The BBC drama Gunpowder has just arrived on Amazon Prime Video, to give viewers something to fill in their historical gaps on the Gunpowder Plot.
Starring Game of Thrones breakout Kit Harington, the gory drama from Ronan Bennett first aired in 2017 to a fairly positive reception – the show has a rating of 72% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
Harington plays Robert Catesby, the mastermind behind the plot to blow up the House of Lords in 1605 and, it turns out, who Harington is a direct descendent of on his mother’s side of the family.
The show unspools this infamous plot to kill the king (James I, played by Derek Riddell), which went epicly wrong. The show is set in the context of Catholicism being illegal across the country, with very historically-accurate brutality inflicted on the population over comparatively minor religious differences.
The three-part series was primetime viewing on the BBC – even as many noted the episodes were crammed with gruesome and graphic scenes that reflected the violence of the time period. Think intestines pouring out from people like sausage-links.
The opening episode alone features scenes of a priest being hung, drawn and quartered and a woman stripped naked before being crushed to death under a slab which has weights slowly added one at a time. So not one for the queasy viewers.
In interviews to promote the show, Harington was sure that viewers would be able to handle ‘a greater level of violence as long as it’s justified’.
He said: ‘We can’t avoid the executions that the people around these men suffered. And I think it’s wrong when showing a torture scene or execution, I think it’s wrong to shy too far away from the reality of it.
‘You need to feel the reasons, to know why they go and do the things they do.’
It’s by no means a cheery watch. And while that might have put some off at the time, there are also those who congratulated the show on its authenticity.
What is the true story of the Gunpowder Plot?
In 1605, a group of British Catholics, including Guy Fawkes and Robert Catesby (Harington’s character), hatched a plan to blow up Parliament.
The plan was to wipe out the anti-Catholic establishment and King James I, a protestant who introduced strict laws that persecuted Catholics. These laws included the outlaw of Catholic priests.
Spoiler alert, the plot failed. Guards found the conspirators hiding in the cellars, moments before they had planned to blow the place.
Brits now celebrate Bonfire Night on the November 5 anniversairy, with a Guy Fawkes effigy traditionally burned on a bonfire alongside fireworks.
Taking to Google reviews, Beverley Raw wrote: ‘I found this fantastically exciting swashbuckling stuff.
‘If you like exciting, adult historical realistic drama this is for you. Brilliant casting and acting.’
‘Amazing show, so underrated and has a great script, cinematography, and acting. Well done indeed,’ wrote Jacob Bennette.
Carla Wilson echoed: ‘Excellent cast, brought to us as realistically as possible.
‘Violent scenes, and to those that complained of the violence and how sick it was, one only has to read history to know just how sick people were during that time.
‘Love historical movies or series and hope to see more.’
Gunpowder is avaibale to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
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