The Tudors has been renewed for a second season by Showtime one day after BBC Two confirmed it had acquired the UK rights to the first.

A new run of 10 episodes will begin production in Dublin later this spring.

"We are thrilled with the success of our dramatic series, The Tudors, and we're happy to tell the next - even more compelling - chapter," said Showtime president of entertainment Robert Greenblatt. "Writer/creator Michael Hirst has done a masterful job turning history into relevant and entertaining drama; this cast is incredibly talented; and the production value is feature-film quality. The cast, headed (or should I say be-headed) by the mesmerizing Jonathan Rhys Meyers, has been enthusiastically received by critics, audiences are becoming addicted and it's right on brand for Showtime. Long live the king, albeit a trimmer, sexier incarnation than we've seen before."

Showtime also confirmed a second season of This American Life, the televised version of Ira Glass' public radio series, and a five episode pickup of a new Tracey Ullman sketch comedy show.