Damian Lewis fans line up for Wolf Hall tonight

[Travelledtheworld]

Wednesday 21st January BBC2 Channel 4

lush costumes.

www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/11358197/Damian-Lewiss-inspiration-for-Wolf-Halls-Henry-VIII-Wills-and-Harry.html

[Encyclo]

I'm loving it, but I haven't read the books. I think Mark Rylance is excellent.

[MoanCollins]

I think Rylance and Wolsey and Mary Boleyn are excellent. Anne Boleyn is rotten.

It's gripping but slightly disjointed with the hopping about in the years it's based.

[TheTravellingLemon]

I'm also really enjoying it. He's brilliant.

[moggiek]

Rylance is wonderful!

[ageingdisgracefully]

Liking Rylance, and the pace is nice and slow. I think Ann Boleyn's colouring is all wrong, though: wasn't she sallow skinned with brown eyes? Anyone else noticed that the men are ordinary-looking but the women are in the main very pretty? (overinvests...)

[ravenAK]

Enjoyed it. Thank goodness they killed the dds off early (she says callously) - that chapter had me in bits first time I read it...

[MuddhaOfSuburbia]

yy

I thought the dds and Liz were in it (the book) for aaages

the actors must've been

[ExitPursuedByABear]

No they weren't. I only got through the first few chapters and they were dead before I gave up.

lightweight

[Clawdy]

Mark Rylance is amazing, and I wasn't sure if I would like him. Perfect casting, and the filming is beautiful. Not sure about Anne Boleyn,though.

[luposa]

"Our son, Gregory, writes and sends his love to his sisters, Anne and Grace..."

Clunk... exposition dump. Along with the "Henry VIII for Dummies" conversation referenced above.

And fuck me, Anne Boleyn has a cockapoo... really?

Actually I did quite like it.

[Swex]

Never read the book I admit, but enjoyed the programme.

[Quangle]

I liked Anne B. Also Mark Rylance though his accent seemed more Dorset than Putney scrapper.

I really like Jonathan Pryce as an actor too. Not sure why he's not up there with the major actor names.

[Quangle]

I think the letter is in the book as a device revealing the son to be a bit of a disappointment?

[BOFster]

I didn't understand much, to be honest. And Damien Lewis' clothes seemed oddly over-sized. Still, I suppose he needs room for the suicide vest.

[AnneofCheese]

Oh, it was so good, so so good. I had such doubts about Rylance, I am a complete tit! Everything was perfect. The peacock wings! *cries forever

[ravenAK]

Yup, nicking the peacock wings - just for Christmas, & don't stand too close to the fire - for my y11s & their creative writing.

Lovely bit of narrative foreshadowing .

[atticusclaw]

Well I've had a long day but found it incredibly slow. DH enjoyed it but has read the books.

Can't say I'll be tuning in for the next instalment

[AnneofCheese]

I'm so glad the humour of the book was kept, like the banter between Wolsey and Thomas. Mark gatiss is so perfect as Gardiner. I loved Rylance's stillness. I thought the Anne Boleyn scene with her French affectations 'Cremuel' was great.

[LatinForTelly]

YY, Quangle, Gregory's letters always clunky, asking how everyone was , then, 'And now no more for lack of time'. Made me smile. Agree about the king/marriage recap though.

Bofster

[AnneofCheese]

Yes the letter was to show his bad Latin - saying the same thing over and over (like me writing in French at school). The clunkiest bit was all the exposition by Wolsey as they played cards, but what can you do?

[clary]

Loved it.

Tearing up when the girls died Anne all set to marry Rafe in 10 years' time {blub}

Really like Rylance, may now forgive him for shocking Macbeth we saw with screechy Lancashire woman many years ago. I love love these books and this so far seems very faithful, excellent dialogue lifted straight from it.

Not a lot of DL so far tho. At least we know what his babies will look like

[LuluJakey1]

Mark Rylance grew on me. There was a stillness - as mentioned above- and something menacing about him along with a tenderness and grit that made him quite compelling. Ann Boleyn was dreadful- lantern jawed and dull. Jonathan Pryce was excellent. It took a while to settle I thought and grab me- however, I had to persevere with the first 50 or so pages of the book until it got me.

[Nancy66]

I mostly liked it. Bit slow in the first 20 mins or so but then really picked up. Shame we'll see no more of Natasha Little, really like her as an actress.

[Travelledtheworld]

Agree with you all. Slow start but built momentum. Beautifully filmed. Rylance fantastic, thoughtful, intelligent, all that suppressed abuse and grief....

Unfortunately I had nipped off to pour myself a nightcap in what I thought was a quiet few minutes and missed the death of Cromwells wife. Walked into the room to see the dead little girls (gulp).

Thought DL came over as a very powerful and dangerous Henry VIII.
Looking forward to next week.