Anne Boleyn star Mark Stanley has defended the casting of Jodie Turner-Smith as the doomed Queen after she became the first black actress to play the historic role.
The actor, who plays King Henry VIII in the three-part drama, insisted such colourblind casting needs to 'be the way forward' to improve representation, and said Jodie's performance was more about capturing the 'energy' of the Queen.
It comes after fans were left 'unimpressed' and 'bored' on Tuesday night when they tuned into Anne Boleyn's first episode, with many quick to point out 'historical inaccuracies' in the Channel 5 drama.
'Moving forward': Anne Boleyn star Mark Stanley has defended the casting of Jodie Turner-Smith as the doomed Queen after she became the first black actress to play the historic role