I have been looking forward to this three part series from the BBC “Gunpowder”. There has been plenty of pre airing advertising and newspaper/magazine chatter about gore and blood so I rather knew what to expect, I was hoping anyway. However, it didn’t stop the keyboard warriors hitting social media shocked as they puked into the nearest bucket in horror.
My early knowledge about the Gunpowder Plot came from a Ladybird book in school (see picture below) It was not gore or full of blood.
I must say the scene production team got the feel of the streets of England/London in 1603 right. Well what I expected they looked like having not been around myself at the time. Kit Harrington stars, yes John Snow from Games of Thrones playing Robert Catesby a Warwickshire man who was the mastermind behind the plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament on November 5 in 1605. So it was not Guy Fawkes! You think of November 5 its old Fawkes most believe is the main man so are we watching Fact or fiction. Really, I don’t care as long as I am entertained.
So it was not ‘Penny for the Guy’ it should have penny for Robert.
Catholicism was the enemy. Not really even the King wanted to live in peace with his Catholic subjects knowing it could damage peace talks with Catholic Spain who was at war with England and the rest of us. But those who had the ear of the King wanted to cleanse the country of the papists. Has for the King he was camping it up a bit he could well be batting for both sides even the third side as he likes to dress up.
He was wholly outmanoeuvred by Lord Robert Cecil, (Mark Gatiss) who wanted to hang, draw, quarter, burn, or crush, though preferably all five, every papist in the land. Robert Catesby was fermenting some kind of plan to strike back at the establishment and he needed someone! Who could that be?
Liv Tyler as his cousin Ann Vaux is tremendous. She watched as her aunt put her god before the King and before a baying crowd. She and Catesby stood among them watching as Lady Dorothy Dibdale (Sian Webber) was put to death and we had a bit of a Braveheart moment as she looks to them standing there in the crowd.
First, I wondered why one of the executioners places a stone on the platform then Lady Dibdale is stripped, tied laying on top of the stone when a heavy looking door is placed on top followed by heavy weights that are placed on top until her back breaks. Then a young man a priest also caught at Lady Dibdale’s house as hung drawn quartered and his head dipped in a bucket of tar. I was hoping that was not the promise gore if it was I would be disappointed, I was. After all, I clutched my bum cheeks together so I wouldn’t miss something.
Of Guy Fawkes, we had a short glimpse of him at the end when he neatly skewered a spy. If you missed get to the iPlayer were you can see all three episodes but I will be sticking to my Saturday night.
Harington dominates, moody and smoulderingly with a large dose of anger, a kin to previous mentioned John Snow... However, the chief scene-stealer is Cecil. He simpers, he wheedles, he has something wrong with his neck, and he casually orders up unconscionable violence… he’s a tremendous villain. He is joined by is henchman Sir William Wade (Shaun Dooley) is chief door knocker and rounder up of the Catholics.
Has a Catholic myself I warmed to this dubious duo but I feel if I was round in the 1600s not so much. Why haven’t has Catholics got a William Wade or Robert Cecil day were we get to let of some fireworks and build a bonfire.
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