Excellent television, of a type they will never make again. Unlike the tedious backdrops and effects of today, the sets are built like a play; whimsical and appreciative; nothing to detract from the extraordinary performances on display. Brian Cox plays a convincing Henry II - tough, outrageous, red-haired; he betrays Henry's viking roots. Jane Lapotaire plays his wife and Michael Byrne their son Richard - both are stand-outs, as are their characters.
The writing is v remarkable. As memory serves, it is more about clever dialogue set-pieces more than narrative thrust (much like a play).
The story is of the three Angevin Kings of England - Henry, Richard and John - and their domestic altercations that leads inevitably and casually into endemic armed conflict. They fact we never see these battles, and only a few of its participants, makes it feel even more fittingly morbid. Many of the nuances of feudalism are present: all the England crown's lands in France are under the overlordship of the 'King of the Franks' whose alternating friendship and hostility with these Norman kings and counts adds another layer of historical social structure to the scenario.
It seems to be very risque for the era, though this may be my limited experience with series from that time, what with being born a latter day millennial. There is a fair amount of nudity and sexual references.
