Historical biopics are notoriously difficult to do well. It's easy enough to establish the correct period look, but the action is invariably hamstrung by the need to provide background information on each character and episode. Trevor Nunn's account of the events that culminated in the brief reign of Lady Jane Grey falls into the familiar traps, with the romance between Jane and the dissolute Guildford Dudley being couched in terms more befitting a Brat Pack movie. However Helena Bonham Carter plays Jane with admirable earnestness and she is well supported by Patrick Stewart as her father and Jane Lapotaire as Queen Mary.

The death of King Henry VIII throws his kingdom into chaos because of succession disputes. His weak son, Edward, is on his deathbed. Anxious to keep England true to the Reformation, a scheming minister John Dudley marries off his son, Guildford to Lady Jane Grey, whom he places on the throne after Edward dies. At first hostile to each other, Guildford and Jane fall in love, but they cannot withstand the course of power which will lead to their ultimate downfall.