Warning: If you missed the episode and don’t want to know anything, go away, potential spoilers in here!
BBC / GunpowderA scene in Kit Harinton’s new drama, Gunpowder, has been described as the ‘most gruesome ever’ by viewers who ‘had to look away’ from their screens.
Kit stars alongside Liv Tyler in the three-part BBC drama, re-telling the story of the infamous 1605 gunpowder plot to blow up the House of Lords.
The programme documents the actions of Robert Catesby, – an actual distant relative of Kit – Guy Fawkes and a group of Catholics who planned to ignite gunpowder under Westminster.
Check out the trailer below:
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The first episode aired on Saturday night, with viewers finding themselves watching some of the most gory, gruesome scenes, seen on recent television.
You know the story, people get hung, drawn and quartered, hands and feet get chopped off, heads roll and then there’s the whole being crushed to death.
Like the sound of it all?…Well then this show is for you.
However, some people were far from impressed:
"scenes some viewers may find upsetting" bit of an understatement BBC bloody hell have had to look away for most of it so far #Gunpowder
— Zoe N ? ? (@Zoe_Elisa_N) October 21, 2017
I found that there was no need to show so much gore in the execution scene in #Gunpowder made for very uncomfortable viewing #bbc
— James Kapp (@jimbobkapp) October 21, 2017
#BBC #Gunpowder too much violence, too much gore. Not entertainment. #disgusting
— Peter Timmins (@petertimmins3) October 21, 2017
Really disappointed by #Gunpowder! All gore and little historical truth. I need to go away and calm down after that!?
— Lydia (@lydia_hazel) October 21, 2017
And I though GoT was bad. BBC taking prime time Saturday night viewing to new levels of gore #Gunpowder
— Ellen Crick (@ellenrubycrick) October 21, 2017
However, others had this to say:
To those who are horrified at the "Gore" please pick up a history book. Britain was build on blood, rape and plundering #Gunpowder
— Rachel Harrison (@rachelannharri1) October 21, 2017
Brutal but historically accurate. Maybe you more delicate souls should go to bed before 9pm if it upsets you. #Gunpowder
— DDD (@heavenrise) October 21, 2017
Well… #Gunpowder may have trumped #GOT for gore! Bravo Kit Harrington. pic.twitter.com/y38Pbab2K2
— Dan Jackson (@MrDJJackson) October 21, 2017
Yes, it's graphic & gory, but it has to be for us to understand the depth of persecution, and why Catesby & co did what they did. #Gunpowder
— Knitty42 (@Knitty42) October 21, 2017
Well #Gunpowder started slow but boy did it pick up! Blood. Gore. Plotting. Bring on next week
— Clare Williams (@klayrelizabeth) October 21, 2017
I wonder how many BBC viewers will complain about the graphic scenes in #Gunpowder even though this stuff actually happened regularly? ?
— Bethany Callbutt (@BethanyCallbutt) October 21, 2017
Kit, who plays Jon Snow in the HBO hit, Game of Thrones, referred to Gunpowder as his ‘baby’ saying it was a ‘dream’ to be involved in the project.
As well as staring in the drama, the 30-year-old also helped produce the programme and was involved from the start, telling the Press Association, as reported by the Evening Standard:
I loved being involved as a producer in this from genesis, from coming up with the idea to finding a brilliant writer that wanted to do it with us, to finding a brilliant director who wanted to direct it with us, to casting it.
You know, I was involved from the very start. I understand now what they mean when they say it’s my baby.
I feel so proud of it and I’m so thrilled we got it done. It still feels a bit like a dream to me.
BBC / GunpowderDuring promotional appearances for the show, Kit appeared on the Jonathan Ross Show, where he spoke about Gunpowder but also his recent proposal to GoT co-star Rose Leslie.
He also told Ross how he’d scared his new fiance to the point she threatened to leave him if he ever pulled another prank of the same nature again.
In the footage, a poor Rose is left utterly terrified when she opens up the fridge to discover what Kit had hidden among the groceries:
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What Kit had done to cause such a reaction, was to leave a ‘severed head’ for his unsuspecting partner to find.
He said:
It turns out, now you’ve seen that, that she’s not a big [fan], like my family does April Fool’s, her family doesn’t do April Fool’s.
After that she was in tears. It didn’t go down well. She pretty much told me if I did it ever again that would be it – and I think that’s marriage included.
HBORoss asked Kit if he and Rose, who’ve been dating on and off since 2012, were considering a Game of Thrones-style wedding, with costumes and all.
Kit replied:
No. There is absolutely no chance of me convincing her of that.
The pair met while filming Game of Thrones, with Rose playing wildling Ygritte, with whom Jon Snow falls in love with, however, she was killed off in season four.
