Crikey Mark Rylance can act, sounds like the rest of the UK were watching Ant at Dec pick up another NTA,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30930496

Proper programme, we both loved it.

Good call Sir.

8)

No spoilers, right. I haven’t started watching it yet.

@surrounded, but it happened in the past, we know what happened 😉

I like it. Very good. Very soothing as no one is shouting. Nice costume.

Loved it. As you say, he’s a fine actor. Love the books too tbh.

jambalaya – Member
@surrounded, but it happened in the past, we know what happened

Historically based but a work of fiction.

Wasn’t expecting much but I really enjoyed it, the fact it had no ad breaks helped and was a bit smokey eyed at one point. Mark Rylance was excellent as were the rest of the cast…

Is Mark Rylance the bloke playing Cromwell? Cos whoever that was stood out to me as a stunning actor!

It’s good but no need to lose your head.

Sorry.

It’s supposed to be based on the historical events but I suspect that some of Cromwell’s conversations with certain characters would not taken place in such a direct way given how far he managed to go.

It is good stuff and about time we had a bit of decent telly, it seems ages since Bake Off.

I’ve read untold history books on the Tudors but seem not to retain any relevant information at all, so definitely no spoilers please.

Excellent TV. Quality cast, acting & interesting viewpoint via a vis Cromwell & Moore.

Fair enough rewski, all I’ll say is Henry VIII turns out to be a bit of a ladies man….

It was good, apart from the bit where Cromwell said “yeah” when answering a question 🙂

Mrs read the book,found it hard to read – as in the tense(s/I) were all over the shop, and was written as if she (Mantel) knew him personally, will give it a bash on i -player.

Think the two page spread in the mail put me off to. (Mother -in-law) saved it for us,before I get flamed.

Haven’t read the books and a bit of a history nerd so suspected that this would wind me up no end but actually rather enjoyed it. Lots of familiar faces acting their little socks off, in a subtle, painfully British way.

The missus basically sees it as “Game Of thrones without the stabbing and boobs.”

Seems like they managed to rattle through a sizable chunk of the book in the first episode. Is the series going to include Bring Up The Bodies as well?

My only problem with it is that I keep thinking Rylance looks a bit like Paul Whitehouse, so I’m always waiting for some sort of catchphrase.

iPlayer on Saturday might for us this week will be Wolf Hall & Silent Witness.
Never have enough time during the week to concentrate on TV.

Swimming against the tide a bit here but I switched off literally about half way through. Found it all rather slow and dull.

Is the series going to include Bring Up The Bodies as well?

The series is based on both of the books. I loved the books, especially Wolf Hall but I thought the series started a bit slowly. It got more interesting when Anne B and Henry appeared, so I’m looking forward to the next one.

I thought it was poor, some of the “good” acting was decidedly wooden

everything too clean, timeline jumping around incoherently, 2 hours crammed into 1 with poor editting

The missus basically sees it as “Game Of thrones without the stabbing and boobs.”

Or the magic. Unless maybe Jesus is going to appear…

The missus basically sees it as “Game Of thrones without the stabbing and boobs.”

So no point in watching it then? 😀

Mark Rylance is is a great actor, that’s what everyone says. But in my head cromwell’s a bulkier more substantial figure ala…

…shouldn’t matter I know. But I came from the books with the feeling that he’s a solid figure the others flow around. Whereas the tv character looks more of a ducker and diver. Who spends a lot of time staring into space. Hey ho.

Still very very good telly. Like the way they do the after dark scenes, apparently all shot on digital using natural light only. Looks really good.

Really enjoyed it, loved both of Mantel’s books but as Richie_B says they ‘managed to rattle through a sizable chunk of the book in the first episode’

Its inevitable that it’s going to lack the detail of the book, and I’m sure people will find it difficult to follow as it progress’s with no family tree’s to refer to.

Swimming against the tide a bit here but I switched off literally about half way through. Found it all rather slow and dull.

Well certainly the lack of throbbing music and car chases made a change.

It seems quite well made, acted and filmed, but I’m never terribly convinced by these fictional reconstructions of history. Was his dad really such a bully?

If you can’t cope with Mantel’s books, the Shardlake series of novels, by C J Sansom are bollocking good reads – proper page turners – which deal with the same period of history in a similarly fact-based fiction way, but with a very enjoyable style.

Thought Wolf Hall was absolutely excellent. The BBC might even have redeemed itself.

It seems quite well made, acted and filmed, but I’m never terribly convinced by these fictional reconstructions of history. Was his dad really such a bully?

During the period it was the man of the house’s duty to adequately adequately ‘discipline’ his wife and children. Disciplining wasn’t a nit of a telling off. Pretty much anything short of breaking bones was socially acceptable. If this was the benchmark it doesn’t take much to imagine a ‘rough’ parent.

Not sure of the historical evidence about Cromwell’s dad. He wasn’t exactly the most popular person with a lot of churchmen or the nobility so a lot of what was written about him isn’t exactly unbiased.

Thomas Cromwell survived a good while, with a fair few enemies and was not born into nobility, so AFAIK, he must have been a fair shrewd and tough operator.