Wednesday 19 June 2013

The Tudors


If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know I've spent the last 3 weeks or so watching The Tudors on BBC2 every night. You're probably all screaming at me 'that was sooo 2007-2010', but I don't have Sky, so I have to wait, like the good working-class girl I am, until things appear on Freeview channels.

I'm a history student, but I'm an avid international modernist, so I have zero knowledge or motivation for anything British or medieval. Mention anything involving British medieval history to me and watch me squirm and feign vomiting. I guess I could attribute that ignorance to the fact my southern English education rammed the Tudors down our throats at every turn, from which there was no escape. I even played Catherine Parr in a school play once, and I was only given two lines, simply referencing that I was Henry VIII's sixth wife and I was the one that survived - that was the extent of my interest in the topic. 

Anyone who knows the divorced-beheaded-died-divorced-beheaded-survived pattern doesn't need the plotline of The Tudors explained to them, but it's the portrayal of the story that attracted me to the programme.

Despite being a history student, I've never refused to watch a programme or movie for its factual inaccuracies. I'll still happily watch a WWII movie from the 1970s where the female characters are wearing 70s dresses and 70s hairstyles, regardless of my insane urge to jump through the screen and slap the costume department silly. As I've already stated, I don't know a sausage about the Tudor era, so I can't tell what's true and what they've made up for entertainment - but let's face it, can you ever say anything before the birth of cameras and recording equipment is 'true'? It all depends on who's documented it and what they wanted to document, agreed?
Nevertheless, even if the drunk Cromwell executioner story isn't true, it's made for great entertainment.


Jonathan Rhys Meyers is a great actor, and the transformation from a young man to the old Henry throughout the series seemed effortless, kudos to the makeup department. Every costume was magnificent, I hate to admit it but I loved Catherine Howard's costumes... when she was wearing any.

The Tudors achieved what it set out to achieve - bringing Henry's story to the more ignorant/unaware audiences. I for one would never have touched such a programme with a barge pole if it didn't involve gorgeous topless men.

I wept like a baby at the last episode, and I have no idea how I'm supposed to get over it. But I've already worked out my next move - instantly snap it up on DVD. What else is a deprived fangirl to do? Read fanfic?
Oh god. I can't begin to imagine the fanfic.

What's your opinion on The Tudors?

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2 comments:

  1. This is probably my favourite series ever, although some of the historical inaccuracies bug me, but Johnny Rhys Myers played Henry so well and the ladies costumes were beautiful!
    If you like this, then check out the Borgias, same writers, same theme composers plus Jeremy Irons is badass as the Pope xx

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  2. This was one of my favourite shows on CBC when it was on. I adored the costumes and jewellery!

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