Soul singer Joss the next Tudors wife

Viewers of popular evening television regularly have to suspend disbelief in the name of entertainment.

Over recent months, Britons have come to accept that a teenage break dancer really is the best the country's culture has to offer before sitting back and watching the Daleks attempt to take over the world yet again, only to be thwarted by a time travelling David Tennant and his dish of the day.

Now, however, credibility looks set to be stretched to breaking point as Joss Stone has been unveiled as one of several new stars lined up for the third series of BBC's historic smash The Tudors.

Aside from the Devon lass's dubious acting pedigree – her attempts to pull off an American accent have met with nothing but confusion and derision among critics in the past – the fact is that she has been lined up to play the part of Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's fourth wife.

Not only is Miss Stone not a German but, more pressingly, even those who have failed to be convinced by her new-soul pretensions would be hard-pressed to deny that she is easy on the eye – indeed, this is a young woman who regularly appears near the top of the world's top totty polls compiled by various lads' mags.

As such, the fact that this series – if it is to retain any historical credibility – will see Jonathan Rhys Meyers divorce her for being too ugly, may be too much for some who like their TV to stick as close to reality as possible, with the real monarch having been severely disappointed after only ever seeing flattering portraits of Anne before agreeing to tie the knot.

At the same time, it has been announced that former Flash Gordon and Minority Report star Max von Sydow will also be joining the cast of the costume drama, with the veteran to take on the role of Cardinal Von Waldburg, who attempts to dethrone Henry in the name of the church.

With Rhys Meyers' randy monarch still set to have two wives to get through once Stone's Anne has been cast aside, it looks certain that the show will be around for some time yet, though the future of another BBC historical drama is not so certain.

Coming as the third series is being shot in Hungary, it has been confirmed that Jonas Armstrong will be hanging up his bow and stepping down as Robin Hood, though producers have been quick to assure fans that this doesn't mean the end for the show.

A spokesman told Digital Spy: "Robin Hood is more than a man - he is a hero and a legend - so how the legacy unfolds after he leaves is in itself mysterious and is guaranteed to make fans desperate to find out what happens next."