The White Queen

[ShadeofViolet]

Anyone else ridiculously excited?

I know Philippa Gregory's books tend to be a bit Barbara Cartland in places, and I hope the BBC havent increased it, but I still cannot wait to watch it.

[Hazelbrowneyes]

Loved it, can't wait until the next episode.

[FlamingoBingo1]

It would have been laces, not buttons, so would just need tightening then tying.

[RustyBear]

There were definite holes, like button holes, on the side of the opening that you could see -no laces visible but he did it up far faster than would actually have been possible, whether they were laces or buttons!

[MsIngaFewmarbles]

Liked it a lot and very similar to the books so far. Poor James Frain only seems to get cast as the baddie in historical drama but he is very good at it :)

Agree about the casting of Jacquetta, fantastic. Does she remind anyone else of Charlotte Rampling?

[frostyfingers]

I found that really disappointing - soft porn, mushy, and what does Warwick have on his head? Won't bother next week, even though I loved the books.

[LaVolcan]

Is the lady playing Elizabeth actually English? Once or twice she sounded a bit like a Norwegian friend of mine, accent-wise.

Swedish with an English mother, according to the Guardian, so you are not far wrong with the accent.

[tobiasfunke]

I hated it and I love a bit of history lite. The script seemed really stilted and had absolutely no depth to it. DH and I sat and giggled all the way through. Whats her chops was hilarious when she was having one of her visions.
Warwick went all a bit TOWIE at one point.

[NotQuitePerfect]

Yes yes to Warwick/Towie!

[HairpinsAndLacquer]

Thank you LaVolcan

Wasn't the little blond boy playing Richard sweet? He had lovely curls.

[ShadeofViolet]

Just caught up with it as missed it last night.

I thought it was brilliant and the casting was perfect, Margaret Tudor looks exactly how I would picture her.

[Purplehonesty]

I loved it. I was so true to the book too.
Can't wait for next week....did think Elizabeth would have been more stunning though. She is pretty yes, but I had imagined a real stunner to stop a king in his tracks and she is a bit ordinary.
Not that I am a king stopper myself....

[bunchamunchycrunchycarrots]

Just watched it on iplayer. I liked it. I've just finished watching the tudors re-run on BBC2 and can't get my head around Cromwell being in this too . Edward looks too young and skinny to be king though. I'm off to see Hampton Court Palace in a few weeks to indulge my new found interest in this sort of thing. And The White Queen fits in nicely with my interest I'm not very good with timelines yet.

[JazzDalek]

I really enjoyed it, perfect for a Sunday evening (and may help to ease my Game of Thrones withdrawal symptoms )

I went into it blind - have never read the books and (shamefully) don't know any of the history involved - so have no preconceptions.

So far seems very similar to The Tudors, which I enjoyed for its trashiness and costumes and pretty people

Delighted as always to see James Frain. Would take him over the King any day didn't mean that to sound so dirty but what the hell

[noblegiraffe]

My first comment was 'she's not pretty enough'

The MIL scene was fantastic, hope to see plenty more of her.

It's so nice to see a historical drama where we follow the women. Edward goes off to war and we don't have to sit through any boring battle scenes. Hurrah.

[DuchessofMalfi]

I was trying to get to grips with the timeline and work out where she came in history, not being very good at history . According to the brief explanation in the Radio Times, she was Henry VIII's grandmother. Her daughter married Henry VII and they were the parents of Henry VIII. So that explains that then :o

[Fiderer]

It was enjoyable tosh - my Toshometer? hasn't binged so high since Downton finished

I found her intonation odd at times and having read here now that she has a Swedish mother, it explains why. Lovely to look at, as are lots of the men.

I really liked her nightgown. I haven't worn one since I was about seven and I don't want it to sleep in. I want it to float about a Tudor garden in looking winsome and then for a knightly chap to dismount his horse and flick back his cloak like the king did.

It looked really good. I thought it might be like GoT, all muddy brown but that strong green and the house and garden were jolly nice.

[GhostOfTheRobot]

Agree with all the comments regarding the refreshing change to focusing on the female protagonists of that period for a change.
I loved Janet Mcteer as Jaquetta. What a mother figure! Her exchange with Cecily in particular.

I'm not sure i like the magical aspect of it. It's a bit unintentionally funny, as someone said up thread. Can't they just be intelligent women instead of woo?

[KikeriFreedomCastle]

I thought the casting was perfect too.

NQP - I'll be watching Borgias too. Obviously it has its faults, but I've watched two series so far and have oddly been drawn in.

[sugarandspite]

The thing about the magic though - a few years later when Warwick is fighting Edward, he actually arrests Jacquetta on a claim of witchcraft. He lets her go without charge but there is a record of this, and earlier rumours at the French court too.

Loved the casting of her and Warwick too!

[HairpinsAndLacquer]

I think it's superstition more than actual woo. Being descended from a water goddess is a charming after dinner story and makes you seem more interesting

And if your children will quite possibly die, or things go against your family that as women you maybe can't do much about, why shouldn't you try and influence tjr world by magic? Other than the possibility of being executed as a witch of course I thought the scrying was OTT though.

[hollyisalovelyname]

It's really good. I'm enjoying it. Isn't Max Irons the spitting image of his mum, with his dad's eye colour.

[bunchamunchycrunchycarrots]

Now you mention Max Iron's mum [doh] I can see his likeness there, 'cos I just couldn't see his dad there at all. James Frain (thanks for the name, I was struggling, hence the 'cromwell' bit) seems a bit less weasily so far in this. A bit more about him, none of the bowing and scraping he did in The Tudors.

[waikikamookau]

planning to watch it tonight, on I player. happy this thread sounds positive

[SuburbanCrofter]

I knew Max Irons ever so slightly when he was a child, and it feels a bit wrong watching him in sex scenes!!

I thought it was good though.

(He seemed a nice, well-bought up kid btw - no gossip!)

[MummyMastodon]

hmm, Elizabeth was very pretty, but not the luminous beauty I'd envisaged. She was a bit too freckly and 'girl next door'.