Gore blimey: Alnwick stars in TV's horrific slice of history
At the start of 2015, the castle and surrounding areas were used for filming some of The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses.
The series, of three film adaptations of Shakespeare’s history plays, stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Dame Judi Dench, Hugh Bonneville and Michael Gambon.
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Hide AdThe opening episode, Henry VI, Part 1, was screened on BBC Two last Saturday at 9pm and attracted an audience of more than one million. It is available to watch on iPlayer. The second instalment, Henry VI, Part II, is being shown this Saturday on the same channel and at the same time.
As part of filming, which featured around 200 extras, hordes of roaring soldiers were seen running out of the Barbican, as well as in the Pastures around a settlement of tents.
Alnwick Castle’s inner courtyard was transformed for the filming of Joan of Arc burning on the cross, which was shown in the first episode. It was one of numerous glimpses of Alnwick during the series opener.
The series has been brought to the screens by Neal Street Productions and Carnival Films/NBCUniversal and follows the first Bafta Award-winning The Hollow Crown series in 2012.