Gunpowder plot is thick with blood...
IF you’re planning to watch Kit Harington’s new drama Gunpowder on Saturday, make sure you’re well prepared.
The opening scenes, from 9.10pm, are not for the faint-hearted as they show a Catholic priest being hanged, drawn and quartered (and then beheaded, just in case). And as if that wasn’t gory enough, the woman accused of harbouring the priest is then tortured with the use of some heavy weights. Aaarrgghh!
Director J Blakeson says the BBC had no problem with the graphic start to the three-hour mini-series, which also stars Liv Tyler.
He explains: “There was never any push back because all those scenes show the characters and the emotions. There was a real collaboration and they were really supportive.”
Game of Thrones star Kit, 30, went back to his ancestral roots to play Robert Catesby – the man behind the failed plot to blow up King James I in 1605 – because he is related to him. His middle name is Catesby.
The actor says: “I felt desperately sorry for him. He was a deeply sad man but he inspired a lot of loyalty in people.”
Kit admits that despite sharing his ancestor’s name, he doesn’t like him that much. “In some ways he is on a death wish and pulls some innocent people in with him.
“I don’t have fond feelings towards him. It was just fascinating learning about this piece of history. We could not work out why this had not been dramatised, as it is such a significant part of English folklore.”
Kit is also executive producer on Gunpowder and the role seems to have struck a chord.
He adds: “This is what I want to do with my career now. I did enjoy this very much, I felt so proud of it, but I don’t like acting and producing at the same time.”