SummaryThe three-part BBC miniseries written by Ronan Bennet focuses on Robert Catesby (Kit Harington), a Catholic man who after seeing his fellow English Catholics persecuted by Robert Cecil (Mark Gatiss), plans to assassinate of King James (Derek Riddell) and blow up the Palace of Westminster in what would be called the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 London.
Created By:Ronan Bennett, Kit Harington, Daniel West
Gunpowder
Season 1 Premiere:
Oct 21, 2017
Metascore
Generally Favorable
63
User score
Generally Favorable
6.5
My Score
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All Seasons
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
63
70% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
20% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
10% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Dec 11, 2017
83
If you go in with an open spirit and let yourself get swept up in the accents and facial hair, you'll almost certainly enjoy Harington. [15/22 Dec 2017, p.98]
Dec 19, 2017
70
The bulk of Gunpowder is a reasonably exciting costume drama combining history and suspense, with fine performances by Sherlock’s Mark Gatiss as the King’s vindictive secretary of state and Peter Mullan (Top of the Lake, Ozark) as Henry Garnet, a Jesuit priest sympathetic to Catesby’s efforts.
Dec 18, 2017
70
Gunpowder chooses to focus its energy on capturing the experience of the tale while economizing with regard to the time spent cracking on toward the plot’s denouement. The conspirators’ efforts may have come to naught, but the efforts of Bennett, Harington and his co-stars do justice to their history.
Dec 13, 2017
70
In an age in which thin stories are often stretched on the rack to produce 10 or 13 hours, Gunpowder lives fast, dies young, and doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Dec 15, 2017
67
While Gunpowder tells its story clearly and respectably--previously unaware British viewers will see Guy Fawkes Day differently--its handsome presentation and effective plotting don’t add up to more than a dutiful shrug.
Dec 18, 2017
40
[Gunpowder] takes its precious time with weighty moments yet still skims the surface of things in a way that never fully engages nor illuminates its key characters.
Dec 15, 2017
38
[Kit Harington's] a narcotized Jon Snow in a narcoleptic of a miniseries that nods off at times, and seems maddeningly unaware that viewers will be induced to do the same thing. ... A gluepot of a miniseries with good actors and no pulse.
User score
Generally Favorable
6.5
53% Positive
23 Ratings
23 Ratings
30% Mixed
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
16% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
Nov 25, 2023
10
This show is amazing. Great acting, great sets, great history. Not sure why this show gets such a bad rap among online critics. It is genuinely amazing and worth your time.
Dec 23, 2022
6
Competent in more ways than one, but it's also one of the few times I can complain about this, because I think it lacked more time to develop its characters, even if you know the history, because in this case even with the good cast, the plot is what keeps you more focused than the characters. I still like it, though.
Production Company:
- Kudos Film and Television
- Thriker Films
- British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Initial Release Date:Oct 21, 2017
Number of seasons:1 Season
Rating:TV-MA
Awards
Irish Film and Television Awards
• 1 Nomination
World Soundtrack Awards
• 1 Nomination
BAFTA Awards
• 1 Nomination
