Jeremy Irons returns as Pope Alexander in the third season of The Borgias
BAFTA® award winner Gina McKee also returns as Caterina Sforza
Premieres on Monday 17 June at 9pm exclusively on Sky Atlantic HD
The entire first season will be available to Sky TV customers On Demand from 1 May, followed by the second season from 3 June
On Monday 17 June at 9pm, Academy Award® winner Jeremy Irons returns to Sky Atlantic HD in his Golden Globe® nominated role as Pope Alexander in the third season of THE BORGIAS. The epic drama series is created, executive produced and written by Academy Award® winning director Neil Jordan.
In the first episode of the season, entitled ‘The Face of Death’, Pope Alexander (Irons) is recovering after an assassination attempt, to which he responds by ruthlessly purging the Vatican of anyone who might be disloyal to him. Alexander’s true master plan is to establish the Papacy as a hereditary monarchy across the heart of Italy – for father and son to rule the world. But he must come to accept that his children are independently ready to wield their own power.
Cesare (Francois Arnaud), now the military prince and daring guerrilla fighter, is so eager for action that he comes perilously close to war with his own father’s army. His sister Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger) is equally frustrated when her husband, the Neapolitan prince Alfonso, proves to be a disappointment. Feeling desperate to secure a future for herself and her child, she enters the dangerous fray of Neapolitan politics and learns the art of poisoning. As Cesare and Lucrezia’s passions grow, and as mistrust of all others becomes more ingrained, the siblings finally give in to their desires and embark on a passionate incestuous relationship. With both that scandalous secret and the unspoken agonies of Juan’s death lingering between them, the family is riven by paranoia and suspicion.
THE BORGIAS also stars Joanne Whalley as Vanozza, Lotte Verbeek as Giulia Farnese, Sean Harris as Micheletto and Colm Feore as Cardinal Della Rovere. Gina McKee also returns as Caterina Sforza, who has dispatched her own personal assassin to dethrone the Borgia family.
THE BORGIAS returns to Sky Atlantic HD on Monday 17 June at 9pm.
The entire first season will be available to Sky TV customers On Demand from 1 May, followed by the second season from 3 June
For further information please contact
Luke Morrison - Publicity Manager, Sky Atlantic HD
T: 020 7032 1479
- ,
T:
Notes to editor
About Sky
Sky is the UK and Ireland’s leading home entertainment and communications company. Around 40% of all homes have a direct relationship with Sky through its range of TV, broadband and home telephony services.
Sky is the UK’s biggest investor in television content, investing more than £2.3 billion a year in channels such as Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Sky Living, Sky Arts, Sky Sports, Sky Movies and Sky News. Around two-thirds of Sky’s content spend is invested in the UK and Sky is the fastest-growing source of investment in original British programmes. More than 30 million people watch Sky content each week.
Alongside its commitment to offering customers a greater choice of high-quality content, Sky is a leading innovator. Customers enjoy total control and flexibility over their favourite TV through Sky+, watch TV on the move through Sky Go, and enjoy the best quality TV experience at home through High Definition and 3D.
Sky distributes its content broadly over several platforms, including satellite, cable, IPTV, mobile and WiFi. NOW TV, Sky’s second consumer brand, builds on the company’s leadership in internet TV. Sky is also the UK's fastest-growing home communications company and favourite ‘triple-play’ provider of TV, broadband and home phone.
Sky believes in making a wider contribution to the communities in which it operates by taking positive action on the environment, supporting grassroots sports and increasing access to, and participation in, the arts. Sky employs 23,000 people, has annual revenues of £6.8 billion and is estimated to support a £5.4 billion contribution to UK GDP. Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (BSY). www.sky.com/corporate
About On Demand/Catch Up
The On Demand and Catch Up services are available at no extra cost to more than 5 million homes with a Sky TV subscription, a compatible Sky+HD box and a broadband connection. The On Demand service has proven extremely popular with weekly downloads from On Demand more than doubling in the final three months of 2012 to 4.4 million. The award-winning Sky Go service is available on selected smartphones, tablets and PCs and continues to grow, with 3.1 million unique users recorded between October and December 2012.