Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

...to find Wolf Hall really hard going

211 replies

catslave · 23/01/2015 09:49

I like a period drama, really I do - but I'm sorry to say that Wolf Hall was incredibly dull. For starters: hopping about all over the place in time, miserable, one of history's most interesting characters - Anne Boleyn - was a spoilt cow with an 'Allo 'Allo accent...

Nothing was explained properly, either, apart form the blindingly obvious. Loads of shots of Cromwell's dad being a wrong'un, in case you missed it the first 20 times, then 'Oh, I need to be an MP again' (Cromwell). Eh? When were you an MP the first time?

I 'did' the Tudors at A-level 20 years ago, so my memory of the period is ok, but the specifics are fuzzy, and there's no way I'd remember the ins and outs of Thomas Cromwell's parliamentary career. Argh! I've cancelled series link... Or is it just me?

OP posts:
Lottapianos · 24/01/2015 10:09

Sorry if this is a very thick question, but what happened to TC's wife and daughters? He came back from a trip and they were all dead but how?

I havent read the books but really enjoyed it, even if the first 20 minutes were vair confusing

DeliciousMonster · 24/01/2015 10:17

Good God. Was I watching a different programme? It was bloody marvellous.

No - I think you'll find that different people like different things. HTH.

Jackieharris · 24/01/2015 10:23

I was disappointed too. I have the box set of the Tudors which I know is style over substance but I found it more enjoyable than wolf hall.

It was very dark and even though I know a fair bit of the history I found the story hard to follow.

Trills · 24/01/2015 10:33

"I found the books were hard work, but repaid effort."

I agree.

I enjoyed the first episode. Everyone on here has been talking about it for so long that I thought there would be more than one episode to catch up on.

I want some peacock feather angel wings!

stubbornstains · 24/01/2015 10:34

They said it was the "sweating sickness", lotta. I wonder what it would be called today, if it's still around? It was certainly v.,v. sudden- I can't think of any contemporary/historical disease that would be quite that fast.

I loved it! I'm so sick of stating-the-obvious, dumbed down, hammy BBC costume dramas (yes, looking at you, White Queen).

I loved the darkness, and glowing colours- it reminded me of a Holbein painting.

Thought the brief appearance of Henry VIII rather promising too- I thought he managed to convey the power and menace quite well.

Trills · 24/01/2015 10:34

I was pleased that both Henry and Catherine were red of hair.

The Tudors had some kind of anti ginger agenda.

KatieScarlettreregged · 24/01/2015 10:35

Loved it.
Was not expecting to as I generally loathe screen adaptations of books I love.
I really love Wolf Hall and BUTB.
Felt that the 1st episode got through a lot in terms of scene setting. The books are so full of characters that I wasn't sure how 6 episodes would work.
It seems that revenge is going to be the thread that pulls the story along IMO. The beauty of the books is how HM manages to make Cromwell a hero despite his actions.
Can't wait for the next episode, costumes and settings were the best I've seen.
(Liz and the girls died of the sweating sickness while TC was at a reformer meeting he shouldn't have been at, hence the "I'm not here" comment. Everyone tried to find him to get him home but it was too late for Liz. In the book he also had a language lesson IIRC. In those days it was common to be well at breakfast and dead by nightfall if you caught "The Sweat")

stubbornstains · 24/01/2015 10:38

Good old Google....Sweating sickness was, indeed, v.v. fast, but it's not around any more....

www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/sweatingsickness.htm

stubbornstains · 24/01/2015 10:40

Oops..x-post katie

KatieScarlettreregged · 24/01/2015 10:46

What a fab link stubborn.
Always wondered what the cause was, supposed it was rats spreading the disease but it seems nobody knows, spooky!

Idefix · 24/01/2015 10:49

Love it too, but maybe had the advantage of knowing the backdrop. The sweating sickness is a well documented disease, that was very, very rapid, no one is sure about what it was but there are quite a few theories about.

Trills · 24/01/2015 10:52

If you were writing a fantasy book and you invented the sweating sickness, your editor would tell you it was too unrealistic

FairPhyllis · 24/01/2015 11:06

I thought it was totally fabulous. I may have to watch it again freeze framing it to look at all the costumes and interiors.

It has to be slow at the beginning because it's a revenge story. You have to understand the depth of Cromwell's relationship with Wolsey to understand why he brings Anne down when the chance falls into his lap.

Pimmsoclocknow · 24/01/2015 11:23

It's a bing thing

TattyDevine · 24/01/2015 11:40

On names, there was a time where just about every bloke was called Thomas, John, or William, and just about every woman was called Margaret (or derivatives like Peggy), Anne or Catherine.

I've done my family tree and this rings pretty true!

Even where their last name is Thomas, they will happily name their child Thomas. Even where they lost a child called Thomas - hey that's great, we can use Thomas again!

TattyDevine · 24/01/2015 11:41

The good old days, pre Jayden and Chardonnay.

FreudiansSlipper · 24/01/2015 11:43

I absolutely loved it

Had to keep putting it on pause to look up online so I had a better understanding of what was going on

Going to watch it again with no pauses

ifgrandmahadawilly · 24/01/2015 12:23

YANBU. I gave up after about 20 minutes of the first episode. It was very slow and hopped around a lot! I had no idea what was going on.

I must that I have very poor knowlege of that period in history and I haven't read the book BUT I've watched plenty of historical drama's where that hasn't been a problem - the writers have managed to set the scene adequately.

Very disappointing.

Tobyjugg · 24/01/2015 12:30

Never read the books, but I thought it was brilliant and the candlelight effects were wonderfully done. Atmospheric but you could still see what was going on. Still struggling with Cromwell being a hero though. I've always considered him a thoroughly nasty piece of work who got what he deserved in the end.

Cornettoninja · 24/01/2015 13:27

It's one of my favourite periods of history and I'm fairly happy with anything from fluff to high brow but I found it hard going (haven't read the books).

The location/sets were great but I found myself getting distracted by the scenery because what was going on didn't hold my attention.

I'll give it another go next week but I'm really not sure whether I actually like it or not yet Confused

MehsMum · 24/01/2015 15:55

You have to understand the depth of Cromwell's relationship with Wolsey to understand why he brings Anne down when the chance falls into his lap.
Penny drops. How did I not notice that? Thank you, Phyllis.

And it's only 6 episodes?

OverAndAbove · 24/01/2015 16:14

There's a scene in the book where TC's niece Alice has been permitted to marry and she running off calling her beloved "Thomas!" And TC laughs to himself that she could be calling to half of the men in the house. So I guess it's kind of true!

I loved the book and I loved the first episode. I completely agree with the pp who described its "painterly style" - some scenes I could have watched as stills as they were so beautiful. I loved the gardens and the dark rooms; it really brought things to life for me and I want to reread the books now with some of these scenes in mind. Can't wait for the next episode!

woodhill · 24/01/2015 16:15

I found it heavy but will continue to watch. probably need to read the book.

MuddhaOfSuburbia · 24/01/2015 18:01

I'm so glad this is on. It's making me think of Other Stuff like should we be forking out ££s for fixing the roof

I've been dragging Thomas More off dusty shelves this afty

since my brain is old and tired I can't figure out how/why Utopia came about, even with a Wiki skim. Only thing I can think is that he got more right wing as he got older

Wink

now going to force encourage DD to watch A Man For All Seasons with me for a bit of balance

BMW6 · 24/01/2015 18:19

Love the series but have to say I hate Mantel's style of writing.