I Love The Tudors
I have recently been catching up on series three of The Tudors and, having now got about half way through, I am feeling an outpouring of love and gushing admiration for the show. I think it is outstanding in every conceivable way. Superlative, in fact. There is no bettering it.
It has to be said, in the main, I am not a big fan of British TV. I was therefore predisposed towards disliking The Tudors when I began the second series (having missed the first one). At the risk of making a sweeping statement, it seems to me that British shows are usually inferior in the extreme to their American counterparts (except for Jane Austen type period dramas, which the British do very well). I can’t conceive of a British version of Stargate or Star Trek, for example, that would not be terrible. Perhaps the money just isn’t there. But the acting is a problem for me as well. If it seems cheesy and unbelievable, then I can’t get involved in it. Dr Who is the classic offender. I made myself watch two episodes, and it was like watching a Christmas pantomime. Which is odd, because I do think David Tennant, in other roles, can act. So maybe it’s the corny script writing instead.
I can’t quite put my finger on it but, for whatever reason, British TV doesn’t usually work for me. Even Merlin, which I really like, is not quite up to American standards. The Tudors, on the other hand, is another story altogether. It’s the only show of its type that I think the Americans couldn’t possibly improve upon. It ticks all the boxes. It is entertaining, sexy, violent and exciting. The acting, costumes, production, direction and writing are all truly excellent. I can’t fault a single actor in the whole show. I am terrified of, yet morbidly fascinated by, Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry, and am so convinced by him in this role that I actually can’t imagine him doing something normal like having a pint down the pub.
Natalie Dormer, the actress who plays Anne Boleyn, does an absolutely fantastic job of what seems rather a difficult part to play. Her performance is practically mesmerising. Not to mention the fact that she is stunningly beautiful. If I were going to have a girl-crush on anyone . . . but let’s not go there. Of course, Dormer, sadly, does not feature in the third series because, well, we all know what happened to Anne.
Moving on, despite the lavishness, polish and professionalism of the series, I have seen it criticised for not being 100% historically accurate and, I have to say, I think this accusation is absurd. Michael Hirst has stated: “Showtime commissioned me to write an entertainment, a soap opera, and not history … And we wanted people to watch it.” Seems fair enough to me. I am a history buff myself, but if I want to seriously learn more about history then I wouldn’t think to do it by watching a TV show. I would watch a documentary or read a book. I don’t watch The Tudors to learn more about the period, I watch it to be entertained. The story comes first! Besides which, the show itself is so good that I’m sure many people find their interest in the Tudor period piqued, and then try to find out more later. If Michael Hirst had to be slavishly faithful to historical fact then the series would not be so good, and so less people would watch it. If Henry, for example, were an obese man waddling grotesquely about the Royal Court, would anyone want to see any of his erotic dalliances? I seriously think not.
This show makes history accessible – bringing it “to the masses” as it were. I’m sure it has inspired many more people to take an interest in Henry VIII and his times than any dry, historical article ever did. I therefore think it quite ridiculous that historians like David Starkey (who I have been inclined to dislike ever since his unnecessarily antagonistic attitude towards his fellow panelists on Question Time) should brand the show as “gratuitously awful”, simply because it is not one hundred percent accurate. Not only do I think it impossible for a show like this to be entirely accurate, I do not think that it should be. If it is slavishly faithful to fact, to the point that only professional historians have any interest in watching it, then the show would soon be cancelled due to a fatal case of gross unpopularity. Shooting itself in the foot, as it were. A Pyrrhic victory indeed.
So, personally, I’m afraid I would have to dismiss as pure nonsense the claim that the Tudors is ruined because it sometimes takes liberties with dates, dress or characters. I love the show – I do not want a fat Henry – and I would dearly love to see it go on to cover Mary and Elizabeth’s reigns as well.
