It’s almost here! The sequel to Isabel will premiere in Spain on Monday 7th. The first season of this miniseries will bring us the story of Spain 12 years after the events of Isabel’s finale (a gap that, let’s not forget, will be covered in the movie La Corona Partida). It’s only days before we can enjoy this retelling of Spanish history, the costumes, the impressive sets and landscapes, so let’s prepare ourselves for this new chapter!

The creators of the show know that one of the main traits of its viewers is their hunger for knowledge, so to speak. They want to learn and find out more about these historical characters. That is why a series of podcasts about the childhood of Carlos has been released to tease us and keep us entertained until the premiere – alas, I am afraid you won’t understand a thing if you don’t speak Spanish. Sorry! The podcasts are aptly narrated by the man himself, Alvaro Cervantes, which I guess serves as a way for us to get used to, for now, his voice.

When the show begins, we will be transported to the world of the itinerant Spanish court of the early 16th century. We will witness the year-long honeymoon Carlos and his wife Isabel spent in La Alhambra. We will live the never-ending conflicts between the emperor and the kings of France, England and Portugal. We will find out more about what happens to his mother Juana, locked in a room for the remainder of her life with the sole company of her youngest daughter at the beginning of it.

It is difficult, it must be said, to face this show knowing that all the characters we have grown fond of from ‘Isabel’ will not be there. Mostly because they are all dead (don’t forget people were lucky back then if they made it to their fifties). Only Cardinal Cisneros is set to appear at the very beginning, and he too will die within the first few minutes of the first episode…

I’m trying to think of something riveting to say before the show begins, but there is not much to do except wait for it! I could give you links to a hundred Wikipedia pages that would satiate your thirst for knowledge, but I know for a fact that there is no point in doing that beforehand. Nevertheless, I can recommend a biography called Carlos V that is written by the late Manuel Fernández Álvarez, a Spanish historian who is considered quite an authority when it comes to 16th century Spain.

For now, enjoy some behind the scenes photos from the filming here. I am looking forward to seeing, I must say, the way they are going to handle the ‘language’ barrier, as it was a big deal back then the fact that Carlos arrived not knowing a single word of Spanish. Oh well, the wait is almost over. Plus Ultra!