Wolf Hall

Before we watched the programme, I read a review which complained about the darkness of the screen. We turned all the lights out and were totally enthralled. Mr Starkey has blown his bombast again, not having read or seen the programme. This is television, and great television at that. There might not be documentary evidence that Cromwell was sad at the death of his wife and children, but it stands to reason that he might well have been! The programme is like a series of old master paintings, the people inhabiting these settings totally realistic and believable. Mark Rylance's portrayal of Cromwell is human, kind and unpretentious: an absolute tour de force. Minimalist, lacking bombast (unlike Mr Starkey!) and memorable. I love the whole thing.

It's been a while since I watched the first season. The second season Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis (and some others) are amazing actors!!! Of course, Damian Lewis is one of my favorite actors. He is always amazing but Mark Rylance is beautiful in this series. I'm sorry I'm having a hard time finding more words to fill up the minimum characters which I think is a little silly.

I just cannot say enough about Mark Rylance. He is amazing in this series, the second season that I am on as I can't really remember from a long time ago when I watched the first season. I'm really speechless about his acting it's so good! Thank you!

This wonderful drama just held me spellbound from the opening sequence to the closing shots of the first episode. Mark Rylance was just mesmerising, from the moment he appeared he held me in thrall. The atmospheric lighting, the scenery, the period clothing, all a wonder, but the acting! It was a genuine privilege to see something that will be talked about for years to come. I felt I was there, in the dark recessed corridors of power, with betrayal lurking around every dark corner. Thomas Cromwell is such a fixture in our national DNA it was almost scary to see him bought to life, but he, along with Henry, laid the foundations for a Britain that was sure of its own identity and purpose. I know I will view this for many years and never tire of the many nuances and shadows. Wonderful, simply simply wonderful.

Having now viewed the entire series, all I can say is that it is a masterpiece. I felt drawn in to the dark intrigue around the investigation of Anne Boleyn, and her execution scene was without doubt one of the most realistic and best acted scenes I have ever seen. The BBC, so often getting it wrong with their own brand of political correctness, got this bang on the money. I just wish I could award it more stars.

For anyone who wants to watch a fabulously acted and brilliant drama, this is it.

I felt it right to update this having now read the books Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies. This is a superlative adaptation of the books and I would recommend reading them as it really enhances the enjoyment of the drama production.

Hilary Mantel's superb novels 'Wolf Hall' and "Bringing Out of the Bodies' manage to execute an extraordinary balance. On one hand, they rehabilitate the reputation of Thomas Cromwell, one of Henry VIII's advisors, who received wisdom portrays as a man of viciousness and ambition; according to Mantel, this picture dates only from Victorian times, and Mantel rehabilitates Cromwell as a surprisingly humanistic working class hero. But as the same time, she never strays into the territory of ascribing modern motives to the characters she wishes she have our sympathy, and "primitive" attitudes to the ones we're supposed to hate. Instead, she brings us inside the morality of the times: the fact that it doesn't map cleanly onto our own is precisely what makes the books interesting. This BBC television adaption can't quite replicate the stream-of-consciousness from inside Cromwell's head provided by the novels, and almost inevitably it's a bit more Tudors-by-numbers. But it doesn't do a bad job either, avoiding the obvious clichés and giving us a convincing realisation of Mantel's work that captures most, if not quite all, of its inherent subtlety. Mark Rylance is simply superb as Cromwell, and most of the other actors offer a convincing interpretation of their roles, especially Claire Foy as Anne Boleyn, the minor noblewoman who punches above her weight all the way to the chopping block. What's still to come is the third (as yet unwritten) book of the trilogy, and the fall that follows Cromwell's rise. I look forward to it as novel and television alike.

The two seasons of this series are very well made and well acted. This show should be great for fans of the Tudor period but if that doesn't interest you, or you've seen too much on that narrow topic, then maybe not.

Just one thing bothered me. They really need to stop casting black actors in historical dramas where no black people would have appeared. Okay, maybe darker skinned members of the Spanish legation but not members of Henry's court. I don't think they realize that it gives the appearance of grating racism when they cast black people in minor roles but of course never in a major role.

In Shakespeare, okay. But this is hardly Shakespeare. Bridgerton is okay too. That's a fantasy. If you are going for historical realism and not one of those fantasy shows aimed at teenagers who hate history, then stick with history.

Why put all that effort into getting the costumes right if you're going to get the actors wrong? I usually don't complain about DEI like you-know-who but this is a case where I have to object.

If the BBC needs to meet some quota for non-white actors, then choose stories that naturally lend themselves to non-white characters. If it has to be some aspect of British history, then the colonial period is a possibility.

Maybe the BBC doesn't have the budget for overseas location shooting anymore? I've heard they had budget problems for the second season of this show. Maybe that explains why there was so many padding scenes of people walking through courtyards and gardens.

In summary, it's worth watching but I think I've met my lifetime quota for Tudors now. Move on to something else.