We have missed our sometime-terrorist friend on Homeland of late, so we are delighted that actor Damian Lewis is making his return to the small screen as King Henry VIII in the new BBC drama 'Wolf Hall' airing shortly. Far cry from the army attire though, isn't it?

The six part series will be be based on the hugely popular Hilary Mantel's novels (Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies) and will be directed by BAFTA winning director Peter Kosminsky. It follows the rise of Thomas Cromwell (played by Mark Rylance) from a blacksmith’s son to the heights of the Tudor court.

Author Hilary Mantel has said: "My expectations were high and have been exceeded: in the concision and coherence of the storytelling, in the originality of the interpretations, in the break from the romantic clichés of the genre, in the wit and style and heart. The spirit of the books has been extraordinarily well preserved. The storytelling is fast and fluid, the characters compelling, the tone fits that of the novels."

While executive producer Colin Callender added; "Just as Hilary reinvigorated the historical novel, her books have provided us with the opportunity to reinvigorate the historical television drama. Modern audiences are interested in characters on both sides of the moral equation and in Cromwell we have a man trapped between his desire to do what is right and his instinct to survive. In truth it is a very contemporary story, a story of power, loyalty and betrayal that just happens to be about people 500 years ago."

The series is set to air on the BBC later in the month, while it will be shown state side on PBS in April.

Watch the trailer below;