Gunpowder (TV series)

Gunpowder is a British historical drama television miniseries produced by Kudos and Kit Harington’s Thriker Films for BBC One. The three-part drama series premiered on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 21 October 2017 and on HBO in the United States on 18 December 2017.[1]

Gunpowder
GenrePeriod drama
Thriller
Developed by
Written by
  • Ronan Bennett
Directed byJ Blakeson
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes3 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Kit Harington
  • Ollie Madden
  • Daniel West
  • Stephen Wright
ProducerLaurie Borg
CinematographyPhilipp Blaubach
Running time60 minutes
Production companyKudos
DistributorEndemol Shine UK
Release
Original network

HBO

Picture format16:9 1080p
Audio formatStereo
Original release21 October (2017-10-21) –
4 November 2017 (2017-11-04)
External links
BBC website

It was developed by Ronan Bennett, Kit Harington and Daniel West and is based on the Gunpowder Plot in London in 1605. The series stars Harington, who is a direct descendant of his character Robert Catesby.[2] J Blakeson directed the series.[3]

Cast
Kit Harington portrays Robert Catesby

Main

Recurring

Production

In February 2017, BBC ordered Gunpowder then announced the three part drama series was to be developed by Ronan Bennett, Kit Harington and Daniel West, written by Ronan Bennett and produced by Kudos. The series stars Kit Harington, Peter Mullan, Mark Gatiss, and Liv Tyler, and is directed by J Blakeson.[4] Filming started in late February 2017.[5]

Filming locations included the National Trust's East Riddlesden Hall and Fountains Abbey, alongside popular visitor attractions such as Oakwell Hall, Ripley Castle, Haddon Hall, Kirkstall Abbey, Bolton Abbey, Lendal Bridge in York City Centre and the famous Ilkley Moor. Beverley Minster depicted the regal splendour of the Palace of Westminster.[6]

Episodes

All three episodes were available on the BBC iPlayer following the terrestrial broadcast of the first episode.[7]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [8]
1"Episode 1"J BlakesonRonan Bennett21 October 2017 (2017-10-21)9.33
It is 1603, and as England wars with Spain and the bloody persecution of Catholics intensifies, a young nobleman resolves to avenge his kin and defend his faith by any means necessary.[9]
2"Episode 2"J BlakesonRonan Bennett28 October 2017 (2017-10-28)7.49
As the king's network of spies close in on them, Catesby and Wintour attempt to raise an army for their plot across mainland Europe. Returning to London with Guy Fawkes in tow, Catesby assembles his gang of plotters for the first time. They know they must act fast, and the plan is formed—they will strike next week, 5 November, at the opening of Parliament.[10]
3"Episode 3"J BlakesonRonan Bennett4 November 2017 (2017-11-04)5.25
On the eve of 5 November, Catesby, Fawkes and the plotters load the tunnels below Parliament with barrels of gunpowder. Across the city, Father Garnet is under pressure to reveal Catesby's plot for the good of the Catholic faith.[11]

Broadcast

Gunpowder premiered on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 21 October 2017.[4] The series premiered in the United States on HBO on 18 December 2017.[12]

Reception

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 72% based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 7.25/10.[13] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the series has a score 63 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".[14]

The initial reaction to the first episode was mired with complaints from viewers about the depicted scenes of torture, nudity and disembowelment, despite the broadcast time being 10 minutes after the watershed of 9 pm. In response to complaints, the BBC said: "The scenes aired after 9.30pm with a clear warning given to viewers before the episode started. The methods depicted are grounded in historical fact and reflect what took place during the time of the gunpowder plot." It was described as 'a very good drama' by other viewers.[15]

See also

References
  1. Tartaglione, Nancy (19 February 2017). "'Gunpowder': Kit Harington, Mark Gatiss, Liv Tyler & Peter Mullan Light Up BBC Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  2. "Gunpowder fact vs fiction: how accurate is the BBC series?". Telegraph online. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  3. Walford, Jessica (19 February 2017). "Kit Harington and Liv Tyler will star in new BBC drama Gunpowder and it sounds amazing". Metro. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  4. "BBC One orders Gunpowder from Kudos". BBC. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  5. Frost, Caroline (19 February 2017). "'Game Of Thrones' Star Kit Harington To Lead Brand New BBC Drama 'Gunpowder". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  6. "Where is BBC's Gunpowder Filmed? - Creative England". www.creativeengland.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  7. "Gunpowder website". BBC iplayer. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  8. "Weekly top 30 programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.
  9. "BBC One - Gunpowder, Series 1, Episode 1". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  10. "BBC One - Gunpowder, Series 1, Episode 2". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  11. "BBC One - Gunpowder, Series 1, Episode 3". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  12. "Gunpowder". HBO. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  13. "Gunpowder (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  14. "Gunpowder reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  15. Halliday, Josh (23 October 2017). "Gunpowder: viewers shocked by violent scenes in BBC drama" – via www.theguardian.com.
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