EXCLUSIVE! Powder bomb
Mark Gatiss blows the lid on biographical drama Gunpowder, working with Kit Harington and his second-hand costume.
Gunpowder Season 1 Sundays (from 4 February) BBC First (*119) 21:00
NB! Certain scenes are not suitable for younger audiences.
There are only three episodes in BBC miniseries Gunpowder (2017), “But they’re pretty explosive!” laughs Mark Gatiss (Mycroft Holmes in action show Sherlock, 2010- current). He plays First Earl Of Salisbury Robert Cecil, aka the man who uncovered Guy Fawkes’ 1605 Gunpowder Plot to blow up the House Of Lords. As Mark explains, history drew him in because “people think that they know the Guy Fawkes story, but they don’t. The period [the early 1600s] has been unexamined yet it plays an important role in Britain’s history.” It also didn’t hurt that Mark’s friend Kit Harington (Jon Snow in fantasy series Game Of Thrones, 2011current) is the executive producer and lead star. “It is lovely to work with Kit. This is his project. It has importance to him as he is playing his ancestor Robert Catesby, who was instrumental in the Gunpowder Plot,” adds Mark. Did you have fun blowing stuff up? For a topic like gunpowder and explosives, there is surprisingly not a lot being blown up. [Laughs] That bit is always “fun”, but we are telling the story of the failed plot, the revolt against religion, the executions, how it unravelled and why. There are a couple of really good sword-fights though. There were complaints about the graphic scenes in episode 1… It’s not gratuitous. It adds to the story because that is what happened in those days. If you were punished with death, it was by being hung, drawn and quartered. The torture scenes were more difficult, to be honest. Being stretched on the rack looks and sounds incredibly painful and it was incredibly realistic watching it. What makes Robert such a tough adversary for the plotters? He is relentless, absolutely ruthless in his quest for the truth. He is a student of religions and he inherited his tenacity from his father. He is adamant that he is right and anyone who doesn’t agree is wrong. It doesn’t matter what Catesby and the others throw his way, he mows them over. Religion plays a strong theme, given that is what the 1605 plot was all about. History is written by winners and often that is related to religion. Catholics were under attack and that drives the Catholic plotters in their mission. You almost didn’t audition though. Almost. I am terribly fascinated by this period of history and I love reading up on ages that have been ignored as they have incredible stories to tell. There are so many tales about the men behind the throne, like Robert Cecil, who pulled the strings and had bigger aspirations that simply wearing the crown. Are the costumes as uncomfortable as they look onscreen? Interestingly, my costume was worn by [former soccer player] Eric Cantona [in 1998 period drama Elizabeth]. I couldn’t believe the label in the back when I was trying it on. I had to do a double-take. None of the costumes were custom made. They were all hired and then tailored within reason. Even my beard was “second hand” and had been used before. But if you look at the time, being spotless was not the biggest concern. Did that help get into character? Clothing always makes it easier, if you want to call it that. You get a feel through the wardrobe and it also influences how you play your character. If you are wearing something uncomfortable, you won’t be cheery all the time. Your character also has a specific profile. Robert had [curved spinal condition] scoliosis and was about 1.5m tall. I am 1.85m and that is a significant difference. I use this almost sideon stance in the show to appear short but I’m not sure it worked. [Laughs]