Chivalry isn’t simply dead in The Winter King. It’s been buried alive, slathered in mud and received a severe verbal ticking off over the course of an enjoyably gritty tale of warring kingdoms, treacherous chieftains and villainous Saxon hordes.
ITV’s dark and stormy new take on the legend of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is a grimly rollicking adaptation of Bernard Cornwall’s bestselling Warlord trilogy, amid the gore and the gloom, only one character looks even vaguely heroic. Inevitably it’s Iain De Caestecker’s likeable Arthur Pendragon, who, by the end of episode one of 10, sports a neat boyband haircut that turns him into a dead ringer for Ronan Keating circa “Life Is a Rollercoaster”.
Things are topsy turvy for Arthur, too. The story starts with Arthur’s older half-brother, Mordred, falling in battle. The siblings have been fighting those pesky Saxons, who are waging war on the kingdom of Dumnonia (roughly speaking, modern-day Devon and Cornwall). This devastates their father, Uther (Eddie Marsan). He cannot accept Arthur as his true heir owing to his illegitimacy. Fifth-century Britain is not, it turns out, a hotbed of progressive parenting.
He blames Arthur for the prince’s death and sentences him to a quick beheading. But Arthur is spared thanks to the intervention of Merlin (Nathaniel Martello-White). In Arthurian lore, Merlin is the original mysterious magic-wielder. He’s the template for such whiskery wizards as Gandalf, Dumbledore and Noddy Holder.
The Winter King has a different perspective, giving us Merlin as a slightly batty druid who can see the future yet is unable to cast spells. Still, his powers of persuasion work their own magic. Convinced it is better to be merciful than cruel, Uther exiles Arthur to the Continent. There, the boy picks up all sorts of weird notions – for instance, that human sacrifice is a bad idea. What will those crazy Gauls think of next ?
Arthur has come in many guises down the decades. This retelling pivots away from more fantastical versions of Britain’s Once and Future King. Instead, it is part of a continuum of revisionist medieval adventures that includes Game of Thrones and The Last Kingdom – likewise adopted from a Cornwall series.
What it lacks in shiny knights, roaring dragons and maidens wearing those pointy hats with the little veil attached, it makes up for with its sheer, gut-clenching intensity. It also benefits from a charismatic central performance by De Caestecker. A veteran of Marvel spin-off Agents of Shield, he brings a Hollywood sparkle that twinkles amid the mud and mayhem.
The story is partly told through the eyes of Arthur’s wide-eyed protege Derfel (Stuart Campbell), whom he rescues before his exile. Merlin promptly whisks Derfel off to his hippy community at Avalon. There, he falls in love with trainee druid Nimue (Ellie James) – which is awkward, since she is sworn to celibacy (though not as awkward as the ludicrous blonde wig Campbell is forced to wear).
Meanwhile, Uther has another son. He is also named Mordred and will bring about the downfall of his people. So reckons Merlin. He’s soon off to Gaul to bring back Arthur, who has become acquainted with such foreign concepts as basic body hygiene and cutting his hair.
Dialogue is utilitarian. Characters says things such as “the Saxon will take the isle!” and “he kills like no man I’ve ever seen”. Still, The Winter King has a wonderfully gloomy atmosphere and plausibly recreates the savagery and otherworldliness of pagan Briton. To describe it as a pre-Christmas treat would be a stretch. But for those who like their medieval adventuring on the dark side, The Winter King is broody, moody and magnificent.