Actor Jason Watkins features in documentary series about the Tower of London and his family connection to the tower itself

​When the makers of Channel 5’s popular documentary series The Tower of London were looking for a narrator, they couldn’t have made a better choice than Jason Watkins.

Not only is he a Bafta-winning actor whose credits include The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies, The Crown and McDonald & Dodds, but he also believes he may have a family connection to the famous landmark.

Jason believes he could be related to famed Tudor Lieutenant of the Tower Sir John Brydges, the royal courtier responsible for overseeing the imprisonment and execution of England’s shortest reigning Queen: Lady Jane Grey.

The great-granddaughter of Henry VII, she had a reputation for being one of the most learned young women in England. In June 1553, her dying cousin, Edward VI, wrote a will nominating her to be his replacement on the throne, removing his sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, from the line of succession.

Following his death, Jane was proclaimed Queen on July 10, but just nine days later, the Privy Council declared Mary to be the monarch, and Jane was accused of treason. She was executed in February 1554, and while there is some confusion surrounding her birth date, it is generally agreed that she was aged between just 16 and 17 years old.

Now, with the help of acclaimed historian Tracy Borman, Jason is finding out more about the potential link, as well as the tragic story of Lady Jane Grey.

It turns out that Sir John Brydges might not be Jason’s only notably relative. There’s also a family legend that he’s connected to Jane Austen.

So, while Tracy is investigating the actor’s family tree, she also tries to find out if he really is linked to the author of Pride and Prejudice.

It’s a journey that takes Jason and Tracy from the Tower of London to Jane Austen’s house and the stately grounds of Sudeley Castle in the Cotswold, and also unearths a cast of characters stretching back over 500 years.

Jason says: “After seven years of being the voice of Channel 5’s Inside the Tower of London, this new documentary series will see me make my most personal connection to the Tower of London yet. I was blown away with the unexpected discoveries and I can’t wait to see them play out on screen.”

Viewers can hear more from Jason and Tracy on Thursday, when Inside the Tower of London returns for a new series. It’s a time of transition for the landmark, as new Chief Yeoman Warder Rob Fuller and Yeoman Gaoler Clive Towell adjust to their roles, and much-loved Ravenmaster Chris Skaife bids farewell.

The first episode also finds Tracy learning more about Jane Boleyn. History has often painted her as a schemer who helped to bring about the downfall of two queens – her sister-in-law Anne Boleyn, and Henry VIII’s fifth wife, Catherine Howard.

However, Tracy’s research offers a different interpretation of Jane’s actions. Rather than being a manipulator was she just trying her to best to survive in the court of a famously paranoid monarch?