The last kingdom. Sigh. Swoon.

Sent DH to the bedroom to watch this. I'm assuming there was too much blood n gore for me.

Loved it! DH disappeared behind his fishing magazine which suited me fine.

No. There wasn't really. It's history. Vikings and all that. And there's a very good storyline.

No other Bernard Cornwell fans out there?

Ah good! Thought I could rely on you merlot.

DH watched it, but I had to leave the room I disliked it so much.
It just kept making me think of what is going on in the world today and I couldn't watch it.

I read one of his books about Stonehenge once which was OK but I am not a fan.

DH is descended from Vikings or Danes or whatever so I know what to expect!

They're always filming things at Bamburgh but this was about Bamburgh and it wasn't filmed there. There is such a sense of history there and supposedly the dunes are full of people that had fallen in battle. Very spooky when the sea mist rolls in .

Me, jingl! I'm a Cornwell fan and have read most of the Uhtred books. I've recorded the first episode because I've been out tonight at the theatre.

I've read all the books and have all the characters firmly set in my mind so couldn't bring myself to watch and be annoyed if the casting or staging wasn't 'right'. Books to TV/Film can be very hit and miss, I generally prefer the original written version so on this occassion I didn't watch.

I watched it jings although I haven't read the books. I love anything historical with lots of young hunks in and I enjoyed it. I'm swooning over one of my favourites, the nasty uncle.

Yes,watched it,spent half the time hid behind a cushion.

Yes thought it was great. Started off thinking this isn't much of it and ended up really enjoying the blood and and gore. Interested in the way the battle was fought, especially the way the Vikings used their shields.

Have read his books donkeys years ago so can't really remember them.

Just started a course 600 years later on Battle of Agincourt so be interesting to see how technology had moved on.

Yes, that shield manoeuvre was very impressive!

Thought we would like it ( as we love Game Of Thrones) but have to say this left us cold.Little boy straight from drama school, totally unbelievable.
Only watched until the battle scenes.This is obviously a low budget series with a small cast.It may get better.

Yes did think that if you are a fan of got them this probably wouldn't match up but we have cable and can't get got so can't compare.
Thinking of getting box set of got for Xmas watching.

mollie They've got it right. You can watch.

Tegan, yes 'Bebbanburgh' they call it - probably the old name. I've always liked trying to work out the present day names from the old names in the books. What is it for York? Eoforwic?

merlot Is he hunky?

I've got the last boxset of of GOT whitewave. Gave up watching it though. I just couldn't follow it. Too many people.

Is he hunky, jingl?

Er......Um......I'm scratching my head.....Let me think about that one

He'd happily grow a big bushy ginger beard if I'd let him but I dread to think what would be lurking in there.

He's also very good at storming around with a cross face waving an axe but all I have to do is point him in the direction of a heap of logs.....Sorted!!

It's not nearly as good (nor as gory) as Vikings which was on the History channel earlier this year. Meet Radnar Lodbrok, Skandi style:

cdn.history.com/sites/2/2014/02/vikings_season2_episode1_gallery_8-P.jpeg

I was really looking forward to this and DH put it on tape because we've been watching that detective thing on the other side, which he hasn't been taping. So he will go in fear of his life if I don't get to watch it tonight!! I forgot until recently that I had read a couple of the books - thought the name Uhtred seemed familiar! The books were pretty gory too.

They were never going to have the budget that HBO productions have so it took me a while to not feel a bit disappointed in the quality of it, but it's a period of time that I know little about even though I spend so much time in areas where the Vikings raided on a regular basis. One of Cornwells ancestors was a Viking Raider.

merlot

Oops, not a Viking but a Saxon; Eider the Flamebearer..

Jingle: very glad it's close to the original story, so many of them aren't. The recent Phil Rickman/Merrily Watkins story was a total re-write and disappointing. Still not sure I want to see the dramatisation, I've got the characters in my head and I can remember how disappointed I felt when they turned Fred Bassett into a TV cartoon and he was sooooo different from how I imagined him . I think I'll leave my dreams intact.

Old Bernard Cornwell (bless him) believes he's related to Uhtred I read somewhere. Not sure how he can be sure but I don't blame him. If you need a role model for an ancestor why not have one with some fighting spirit.