M Mclaughlin

I would never have thought it was possible to make anything worse than 'The Tudors' (or The Ham Tudors I came to label this appallingly laughable take on Henry VIII) but this certainly succeeds. 'The Tudors' Henry could have passed for anorexic and his famous red hair was missing. Catherine Howard could have been Barbie! But King and Conqueror takes the biscuit by far, and as has been pointed out by another reviewer, historial accuracy was not exactly a strong point. When I think that once upon a time we turned out Elizabeth R and The Six Wives of Henry VIII and latterly the magnificent Wolf Hall. What's gone wrong?

Wonderfully atmospheric: a story of honour and (attempted) revenge spanning several years in which both the protagonists prove to be egotists who eventually lose sight of why they are pursuing their ill-conceived dual. When they finally reach later middle age, having begun the saga as very young men, and meet for the final time, they admit to themselves how futile their decades of feuding have been. And both simply walk away. They spent years refusing to recognise how pointless it really all is, sadly. They finish the story much older but certainly no wiser......

So accurately observed. A lot of research,detail and effort have gone into this marvellous entertainment.