London/Hampshire, Wednesday 15th April 2026 – Indie prodco Woodcut Media and distributor Sphere Abacus are pleased to announce Season Two of the history documentary series Queens that Changed the World, ordered by BBC Select.
Sphere Abacus has also concluded sales for Season Two with BBC Studios America, SBS Australia, Sky Germany and Czech Television.
Currently in production, Season Two of Queens That Changed The World (6 x 1 hour) shines the light on six formidable historical female rulers, delving into the lives of Maria Theresa, Mary Queen of Scots, Marie Antoinette, Rani of Jhansi, Agrippina the Younger, and Queen Charlotte, discovering what drove them, how they asserted their authority, and how – sometimes – being a woman actually proved to be a secret weapon!
The series uses archive footage and stylised recreations, alongside expert analysis from historians and academics to chart the rise to power of each queen, whilst investigating all key aspects of their reign. It looks at the challenges they faced, and their unique perspective on power, as well as using their experience as a lens through which to view wider themes such as women’s changing position in society and what it meant to be the ‘fairer sex.’
Series producer is Hayley Rhodes, and executive producers are Kate Beal and Angie Cox. The series is produced by Woodcut Media and distributed worldwide by Sphere Abacus.
Hayley Rhodes, Series Producer, Woodcut Media said: “This series takes a fresh look at the lives and motivations of some of history’s most powerful women. These are women who’ve often been seen as one-dimensional, for example power-hungry, or sexually voracious, or fragile victims of men’s machinations. We’ve been able to paint a picture that’s much more nuanced, showing how these Queens weathered storms and navigated the difficult dynamics of being a female ruler in a male-dominated world.”
Jonathan Ford, Managing Director, Sphere Abacus said: “We’re delighted to be distributing the second season of this unique and fascinating documentary series. Season 2 will give viewers further, unrivalled insight into the lives of strong female leaders who ruled during key times in global history and examine the long-lasting impact their decisions had on those periods.
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About Woodcut Media:
Founded by award-winning producer Kate Beal in 2014, UK indie Woodcut Media is a female-led operation with a diverse team at its core, whose main ethos is to provide an honest and trusted voice – creating programming that tells incredible human stories with creativity, authenticity, and care. As well as being one of the leading true crime doc producers in the UK, Woodcut also specialises in a broad range of standout unscripted content – factual entertainment, specialist factual, and premium/talent led programming. Titles include Confessions of a Female Serial Killer, The Murder of Meredith (Amazon’s Prime Video), long-running series World’s Most Evil Killers/Britain’s Most Evil Killers (10 seasons, 200 episodes), Fiennes: Return to the Wild and Fiennes: Return to the Nile with Joseph and Sir Ranulph Fiennes (Nat Geo), Cut from a Different Cloth, Mandela, My Dad and Me, both featuring Idris Elba, and Titanic in Colour (Nat Geo) to name a few. In December 2024 Woodcut launched (in partnership with KI and Seven Network) its first FAST channel (‘Crime Files’) in Australia. The same month Woodcut achieved B-Corp certification and also began its expansion into the digital space with the roll-out of YouTube channels under the banner The Uncut Network (True Crime Uncut, Underworld Uncut, History Uncut, Essentially Uncut).www.woodcutmedia.com
About Sphere Abacus:
Sphere Abacus is the worldwide sales arm of Sphere Media, operating alongside the company’s highly successful production business. In addition, Sphere Abacus acquires and distributes a diverse slate of premium, multi-genre programming created by exceptional third-party producers for the global content market. At the same time, the company also works with independent producers to facilitate pre-sales and development finance as well as broadcaster commissions. Embracing a fully transparent reporting ethos throughout, Sphere Abacus focuses on building strong client relationships and generating positive solutions at every stage of the process, from initial financing to worldwide broadcast to successfully deliver scripted and non-scripted entertainment that counts to a global audience. Following an investment in May 2025, Sphere Abacus is a Bell Media company.
