The titular role of Anne Boleyn, a historically white English noblewoman, is race-swapped to Black actress Jodie Turner-Smith, while King Henry VIII is similarly portrayed by Black actor Paapa Essiedu, injecting forced diversity that clashes violently with the all-white aristocratic setting of 16th-century England without any narrative justification. Creators, including writer Eve Hedderwick and director Lynsey Miller, openly pursued 'identity-conscious' casting and spliced in modern feminist critiques of patriarchal society as core elements, positioning Anne's struggle against systemic male oppression as a primary emotional driver overlaid onto the familiar historical premise.

This activist intent is evident in promotional materials touting 'diverse casts' and 'modern themes,' prioritizing ideological representation over historical fidelity. The result is a production widely derided for 'wokery gone mad,' with catastrophic audience rejection reflected in a 6% Rotten Tomatoes audience score and 2% in some aggregates, fueling 'go woke go broke' narratives amid widespread backlash labeling the race-swaps as blackwashing and authenticity-ruining propaganda. These elements compromise the entertainment value, alienating viewers by subordinating storytelling to social justice posturing and turning a tale of royal intrigue into a lecture on marginalization.