The much-loved BBC program Wolf Hall is coming back with a new casting method that challenges the way history is usually shown. For the new season, the show’s producers have chosen to use colour-blind casting, a big change in how TV stories are told.

Director Peter Kosminsky stressed that the casting process was based on talent. “We selected the best actors who auditioned for the roles,” he said. As a result of this approach, some big casting changes have happened. For example, Egyptian-born actor Amir El-Masry replaced Jack Lowden as Thomas Wyatt. Sarah Priddy, of mixed British and African descent, played Lady Margery Seymour.

The choice has sparked both support and debate. Critics, such as writer Petronella Wyatt, have called the method “cultural appropriation.” “The world has changed since the first series,” said Colin Callender, the show’s executive producer, to justify the choice. We thought that hiring people...