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.

Guineapiglet, I watched that recently on 4onDemand. It was great wasn't it. Really fascinating story.

at bicycling midwives, brill, I now have visions of Chummy and Co tearing around the castle looking for babies to be born, at least it's a lot cleaner than the East end was portrayed in Call the Midwife.

Loving the Queen's manicure, veneered teeth and ability to give birth to toddlers.

She can also levitate - sometimes her head is level to the King's chest, othertimes his nose.

Perhaps she sometimes wears stilletos ?

I thought the novel was pushing it a bit, but the tv show (and it is a show) is drivel.

Of the casting, I can only assume that many of them are 'connected', especially the leads.

philippa gregory is quoted as saying the tv series is just as she imagined, doesn't say a lot about her books if this is the level she's pitching at.

and margaret beaufort is being so overacted it's just cringe making

Yes - the BBC can do authentically dirty & realistic perfectly well when it wants to, which makes me about what on earth they think they're up to with this one.

If the writing & characterisation was better, I'd wonder if they were going for a painting / stained glass kind of effect (someone earlier mentioned a Holbein painting). Given the quality of the writing I think they're just trying for Chicklit, which is a bit crap.

I did read this and also The Kingmaker's Daughter. The latter was particularly a struggle to finish. Such a boring monotone 'voice'.

It's all going downhill.

One word - rubbish.

I can think of several more but I've wasted enough of my life on this drivel as it is.

Apparently it cost a staggering £25 million to make.
I'm not actually seeing where that was spent. Not on the extras. There appears to be about 2 courtiers and perhaps 1 servant hanging about.
It is one colossal waste of money.
It's of the lets not make it too intellectually taxing school of period drama.
I bet you it was made for the American 'Downton' mass market. God help them.

Thought it was good.
Glad that this is a 10 part'er, to get our teeth into.

Yes, it's like "Downton with Doublets"

That might not be historically accurate but then again, the doublets may have zips or velcro

I think Max Irons, playing Edward is very easy on the eye but not well cast- he is not authoritive enough. He appears a bit weak and watery. The little boy- Henry ( Margaret Beaufort's son) didn't age at all in 2 or 3 years - very strange!!! Very poor work by whoever is in charge of that sort of thing in a production- is it the director's fault? Still I'll keep on watching, at least it doesn't end on a cliff hanger like 'The Fall' !

Thinking about some people being acted older than they actually were at the time of these events I wondered whether having gone down the road of 'golden lit ' sex scenes for Elizabeth and Edward there was then a certain discomfort that some very young girls were married and having children.

Good point mehefin

i can live with them making characters older than the book (and in this case, reality!), game of thrones did the same to make it more palatable.

*She can also levitate - sometimes her head is level to the King's chest, othertimes his nose.

Perhaps she sometimes wears stilletos*

Yes, I noticed that last week, it was although she sometimes stood on a box.

I like Margaret Beaufort, though, she has amazing pale skin.

I'm disappointed by it.

I'm really enjoying it and the blurb did say that it wouldn't be accurate in the interests of making it more interesting to watch. I've read the PG books but that's all I know about the War of the Roses so I'm not picking up the things the rest of you are.

But I couldn't watch the Tudors because I knew the period too well and became fixated on the historical inaccuracies. So I can understand why some people are struggling with it. But I like it so far and it's just right for Sunday evening.

I'm just hoping we don't see any more births, especially after reading her descriptions of some! Fortunately we won't see Henry Tudor's, since he's already born.

I think you're probably right about the ages, girls getting married at twelve isn't really that good to think about.

I'm finding it all a bit clunky but I've still been sucked in. It is funny how beauty is subjective though because whereas some people are saying the actress playing EW is not pretty enough, I can't take my eyes off her. I think she is stunning.

I think I need to read the books now. It might all be tosh but it's fun tosh.

Surely if Henry the 7th to be is aged about five his mother, Margaret Beaufort, should be no older than 19? I must say that to follow it properly (am I very dense?) I need to have Alison Weir's fact book about who lived when and was married to who etc. to hand and a coloured picture book of the kings and queens of England.

SO glad I'm not the only one annoyed by the nail polish and speedy mail service (how were they all writing and sending letters whilst being captured and beheaded?)

I'm-still-enjoying-it-tho

You are right higgle!

I do love the actress who plays Margaret though, she has been fantastic in other things

I had to read a history book to understand what on earth all those people were doing there. The White Queen was the mother of the Princes in the Tower. I don't think the king lasted very long. He got ill. His younger brother put his nephews in the tower and took the throne. Ah, Richard iii. They weren't very nice to each other!