Catholic bishops in America have denounced Wolf Hall as a ‘ prejudice-laden presentation of the past ’ as the acclaimed BBC drama was broadcast in the U.S. for the first time . The review attacked the six-part series as ‘ a work of fiction that adopts a narrow , revisionist and anti-Catholic point of view toward the religious turmoil of the Tudor period in which it ’ s set ’ . The latest remarks echo criticisms voiced by clergy in the UK , who tore into the series for its 'perverse ' depictions of the historical characters when it first aired . Scroll down for video . Bishops in the USA have slammed Wolf Hall , starring Damian Lewis , after it was broadcast for the first time . The audience is encouraged to support 'monster ' Thomas Cromwell , played by Mark Rylance in the hit series , a damning review by the Catholic News Service in America said after the first episode was aired in the USA . The review also slates the depiction of Catholic martyr Sir Thomas More , played by Anton Lesser in the show as an 'evidence-flouting caricature ' that is 'sleazy , mean-spirited and just plain rude ' A review for Catholic News Service , an agency of the U.S. Bishops ’ Conference said that the show encourages the audience to ‘ root for the self-made commoner Thomas Cromwell ’ when in fact he was a ‘ monster ’ who engineered a reign of terror and murdered anyone who stood in his way . In contrast , the drama ’ s depiction of Sir Thomas More , a Catholic martyr , is ‘ not a pretty sight ’ , said author Joseph McAleer . ‘ The future saint is barely recognisable : sleazy , mean-spirited and just plain rude , ’ he writes . ‘ This evidence-flouting caricature is light-years away from the man of principle. ’ A Washington Post reviewer warned the distortion of historical facts in Wolf Hall pointed to 'ideological bias ' US media were generally looking forward to the historical drama being shows on Masterpiece PBS as a 'great British import ' , with Homeland star Damian Lewis as King Henry VIII and Claire Foy playing Anne Boleyn . Gregory Wolfe said that the adaptation of Hilary Mantel 's book 'could obscure important lessons ' The criticism from the U.S. Catholic Church follows that of Mark Davies and Mark O ’ Toole , the Catholic Bishops of Shrewsbury and Plymouth , who said Wolf Hall was guilty of ‘ anti-Catholic ’ depictions of More , played by Anton Lesser , and for its whitewashing of Cromwell , the hero of the drama , played by Mark Rylance . Most U.S. media looked forward , however , to the opening episode of the series , broadcast on Masterpiece PBS last night , as a great British import co-starring Damien Lewis , the anti-hero Brody in the U.S. series Homeland , playing King Henry VIII . One of the few critical reviews of the adaptation of Hilary Mantel ’ s historical novel appeared in the highly-influential Washington Post , however , which warned viewers that the distortion of the facts pointed to a ‘ clear ideological bias ’ . ‘ What makes for great drama may not make for good history , ’ said the review by Gregory Wolfe . ‘ Mantel ’ s version could obscure important lessons from that dark period that have continuing relevance for the present moment , ’ he added . Wolf Hall was BBC2 ’ s most popular drama since 2002 , gaining an average of 4.4million viewers during its six-week run .
Review by Catholic News Service says hit show is not historically accurate . Slams depiction of Catholic saint Sir Thomas More as 'just plain rude ' Audience encouraged to root for 'monster ' Thomas Cromwell , review adds . Programme starring Damian Lewis screened for first time in US on Sunday .