies quite the same reason to keep watching.

Royal drama can become a procession of important people announcing important matters. Here, vanity and changeable judgement make the people intelligible before we have mastered every relationship. That is what makes the demands on our attention worthwhile, although it does not remove them. Anyone hoping the language will become incidental to the entertainment is likely to have a tiring evening.

Our recommendation comes with that practical reservation. This is a series to listen to closely, and its pleasures depend on how much patience we have for a difficult, sometimes exhausting personality such as Richard. The close-ups can be insistent and the pace can test patience, but the performances keep earning the concentration they require. Give it your attention, and leave the next episode for another evening if the speeches start passing you by.

*Fi1m score 82, published 7 October 2026.*

## Straight answers

**Is The Hollow Crown worth watching?**

*The Hollow Crown* is worth watching for patient viewers who enjoy demanding historical drama, and we score it 82. Ben Whishaw’s self-absorbed King Richard gives us the strongest reason to recommend it, with Rory Kinnear offering valuable restraint; the language needs close attention, while insistent close-ups and a sometimes slow pace can test patience.

**Where can I watch The Hollow Crown in Bulgaria?**

*The Hollow Crown* is available to buy from Amazon Prime Video. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How does The Hollow Crown compare to Ran?**

*The Hollow Crown* offers a closer study of royal vanity, while [*Ran*](https://film.one/film/ran) takes royal entitlement and family loyalty into a larger, more harrowing war film. We recommend *Ran* more strongly for its fierce performances and precise battles; *The Hollow Crown* suits viewers who prefer to concentrate on speech and character, though its close-ups sometimes labour feelings the actors already convey.

**What should I watch after The Hollow Crown?**

After *The Hollow Crown*, try [*Ran*](https://film.one/film/ran) (1985, Fi1m 92): Royal entitlement and family loyalty bring terrible consequences on a much larger scale. Then [*The Lion in Winter*](https://film.one/film/the-lion-in-winter) (1968, Fi1m 81): A royal family makes succession feel like the worst possible Christmas; and [*The Leopard*](https://film.one/film/the-leopard) (1963, Fi1m 88): Aristocratic power faces change, with more grace than its owners deserve.

### Reviews we read (2)

- **The AV Club**, Sonia Saraiya (A): Saraiya calls the miniseries a masterful adaptation that succeeds despite the dense prose and length. She especially praises Ben Whishaw and Rory Kinnear for bringing humanity to the kings they portray. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-hollow-crown-1798177955)
- **The Guardian**, Tim Dowling (75/100, inferred): Dowling finds the production clear and compelling overall, with some reservations about its closeups. He especially praises Ben Whishaw’s portrayal of Richard as capricious and self-dramatizing. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/jul/01/hollow-crown-richard-ii-shakespeare)

## Details

- **Created by:** Dominic Cooke, Richard Eyre, Thea Sharrock, Rupert Goold
- **Director:** Dominic Cooke, Richard Eyre, Thea Sharrock, Rupert Goold
- **Writer:** Ben Power, Richard Eyre, Thea Sharrock, Rupert Goold, Dominic Cooke
- **Cinematography:** Ben Smithard, Danny Cohen
- **Editor:** Gareth C. Scales
- **Music:** Dan Jones
- **Production design:** John Stevenson
- **Costume design:** Nigel Egerton
- **Producer:** Rupert Ryle-Hodges
- **Cast:** Geraldine Chaplin as Alice; Patrick Stewart as John of Gaunt; Barney Harris as Ned; Samuel Valentine as Grey; Al Weaver as Rivers; Ben Whishaw as King Richard; Rory Kinnear as Bollingbroke; David Suchet as Duke of York
- **Release (Bulgaria):** 30 June 2012
- **Genres:** Drama, History
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngNXFbTwZZ4

## Where to watch in Bulgaria

- Amazon Prime Video: buy, hd

*Checked 2026-10-07.*

Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BG, CA, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, GB, HR, HU, IE, LT, NL, NO, PL, RO, RS, SE, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- SAG Awards 2014: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie (nominated)
- BAFTA Television Awards 2013: Best Actor (won); Best Supporting Actor (won)

## If you liked this

- *Wolf Hall* (2015): Another patient account of power, with every pause carrying a possible threat.
- *Ran* (1985), Fi1m 92: Royal entitlement and family loyalty bring terrible consequences on a much larger scale. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ran.md)
- *The Lion in Winter* (1968), Fi1m 81: A royal family makes succession feel like the worst possible Christmas. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lion-in-winter.md)
- *Queen Margot* (1994): Court politics turn intimate and vicious, with little comfort in royal blood.
- *The Leopard* (1963), Fi1m 88: Aristocratic power faces change, with more grace than its owners deserve. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-leopard.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/the-hollow-crown