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Wolf Hall

(157 Posts)
Teetime Thu 22-Jan-15 17:20:27

I was really looking forward to this but fell asleep after 10 minutes - is it me?

Tegan Thu 12-Feb-15 22:32:03

Still not sure about her, but do look forward to the programme. It may be dark and it may be slow but there's a lovely, gentle rhythm to it.

Deedaa Thu 12-Feb-15 22:29:19

After my original doubts about the casting of Anne Boleyn I have to say that she is really capturing the volatile character that I think Anne must have had. You can see how Henry would have found her fascinating, but then would have been very happy to move on to quiet little Jane Seymour.

Deedaa Sat 07-Feb-15 19:17:56

Always happy to help rose grin And don't forget Thomas More's daughter took his head down and carried it round with her - a bit like Isabella and The Pot of Basil!

rosequartz Fri 06-Feb-15 09:53:20

Thankyou for all those graphic descriptions of what happened to the bodies with or without their heads.

rosequartz Fri 06-Feb-15 09:50:39

roses I can't believe you have the same symptoms as me! Three spots on my face and a bad hair day (not that that is unusual)
Perhaps it's all in the name - 'ring a ring a roses'

rosesarered Thu 05-Feb-15 23:27:14

Merlot grin I will keep a very close eye on them indeed, and have already slapped a load of clearasil on them.Perhaps I should carry a bell and shout 'unclean, unclean'! At least I would get a seat on the bus.

TwiceAsNice Thu 05-Feb-15 23:21:21

I absolutely love it and think its well done. I've always liked the Tudor period and have read both books I think Mantel is a brilliant writer an academic storyteller. Can't wait for the next one. I usually record them on the sky planner and watch it at a different time, I do that with most things I'm interested in don't ever seem to watch live TV anymore as I work erratic hours.

merlotgran Thu 05-Feb-15 23:02:26

OMG roses. Keep an eye on those spots.

#bubonicplague,smallpox. grin

rosesarered Thu 05-Feb-15 22:26:20

I like the way that Wolf Hall is filmed, a bit darkly but not too much[not like Jamaica Inn.] We would all look better 'in the dark with a light behind us'.Especially today, as I am having a bad hair day and 2 spots have popped up.

rosesarered Thu 05-Feb-15 22:23:29

A lot of them unprintaable, and most of them indecipherable!

rosesarered Thu 05-Feb-15 22:22:41

Not too sure about that Soutra grinthe Scots say a lot of things.....

Soutra Thu 05-Feb-15 21:53:37

Which presumably is the origin of the Scottish sAying
"Awa an bile yer heid!"

Deedaa Thu 05-Feb-15 21:38:03

Anne Boleyn was buried in the church of St Peter Ad Vincula in the Tower - with her head. Apparently no one had thought further than the execution and there was no coffin so she was put in a storage chest for arrows.

The heads of traitors were boiled before they were stuck on poles so that they would last longer.

Greyduster Thu 05-Feb-15 21:33:22

Sir Thomas More's head was stuck on a spike on London Bridge, but his daughter Margaret bribed the bridge keeper to get it down. She is said to have pickled it and kept it at home (dear God! the things some people have in their kitchen cupboards!). When she died, it was buried with her. More's headless body, along with those of Cromwell, Ann Boleyn, Katherine Howard, Jane Grey and others, was buried in the chapel of St Peter ad Vincula in the grounds of the Tower. Another bit of useless information from yours truly!

Ana Thu 05-Feb-15 21:05:36

I expect the flesh was eaten by scavenging birds/animals and the skull eventually fell off and was kicked about and/or trampled on until it disintegrated...

Tegan Thu 05-Feb-15 20:41:58

And then, of course, if you were a saint your bones [ie relics] would be stuck in as many holy places as possible shock....

annodomini Thu 05-Feb-15 19:59:05

They stuck the heads up in conspicuous positions - city gates, for instance. Not sure what happened after that.

rosequartz Thu 05-Feb-15 19:28:10

I missed last night's episode as I was out.

However, shall I bother with any more? - I know the ending already but I won't tell!

One question it may answer that I don't know the answer to - if someone was beheaded were they allowed a Christian burial (papist or protestant) and did they bury the head with the body?
I don't mean to be gruesome but I wondered if they had some sort of ritual which perpetuated the disgrace after death?

goldengirl Thu 05-Feb-15 16:38:16

I enjoy historical dramas - well some - but there seems to be a lot of standing still and thinking going on in this one. I would like a little more clarification of who is who so I know why Cromwell is always in deep thought. Because of the costume style and candle light some of the characters look alike to me.

petallus Thu 05-Feb-15 16:18:20

I've been trying to discipline myself into watching it. Managed the first episode but..........!

Had two or three goes with the book with a similar result.

I shall have to come to terms with being a lightweight!

Tegan Thu 05-Feb-15 14:53:27

That was mentioned in episode one [his past]. In fact, what is fascinating about his portrayal of Cromwell is that he appears on the surface to be such a gentle man but he has the reactions of a soldier [eg in the scene with Mary Boleyn when her other bloke turns up unexpectedly]. Y'don'tmesswiththisbloke!

jinglbellsfrocks Thu 05-Feb-15 14:09:21

She (Mary Boleyn) did go out of her way to flirt with Cromwell in the book.

I think it's been on fast-forward from the start. Just a flashback to the cruelties of his father, and his subsequent sea trips completely missed out. Only the tapestry to mention that he'd been on his travels when he was young. I think he was into fighting. A soldier I think.

merlotgran Thu 05-Feb-15 14:03:16

DH nodded off and woke up when Anne Boleyn was being laid face down in front of the altar.

'Oh, are they chopping her head off now? Is it nearly over?'

You can tell he's loving it! grin

Greyduster Thu 05-Feb-15 13:58:01

Perhaps someone who has read the book more recently than I did could put me right, but I don't recall Mary Boleyn throwing herself at Cromwell. Did I skip a couple of pages somewhere? I'm enjoying this series on the whole, but last night I detected a touch if "we've got to get two books into one TV series - how are we going do it?" It suddenly seemed to have an element of fast forward about it.

Leticia Thu 05-Feb-15 13:41:58

Young girls generally get messy hair. Women always fawn over powerful men-they do today.