"But I wonder what happens next? History, that's what! But to explain the history that is about to happen we must first go back a bit to, a caption informs us, years earlier. This is a little after bygone times, a bit before days of yore and, as it appears that Edward the Confessor (Eddie Marsan, having the time of his life playing the last monarch of the house of Wessex as a religious fanatic) is about to be crowned, probably around 1043."
"They can't say that, though, because then people who know their Harolds from their Haralds, instead of just wanting to make jokes about Cnuts and Harthacnuts, will start getting upset about tweaked timelines. As if an eight-part drama from the BBC with CBS is the right place to be looking for detailed understanding of the reshaping of English society the like of which has never been seen before or since, but anyway, on we go! Colour has been invented, by the way."
An enactment opens on a black-and-white 1066 battlefield before shifting backward to circa 1043 to stage the coronation of Edward the Confessor. Edward is portrayed as a religious fanatic by Eddie Marsan. The production deliberately avoids rigid chronology to sidestep historical nitpicking and leans into television-friendly condensation. Modern cultural references and comic asides—such as comparisons to Neighbours and the choice to 'invent' colour for stylistic effect—underscore a playful, anachronistic tone. William, Duke of Normandy, appears played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, presented with an odd moustache choice that blends familiar contemporary looks with medieval drama.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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