Gunpowder, Treason & Plot - BBC2

[gravesend46]

I see no-one's started a thread on this yet - what did everyone think? I enjoyed it, but find that the BBC tend to pack such a lot of an era into one or two hours that you really have to have some background knowledge to follow things - understandable given they've only got so much airtime, but even Charles II suffered a bit in that department and that had six episodes.

Still, very good. More of this type of drama to alleviate the crippling mind-numbing crassness of reality TV, 'entertainment' shows and crap for the masses.

[Byron]

Originally posted by gravesend46
... even Charles II suffered a bit in that department and that had six episodes.
Four actually, but it did a damn fine job of evoking the greatest trip in English history. Been giving the DVD quite a spin since I got it. :)

The same cannot be said of Gunpower, Treason and Plot I'm afraid: it made Ray "Mitchell" Winterstone's Henry VIII look credible. Cod-archaic dialogue, one dimensional characters with the charisma of boiled cabbage declaiming such profound lines as "Ah'm a gonna shag yer Queen!" and "Yer a streak of English ****!" and to add torture to insult, Paul "human tree" Nicoles. Mary was played well, but was waging a Cnutian struggle against director and screenplay. Sort of tosh I'd expect ITV to churn out, not prime-time BBC2. :oh-hum:

Next week's is said to be much better and has a different director and writer, so I'll still be giving that a go.

[desm52]

I enjoyed it, don't know how accurate it is historically, but very entertaining. The French actress playing Mary was extremely good.

[cliff homewood]

Different writer for ep 2? I taped this because Jimmy McGovern is meant to be the writer (writer of Cracker)?

[DarkAvenger]

Previously posted by Byron
Ray "Mitchell" Winterstone's

Who?