# World Without End (2012)

> In a fourteenth-century English town under siege, a visionary young woman rallies her people to defy the Church and the Crown.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/36868

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 8
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, history
- Created by: Michael Caton-Jones
- Network: Showcase, SAT.1, Channel 4
- Cast: Oliver Maltman, David Bradley, Ben Chaplin, Charlotte Riley, Cynthia Nixon, Carlo Rota, Rupert Evans, Nora Waldstätten
- TMDB rating: 6.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1878805/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: earnest, epic, tense, brutal, sweeping

## What critics say

Mixed reception: audiences found the adaptation of Ken Follett's medieval epic watchable and handsomely staged but uneven in its storytelling.

## Synopsis

World Without End (2012) is a German, Canadian and British co-produced historical drama miniseries created by Michael Caton-Jones and aired on Showcase, SAT.1 and Channel 4. Adapted from Ken Follett's novel, this single eight-episode season follows Caris (Charlotte Riley), a visionary young woman in the medieval English town of Kingsbridge, as she pushes her townspeople to resist the powerful forces that rule them. Her struggle sets her against Bishop Richard (Oliver Maltman), Brother Joseph (David Bradley) and Sir Thomas Langley (Ben Chaplin), while the town faces siege by Queen Isabella. Each episode builds a sweeping chain of political maneuvering, religious ambition and street-level hardship, with the cathedral looming over every choice. The tone is earnest and epic, with brutal medieval danger, tense court intrigue and moments of personal sacrifice. Set in fourteenth-century England during the era of the Hundred Years' War, the story carries the scale of a costume epic and the grounded texture of a community fighting for its rights. Fans of The Pillars of the Earth, Game of Thrones and Robin Hood will find resonance in its blend of medieval power politics and underdog defiance.

## Shows like World Without End

- [King & Conqueror (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/157052)
- [Maximilian and Marie De Bourgogne (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/61682)
- [Thieves of the Wood (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/79117)
- [Robin Hood (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/179374)
- [The Devil's Whore (2008)](https://ember.film/tv/12856)
- [The Winter King (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/83831)
- [Cathedral of the Sea (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/63303)
- [The White Princess (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/61432)
- [Arn: The Knight Templar (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/46775)
- [The White Queen (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/51114)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt