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Season 1 – Gunpowder

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – Gunpowder Oct 2017 History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
72% Tomatometer 25 Reviews 64% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
In 1603, as England is engaged in war against Spain, tensions are high in domestic society due to brutal persecution of Catholics. Robert Catesby, a young Catholic nobleman who has recently lost both his wife and his father and, angry at his perception of punishment from society, conjures a literally explosive plot to kill King James I when he sits in the houses of Parliament. Catesby joins with a group of equally aggrieved men, including the infamous Guy Fawkes, to enact vengeance in a series of events that are still commemorated in present-day Britain. The three-part miniseries was originally presented on BBC in the U.K.

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Gunpowder — Season 1

Gunpowder — Season 1

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Gunpowder's bulky narrative provides few new historical insights, but its engaging leads and visceral violence may be enough to leave viewers remembering the fifth of November anyway.

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Critics Reviews

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Melanie McFarland Salon.com Dec 21, 2017
The conspirators' efforts may have come to naught, but the efforts of Bennett, Harington and his co-stars do justice to their history. Go to Full Review John Doyle Globe and Mail Dec 19, 2017
Gunpowder is less an entertainment than it is a curious, one-off attack on the entire genre of period-piece drama. Go to Full Review Brian Lowry CNN.com Dec 18, 2017
While historically accurate, that doesn't make Gunpowder a picnic to watch, or do enough to flesh out the characters. Go to Full Review Lacy Baugher The Tracking Board Jun 22, 2018
Given its dramatic subject matter, strong performances, and handsome production values, this series should satisfy anyone with a love for British historical drama. It's thoughtful and well-made. Go to Full Review Euan Ferguson Observer (UK) Mar 13, 2018
Nasty, visceral and gutsy, as, I'm so sorry to say, is history, and truth. Go to Full Review Melissa Camacho Common Sense Media Jan 10, 2018
3/5
Compelling historical drama has brutal violence, nudity. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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She F @Shefox Jul 1, 2026 Please make more episodes/Seasons See more J B @RT88491048 Jan 13, 2026 One of those tv shows that set out to twist the history and make it unwatchable. The underlying direction is to make out that the plotters (terrorists) justified in blowing up hundreds of people to get at King James 1/VI. Completely devoid of any accurate perspective. Quite leaden so cat even say that the telling of the story was worth enduring. See more Doug H @Dougals Aug 27, 2023 Just awful. Conspirators banding together to assassinate the king and murder hundreds of innocents portrayed as heroic freedom fighters against religious persecution. Any similarities to actual historical characters are purely coincidental. The best thing I can say about it is that it's only three episodes and there's no possibility of a second season. See more Read all reviews
Gunpowder — Season 1

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Cast & Crew

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J Blakeson

Director

Kit Harington

Robert Catesby

Peter Mullan

Father Henry Garnet

Liv Tyler

Anne Vaux

Mark Gatiss

Lord Robert Cecil

Shaun Dooley

Sir William Wade

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Oct 21, 2017 Nobleman Robert Catesby attends a secret mass interrupted by the king's men, who perpetrate acts of barbarity against a young Jesuit priest and the lady of the house; Catesby vows to avenge his kin and defend his faith by any means necessary. Details Episode 2 Aired Oct 28, 2017 As the king's network of spies closes in on them, Catesby and Wintour attempt to raise an army for their plot across mainland Europe; returning to London with Guy Fawkes in tow, Catesby assembles his gang of plotters for the first time. Details Episode 3 Aired Nov 4, 2017 Catesby and his men load the tunnels below Parliament with barrels of gunpowder; Father Garnet is visited by the Constable of Castile who pressures him to reveal Catesby's plot; Anne implores Catesby to flee the country. Details

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Gunpowder — Season 1

Gunpowder Gunpowder Gunpowder Gunpowder View more photos

Season Info

Director
J Blakeson
Executive Producer
Ollie Madden, Ronan Bennett, Daniel West, Kit Harington
Screenwriter
Ronan Bennett
Network
BBC
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
History, Drama
Original Language
British English
Release Date
Oct 21, 2017
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