Duchess I’m really looking forward to seeing it. i saw bits and pieces on Youtube and they both really looked how I wanted them to look, and that’s always a big thing for me. And I adore Helena. So does my partner actually, I swear he has a soft spot for Lady Jane because Helena played her (he gave himself away being upset when Molly killed Bellatrix in Harry Potter 7 lol)

Olga I bawled my eyes out when that bitch Bellatrix killed Dobby, but cheered like mad when she finally got her comeupance at Molly’s hands, serves the bitch right and all.
However I think Helena Bonham Carter is extremely versatile as an actress, and really gives the viewers a believable performance of the person she’s playing. I would rather like to see how she play Elizabeth you know. Of course she’s either have to dye her hair or wear a wig, but I wouldn’t have thought wearing a wig wouldn’t be so much a problem, as Elizabeth seem to do ok in real life, although her wigs must have been crawling with lice……………Yuck and double yuck…

Catherine & Liz….? And both Seymour brothers with Catherine Parr? Wow, never looked at it that way. Maybe you should come up with ideas with the producers and maybe convince them to keep accuracy in there….

I don’t think it would of been boring had they made it more PG-13 instead of XRated. The show should be watched because of the history and fans of the Tudor era not people who wanna tune into a nice sex scene. I, personally, watched the show because Anne and the wives stories and not for any other reason. If other people want to watch the show to get into the history better than perfect, great, but it makes me upset that some people only watch it due to sex lure and naked-ness.

I agree, Olga. I find Hollywood thinks it’s veiwers lack the intelligence or aptitude to watch and comprehend complex plot. I find good writing, great performances, and complex plot more interesting than lots of sex. Frankly, I find sex in films is often filler, and does nothing to further the plot. Frankly, the best parts of The Tudors were those intense scenes between characters, and wathcing the machinitations of Henry’s court unfold. The Tudors has so much to like about it, but there were elements that detracted from the quality of the production.

What is Game of Thrones like? I’ve never read the books, or watched the series. But, I feel I should watch because I am a huge Sean Bean fan, and have been for years. What is his part like? Is it worth a watch?

I don’t know Mya, it frustrates me. I’m just not a fan of pointless sex scenes, these days a lot of the shows I’ve been enjoying (otherwise) like Boardwalk Empire for example, are full of sex and full on nudity. And another thing is I haven’t spoken to a single person who doesn’t agree with me, most people roll their eyes about it. Game of Thrones I think went even more overboard than the Tudors did, but of course the Tudors was Showtime and HBO did G.O.T and HBO is seriously trashy.
Duchess, the books are good. If you don’t read much fantasy but like historical fiction this is probably the best sort of fantasy to try, a medieval setting with a lot of political intrigue. George does cater a bit to the teenage boy a little, but generally the women are portrayed well, there is a really interesting mix of female characters as well, which a lot of fantasy lacks.
The show is okay, I suspect the next series will be far better than this one. Sean’s character is one of the central characters in Book one, he’s very good, of course, I adore him. But definitely watch the series before you read the books, they’re of course far better and will wreck the TV show for you I read them ages ago, they’ve been around for ages.

I know sex sells, it’s literally everywhere now – in every ad for whatever features half naked women or men and it’s like seriously?! If your selling perfume then have a picture of that perfume and a flower or something not a naked woman holding the perfume. The only exception would be ad’s for bras and underwear. And kid’s shows and movies are starting to get bad too and almost every movie has it now. It’s getting ridiculous.
I wouldn’t mind Anne/Henry initimate scenes either, they didn’t really have many sex scenes with them anyways except the time in the woods and the one when they did it in France then the scene after the danced together which wasn’t that bad because they had clothing on. And speaking of the Jane Boleyn and Culpepper scene – it was really supirising that they did that, I didn’t expect that at all and it bothered me for some reason.

Olga said

Ah I had forgotten about the Jane/Culpeper storyline. I think one of the more annoying portrayals in that series was the Kitty Howard/Henry relationship, making out like they were having a steamy sexual relationship which only waned later on. I agree with you on them not letting Henry age properly Bill, the shame was they just made Kitty out to be a raving tart who liked sleeping with everyone, rather than a young girl who couldn’t have a fulfilling sexual relationship with her too-old husband and sought comfort and companionship with someone closer to her age.
Also I’m currently reading Starkey so I am still deciding whether she even slept with Culpeper or not.

The situation between Culpepper and KH was something that was discussed a few weeks ago, as it happens Olga. Starkey’s interpetation of it as I seem to recall that it was of a sexual nature, but then can you really blame her. Would you want a stinking festering blubbery walrus trying to maul you about night after night. Culpepper and KH were cousins and did know each other very well in their childhood, so at the moment I’m still in 2 minds, about their relationship too. Although I’m more inclined to think that Culpepper was just someone who she could talk to about the problems that she and Henry were having, or I’ll re Phrase that the problems that she was having with Henry. He wasn’t exactly easy to get along with, Henry this is, as he was in pain most of the time, and although he was good to her etc, he shared no common intrests with her. Culpepper on the other hand was of her age and therefore they must have shared a lot of common interests. Could you see Henry sharing fashion tips or what the celebrities would be wearing at the Oscars etc. No all Henry was concerned about was getting her pregnant, that would be his whole job done, after that as long as she had a baby every year she could pretty much say what she liked to him as long as he could get in her knickers.. I think it would of been a case of “Yes Dear, no dear, maybe dear now lets have sex dear”

KH was a fool but at the same time she was a kind hearted fool who perhaps didn’t act as was expected that most teens would have expected to act in that day and age.. KH was perhaps more suited to the 60’s era, a flower power child, where woman were more freer and could talk about things to other men or woman, where their lives were going what their hopes and dreams were and fashion, make up and beauty tips.

Pah!I have an Iron Maiden and I’m prepeared to use it…………laughs manicallly……

Olga. I’m glad that you are reading David Starkey’s book. You should also give Lady Antonia’s Frazer’s book a go as well. Starkey’s point of view is very blunt, robust and to the point which I actually prefer to be honest as it challenges the readers perception of things that went on with in the Tudor court etc. Basically it an all round good brain taxer. However Frazer’s book gives a much softer side of things, and I actually found comparing the 2 after I read them was another good mental exercise.
So I’m going to give you a good mental exercise to, try.
If KH was given the choice who would she have prefered to marry? Henry, Thomas Culpepper or Francis Derham, and why?

What an interesting question. I have thought about this before when considering KH and I actually think if she had been given the bare choice as you put it that she would have chosen Henry.
The baubles, the dancing, the clothes, the food, the power, the lording it over her friends, snubbing her nose at her family, the whole damn thing. She was very ‘mature’ in some things but immature in those that matter for a good long life so I don’t think she would have hesitated in choosing Henry.