Secrets of Great British Castles (2015, 2016)

Secrets of Great British Castles is a television series written and presented by Dan Jones. Season one (6 episodes) was shown on British television (Channel 5) in 2015. Season two (6 episodes) was shown in 2016. Both seasons are available on DVD. Here is some basic information about it:

** Season one directed by Maurice Sweeney
** Season two directed by Sarah Share
** Run time: 2 x ca 270 minutes = ca 540 minutes

As stated above, there are 12 episodes. Each episode covers one location. Here is the list:

# 01. Dover Castle
# 02. Tower of London
# 03. Warwick Castle

# 04. Caernarfon Castle
# 05. Stirling Castle
# 06. Carrickfergus Castle

# 07. Edinburgh Castle
# 08. Cardiff Castle
# 09. York Castle

# 10. Leeds Castle
# 11. Lancaster Castle
# 12. Arundel Castle

What do reviewers say about it? On IMDb it has a rating of 79 per cent, which corresponds to four stars on Amazon. If you ask me, this rating is too low. Why? Let me explain:

The locations are well-chosen. Seven castles are in England. Two are in Wales: # 4 (Caernarfon) and # 8 (Cardiff). Two are in Scotland: # 5 (Stirling) and # 7 (Edinburgh). And one is in Ireland or, more precisely, in Northern Ireland: # 6 (Carrickfergus).

The presentation is entertaining and informative. Dan Jones has his own style. I like it. He something to say. And something to show. He tells us what happened in each location. And not only that: he also tries to explain why these events happened.

The title of the program is a bit pretentious. Not everything that is said or shown here is a secret. Many facts are already known. But I guess there are a few secrets here and there, so the title is not completely misleading (only a bit pretentious). A title such as Great Castles in the UK would have been more accurate.

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars.

If you are interested in the history of Europe – in particular the history of the UK (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) – then this series is definitely something for you.

PS # 1. Britain’s Bloody Crown - a miniseries in four parts - is a program about the War of the Roses (ca 1450-ca 1500) written and presented by Dan Jones. It was shown on British television (Channel 5) in 2015 and released on DVD in 2016.

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Britain's Bloody Crown (2015)

Britain’s Bloody Crown - a miniseries in four parts – is a television program about the War of the Roses, an English civil war that lasted for several decades (ca 1450-ca 1500). Here is some basic information about this program which premiered on British television (Channel 5) in 2015:

** Directed by Nick Green
** Written and presented by Dan Jones
** Released on DVD in 2016
** Run time: 4 x ca. 45 minutes = approximately 180 minutes

As stated above, there are four episodes. Here are the headlines:

# 1. The Mad King - Henry VI, 1421-1471
# 2. The Kingmaker Must Die - Edward IV, 1442-1483
# 3. The Princes Must Die - Richard III, 1452-1485
# 4. A Mother’s Love - Lady Margaret Beaufort, 1443-1509

This program is not a traditional documentary film where we see old footage in black-and-white, because there is no footage from the 15th century. Nor is it a historical movie (a dramatized version of events). This program is a combination of two elements:

# 1. Some historical scenes are re-enacted by modern actors
# 2. Dan Jones visits different locations which are associated with the story that he wants to tell us

What do reviewers say about it? On IMDb it has a rating of 80 per cent, which corresponds to four stars on Amazon. If you ask me, this average rating is too low.

On Amazon UK there are more than twenty reviews of this product. The average rating is 4.4 stars. If you ask me, this rating is more appropriate. I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars.

It is a bloody story, but we cannot be surprised about that; we cannot complain about that. There is a warning: the word “bloody” is used in the title. But the story about the bloody civil war is told very well.

Dan Jones has a good approach. He has something to say; and something to show us. He tells us what happened; but not only that: he also tries to explain why it happened.

If you are interested in the history of Europe - in particular the history of England in the 15th century - then this program is definitely something for you.

PS # 1. Richard III: The King in the Carpark is a documentary film (in two parts) about the recent discovery of the place where Richard III was buried. It was released on DVD in 2013.

PS # 2. Secrets of Great British Castles is a television series presented by Dan Jones. Season 1 (6 episodes) was shown on British television (Channel 5) in 2015. Season 2 (6 episodes) was shown in 2016. Both seasons are available on DVD.

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Dan Jones (born 1981)

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The White Queen (2013)

The White Queen - a miniseries in 10 parts - is a historical drama (based on a true story), which premiered on British television (BBC) and on US television (Starz) in 2013.

The story is set in England during the second half of the 15th century. The topic is the War of the Roses (ca 1450-ca 1500); a war between two powerful families, who both claimed the right to the throne of England: the House of York, whose logo was a white rose, and the House of Lancaster, whose logo was a red rose.

The drama is based on three books by Philippa Gregory (born 1954), who is the author of several historical novels. Many historical novels focus on male characters, often on a king and the men around him. Philippa Gregory’s novels are different. They focus on female characters, often on a queen and the women around her.

Here is some basic information about it:

** Time frame: The White Queen does not cover the War of the Roses from the beginning to the end. It covers a period of 21 years, the time from 1464 to 1485.

** Available on DVD and Amazon Prime Video

** Number of episodes: 10

** Run time: ca 580 minutes

What do reviewers say about this historical drama? Here are the results of two review aggregators:

** 78 per cent = IMDb

** 80 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes

On Amazon UK there are more than six hundred reviews of this product. The average rating is 4.6 stars. 

If you ask me, the latter rating (Amazon UK) is too high, while the first and the second ratings (IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes) are quite appropriate. Why? Let me explain:

The first half of the series is quite good. Almost every scene is based on real historical facts. But when we get to the second half, the series begins to go off track. The story is increasingly based on gossip and rumours. I have to remove one star because of this flaw. Therefore I think this drama deserves a rating of four stars.

PS # 1. There are two versions of this drama. The version shown in the UK is not exactly the same as the version shown in the US. Some scenes were recorded two times. The first time the characters were intimate, but they were still wearing their clothes. The second time the characters removed some of their clothes. The first take was for the BBC, while the second take was for Starz. The DVD offers the version that was shown on the BBC.

PS # 2. The White Princess, a sequel to The White Queen, premiered in 2017. This historical drama covers a period of 14 years, the time from 1485 to 1499.

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The White Queen (2009)

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The Red Queen (2010)

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The Kingmaker's Daughter (2012)

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