World Without End - Character Bios & Photos

New promotional photos from the upcoming Showcase series World Without End.
Note: Starz is not involved with World Without End and Canada's Showcase is co-producing it with European networks, no US networks are involved.. yet

QUEEN ISABELLA (Aure Atika)
Isabella is Queen Consort of England as Edward II’s wife. She deposes her husband (with the help of her lover Roger Mortimer) and becomes regent on behalf of her son, Edward III. Notable for her beauty, diplomatic skills and intelligence, she is continually at loggerheads with her son who doesn’t trust her and blames her for his Father’s death.

PETRANILLA (Cynthia Nixon)
Petranilla is an extraordinarily beautiful woman, ambitious, manipulative and cunning. She is Godwyn’s mother, Anthony and Edmund’s sister and detested aunt to Caris. She poisons her sister-in-law and makes a swift move into her brother’s home to take over as Lady of the house in order to sell her house to finance Godwyn's Oxford education.

MOTHER CECILIA (Miranda Richardson)
Mother Cecilia is a good-natured nun, a fun and jovial type with a fabulous sense of humour, but she doesn’t suffer fools lightly. She supports Mattie and her homeopathic remedies. As Prioress, she is the Matriarch and is very caring and loved by the entire town… except Godwyn.

SIR THOMAS LANGLEY (Ben Chaplin)
Sir Thomas Langley is a handsome Knight. He has a great political secret he wants to keep hidden and becomes a monk in Kingsbridge Priory to avoid retribution. However, his secret is exposed and he tries desperately to stay alive within the protective walls of the Priory.

ROLAND (Peter Firth)
Roland is a coarse Knight who loves power and is ruthless and stubborn. Queen Isabella appoints him Earl of Shiring and tax collector of Kingsbridge. He greatly prospers under Isabella and later Edward III. Roland used to have a strong affection for Petranilla but marries the unfaithful Margery.

CARIS (Charlotte Riley)
Beautiful, wise, caring and compassionate, Caris is the feisty daughter of Edmund Wooller. She ends up marrying abusive Elfric. Caris wants to be a physician so she quietly becomes Mattie’s apprentice. Caris continually fights for what she believes in and is capable of operating in a male dominated society. She loves Merthin, but love's course is a challenging one.

MERTHIN (Tom Weston-Jones)
Merthin is the Earl of Shiring’s son and Ralph’s brother. He is an academic, but not a fighter. Pawned off to the thug Elfric the builder as an apprentice who treats him brutally. Merthin has inherited a talent for carpentry. He holds a life-long love for Caris.

GODWYN (Rupert Evans)
Godwyn is a handsome and narcissistic monk in Kingsbridge Priory alongside his Uncle – Prior Anthony. He is a wily type, who takes direction from his scheming mother Petranilla. Godwyn learns about theology at Oxford and always favours the spiritual over the practical, a true traditionalist. Later, as Prior, he wants to return Kingsbridge Priory to its ‘days of glory when Prior Philip ruled.’

GWENDA(Nora von Waldstaetten)
Gwenda is a young German immigrant peasant girl, with no mother and an abusive father – Joby - who forces her to steal for him. She is fond of her brother Holger and a dear friend to Caris. Gwenda is sold to the outlaw Sim Chapman by her father in exchange for a cow. She learns self-defence, is strong, and willing to kill if her life is in jeopardy. She uses her wits to better her situation and escape danger. Gwenda loves Wulfric.

RALPH (Oliver Jackson-Cohen)
Ralph is the Earl of Shiring’s son and Merthin’s more attractive twin brother. Darkly handsome, aggressive and bullish, he is a natural-born warrior. Ralph becomes the Knight Roland’s apprentice. He distrusts Petranilla, but seems to listen to her against his own better judgment. Ralph facilitates Roland’s dirty work in Kingsbridge.

PHILLIPPA (Sarah Gadon)
Philippa is William’s beautiful and intelligent wife and Roland’s daughter-in-law who captures Ralph’s eye. Pregnant with William’s child, she is utterly distraught when her beloved husband dies.

EDMUND (Carlo Rota)
Edmund is Kingsbridge’s wealthy merchant. Loving father of Caris, he is devastated by his wife Rose’s death. He is arrested as a traitor to the Crown for his allegiance with Edward II against Isabella.

WULFRIC (Tom Cullen)
Wulfric is attractive, an able fighter, hard worker, and focussed. A young burly man, Wulfric is Annet’s boyfriend. He is inconsolable after his father’s death. When it looks like he won’t inherit his father’s land and money, Annet leaves him and he settles for Gwenda.

BROTHER JOSEPH (David Bradley)
Brother Joseph is an elderly monk and Kingsbridge Priory’s physician.His hands shake with palsy and he always causes more harm than good believing ‘purging’ is the cure for all illness. He is determined to see Mattie sentenced to death for witchcraft after she has opposed Joseph’s archaic medical practices.

MATTIE WISE (Indira Varma)
Wise by name and by nature, Mattie is a physician who concocts homeopathic remedies for sufferers. She takes Caris under her wing, teaching her the tricks of the trade.

ELFRIC (Ian Pirie)
Elfric is a rough brawny builder who takes Merthin on as his apprentice. He is a bitter, vindictive carpenter who is aggressive towards Merthin, viewing the latter as a challenge to his status and livelihood. He does everything possible to make Merthin’s life difficult.

Source: Showcase

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