The Last Kingdom: Season 5

AD 917. Many years of peace have endured between the Saxons and Danes. However, the return of the vengeful Danish leader Brida, former lover and now sworn enemy of Uhtred, upsets the peace, as does the ambitions of King Edward of Wessex to finally unite all of England under his rule. Uhtred has to carefully manage politics and war as he seeks to restore the peace and find a safe haven for his family.

Over the course of five seasons, The Last Kingdom has secured its position as one of the most watchable, entertaining swords 'n' beards series on television. Adapting Bernard Cornwell's novel series of the same name, the show has used brisk pacing, an excellent cast and some epic battles (on a not-so-epic budget) to tell a story of stirring politics and war in 9th and 10th Century Britain.

The fifth season of The Last Kingdom is the last, adapting the ninth and tenth books in the series: Warriors of the Storm and The Flame Bearer. The final three books in the series have instead been replaced in the adaptation by a single TV movie, Seven Kings Must Die, to follow later this year or early next. The decision to end the series in a different way to the books makes a fair bit of sense. In the books, Uhtred is around 60 years old during the events of this season (the actor playing him is only 39) and in his seventies at the end of the series, so ending at this point is a reasonable decision, especially as the ending of the story here brings the entire series around in a satisfying full circle.

The season also integrates the plots of the two books together, so rather than a fairly obvious mid-season shift in gears, the story organically moves from one storyline to the other. In the first, various factions trigger an end to the Danish-Saxon peace, resulting in a renewed conflict which the major leaders don't really want. Uhtred is invaluable here as he free-wheels between the two camps, trying to maintain peace whilst finding those really responsible for the chaos. This evolves into a larger-scale story as King Edward takes advantage of an opportunity to take more power in England, giving Uhtred a window of opportunity to realise a lifelong dream.

The 10-episode season unfolds at a brisk pace, the cast is as strong as ever, and there's a melancholic air to proceedings as Uhtred tries to keep his family - now grown up, married or with commitments of their own - together in the face of their own wishes and the whims of history. The nicely nuanced characterisation of the previous season, which saw Aelswith move from an antagonist of Uhtred's to reluctant ally, continues and is improved upon here. The battles are also stronger than Season 4's, which were underwhelming.

There are weaknesses. Uhtred suffering a setback, getting annoyed and then winning an unlikely victory is a trope we've seen before. Adrian Schiller is a fine actor but making his Aethelhelm (the most obvious "enemy within" ever) the main antagonist of the second half of the series feels a bit drawn out. A forbidden romance between Edward and a noblewoman named Eadgifu (a fine Sonya Cassidy) starts strongly and then kind of stalls. Wihtgar (Ossian Perret) is an underwhelming secondary villain. The lack of ageing makeup for any of the actors in the series is also increasingly bizarre, reaching comical heights in scenes where Aelswith (28-year-old Elisa Butterworth) is in deep conversation with her daughter Aethelflaed (28-year-old Millie Brady) and granddaughter Aelfwynn (22-year-old Phia Saban). But from a production standpoint, I get why they wanted to minimise such things.

The fifth and final season of The Last Kingdom (****) is not perfect, but it delivers a rousing finale to an enjoyable run. The show is available to watch on Netflix now.

Netflix releases trailer and airdate for the final season of THE LAST KINGDOM

Netflix has released the trailer for the fifth and final season of The Last Kingdom. They also confirmed that the series will air on 9 March.

The Last Kingdom's fifth season will adapt the ninth and tenth books in the series, Warriors of the Storm and The Flame Bearer. The thrust of the season will be on the final showdown between Uhtred and his former lover, Brida, a key ally turned into a longstanding enemy. Their enmity also takes place as Uhtred finally assembles the forces needed to retake his ancestral homeland of Bebbanburg, as once again Uhtred finds himself potentially at odds with his liege, King Edward.

There are three more books in the series, but Netflix has decided to not adapt them traditionally. Instead, their events will form the basis for a sequel movie, Seven Kings Must Die, which will act as the grand coda for the entire series. Production on the movie is expected to begin shortly for release in 2023.

Netflix commissions LAST KINGDOM movie

Netflix have commissioned a two-hour Last Kingdom film to follow the fifth and final season of the TV series next year.

Seven Kings Must Die will act as a follow-up to the series, with Alexander Dreymon (Uhtred) and most of the cast expected to reprise their roles.

Netflix revealed last May that the show would end with the fifth season. The news caused consternation among fans, because under the show's scheme of adapting two novels of Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Saga per season that would mean the show would only reach the tenth of thirteen books in the series. However, there was also speculation that Netflix were reluctant to commit to the massive time-skips that occur in the latter part of the series and leave Uhtred in his seventies by the time of the final novel (it should be noted that the series has already had thirty-something Dreymon playing Uhtred as a teenager in the first season and an early fifty-something in the fourth).

However the title Seven Kings Must Die may hint that the movie will indeed jump forwards to the closing storylines from the novels, which see the Seven Kingdoms of Britain (the Heptarchy) finally uniting under one single King of England, fulfilling the dream laid out by Alfred the Great in the opening episodes of the series.

Seven Kings Must Die starts shooting in early 2022 in Budapest, presumably for a 2023 release. Season 5 of The Last Kingdom is expected to drop on the streamer in the spring.

THE LAST KINGDOM to end with fifth season

The saga of Uhtred of Bebbanburg is coming to an end on television. Netflix have announced that the fifth season of The Last Kingdom, currently shooting in Hungary, will be the last.

The Last Kingdom adapts the Saxon Saga series by Bernard Cornwell and tells the story of the unification of England out of seven founding kingdoms in the 9th and 10th centuries, a mixture of Saxon nations and lands seized by the invading Danes. Early books focus on King Alfred the Great as he tries to protect Wessex from the invaders with the help of Uhtred, a Saxon raised by Danes who becomes an expert on their way of battle; later books see Uhtred torn between his Saxon and Danish loyalties, but ultimately helping Alfred's successors complete the unification of England. There are thirteen books in the series, with the last, War Lord being published last year.

Each season of the TV show has adapted two novels, leading to the conclusion that the show would last six or seven seasons. However, each season has moved further and further away from the source material and the TV show has had issues in depicting the realistic aging of the characters over many decades. Concluding the TV show with the events of The Flame Bearer, in which a middle-aged Uhtred finally sets out to reclaim his childhood home of Bebbanburg from his duplicitous cousin, is a reasonable dramatic compromise (the books end with a seventy-something Uhtred taking part at the Battle of Brunanburh).

Cornwell fans hopefully won't have to wait too long for another adaptation, though. Cornwell's even more acclaimed Warlord Chronicles trilogy, a "realistic" depiction of the Arthurian legend, is currently in development at Epix.

THE LAST KINGDOM renewed for a fifth season

The Last Kingdom has been renewed by Netflix for a fifth season.

It’s so good to know we’re good to go. All aboard the party bus! #Season5 #TheLastKingdom pic.twitter.com/OLzOH5Fckx

— The Last Kingdom (@TheLastKingdom) July 7, 2020

Lead actor Alexander Dreymon broke the news to his fellow castmembers via several video chats. Understandably, they were very excited by the news. It's also a great sign from Netflix in the success of the series; Netflix has a habit of cancelling shows after two seasons, so for Netflix to pick up the series for a third season with them (they took over production from the BBC in Season 3) is a confidence booster that the show - expected to last for six or seven seasons in total - will go all the way.

The fifth season is expected to adapt the ninth and tenth books in Bernard Cornwell's novel series, Warriors of the Storm and The Flame Bearer, although the TV series has become an increasingly loose adaptation of the books as it has continued.

The thirteenth and final novel in the series, War Lord, will also be published on 15 October this year.

The Last Kingdom: Season 4

AD 910. The Kingdom of Mercia has launched an ambitious invasion of East Anglia, to the disquiet of their ally, King Edward of Wessex, who was not consulted about the plan in advance. However, the Danes have outflanked the Mercian advance and attacked Mercia's capital instead. As Wessex and Mercia try to regroup, the services of Uhtred are called upon, but he has gone north on a daring mission to reclaim his ancestral seat at Bebbanburg.

The Last Kingdom has become one of the most reliably entertaining ongoing series on television. A historical epic, it adapts Bernard Cornwell's novel series about the unification of England across several generations and three kings, starting with Alfred the Great, all seen through the eyes of Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a Saxon of Northumbria raised by the Danes as one of their own.

The fourth season adapts the novels The Pagan Lord and The Empty Throne, although it continues to take significant liberties with the source material. This season, in particular, has barely any similarities with the novels in question.

The first half of the season sees the Danes on the rampage yet again, this time under the warlord Cnut (protip: always check the spelling) who sneakily exchanges the Danelaw in East Anglia in return for the prize of Mercia itself. Uhtred is distracted by an opportunity to take Bebbanburg, which predictably goes badly wrong. After four seasons viewers may find it wearying that, once again, Uhtred is presented with an opportunity to fulfil his destiny and once again loses it, but it remains a powerful motivational force for Uhtred's actions. The second half of the season switches to politics, as the throne of one of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms becomes vacant and King Edward tries to manoeuvre an ally into place without it being too obvious that is what he is trying to do, whilst a new and canny Danish warlord arises.

The theme of the season is family: Uhtred's son Young Uhtred and daughter Stiorra are now teenagers, the former a Christian priest and the latter a half-wild Dane. Uhtred is also in an ill-advised relationship with Aethelflaed which he hopes may bring him peace and happiness, which feels a bit naive of him at this stage in his life. In what is probably the season's strongest and best-acted arc, we also get a great bit of storytelling for Aelswith, King Alfred's widow, who feels left out of the political counsels and no longer needed. Eliza Butterworth has always been excellent in making what has been a traditionally antagonistic character consistently understandable and occasionally sympathetic, but this season she is on another level as she brings her character's steel and dignity into debates actually on Uhtred's side (a sequence where she actually congratulates him on a well-judged political decision leads to a look of surprise on Uhtred's face that is quite comical). Her attempts to maintain the familial relationships between her son, the king, and her daughter, the Lady of Mercia, area also well-handled.

Elsewhere, the cast are reliably strong as ever and numerous new castmembers make good first impressions. In Season 3 the show suffered from the loss of David Dawson (King Alfred) and some ill-judged casting decisions (particularly Thea Naess as Skade, who was not suitable for the role), but Season 4 sees the casting team get their mojo back and the new characters all get their moments in the sun.

The scope of the series expands, with the action now incorporating events in Wales, Northumbria and Ireland, and there's also a feeling of political and military progress in the over-arcing struggle. Whilst in Season 1 Wessex was the "Last Kingdom" of the title, the only Saxon kingdom left free, by the end of Season 4 all of the kingdoms have now been reclaimed, with one last hold-out which King Edward has turned his sights towards. In fact, I'm starting to wonder if Netflix are hedging their bets that they could end the series with a fifth season, with the narrative foundations in place for them be more bold in deviating from the books and wrapping things up sooner than in the books. It'll be interesting to see what decision they make there.

The season has a few weaknesses. The battle sequences are a bit of a let-down, with only one shield wall assembled in the entire season and a decidedly ahistorical focus on cavalry engagements (which were not hugely common at this period in history, when horses were expensive and mass cavalry formations not particularly common in England) and ranged missile weapons. After Season 3's strong battle scenes, Season 4's feel underwhelming. The political scheming in the second half of the season is also a bit overwrought. The Last Kingdom is not early Game of Thrones in that respect and the politicking is a bit obvious. It's good when the last two episodes move beyond that to a more exciting "city under siege" story, although the mechanics of the siege are a bit disappointing (the way the city initially falls to the enemy is fairly nonsensical).

For its mix of strong characters, solid action beats and engaging storytelling, the fourth season of The Last Kingdom (****½) continues this show's run of being one of the most consistently entertaining shows on air. It is available to watch now on Netflix worldwide.

A rough-and-ready LAST KINGDOM chronology

With the fourth season of The Last Kingdom recently released on Netflix, I thought it might be interesting to create a chronology of events in both the TV series and the books the series is based on.

Both the Last Kingom novels (by Bernard Cornwell) and the TV series are set in the late 9th and early 10th centuries, when the island of Britain is contested between seven feuding Anglo-Saxon kingdoms (Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria, Essex, East Anglia, Kent and Sussex) and the invading Danes. The Danes had originally come as raiders from across the North Sea, but by the time of the series they have established colonies throughout eastern Britain, using them as springboards to further invasions. The British kingdoms are fighting back piecemeal, but are vulnerable to being attacked and destroyed in isolation.

The one man who may be able to stem the tide is the newly-crowned King of Wessex, Alfred. Alfred has a vision of the seven kingdoms united as one, under one ruler and the One True God. He has a name for this vision, "England," but needs warriors to bring it to fruition. It seems that God is smiling on Alfred when he delivers to him a ferocious soldier and canny warleader named Uhtred, a Saxon child raised by the Danes and familiar with both cultures and their ways of war. But, whilst Uhtred fights for Alfred in return for a home and silver, he does not share his vision or his God, and the tensions between them unfold even as the wars to determine the fate of England rage.

Chronology

• 858 AD: Uhtred is born in Bebbanburg, Northumbria.
• 867: Battle of Eoferwic. Defeat of the Northumbrians. Uhtred is captured by Ragnar of the Danes. Uhtred is 9.
• 871: Alfred becomes King of Wessex after the death of his brother. Uhtred is 13.
• 874-876: Death of Ragnar. Uhtred and his adopted sister Brida escape to Wessex. Book 1 and the first half of Season 1 take place. Uhtred is 16-18.
• 878: The Battle of Ethandun. Book 2 and the second half of Season 1 take place. Uhtred is 20.
• 881: Book 3 and the first half of Season 2 take place. Uhtred is 23.
• 886: Lundune is recaptured. Book 4 and the second half of Season 2 take place. Uhtred is 28.
• 892-893: Book 5 and the first half of Season 3 take place. Uhtred is 34-35.
• 899: Alfred dies. Aethelwold's bid for power begins. Book 6 and the second half of Season 3 begin. Uhtred is 41.
• 902: Aethelwold is defeated. Edward crowned. Book 6 and the second half of Season 3 conclude. Uhtred is 44.
• 910: The Battle of Tettenhall. Book 7 and the first half of Season 4 take place. Uhtred is 52.
• 911: Aethelred dies, succession crisis in Mercia. Book 8 and the second half of Season 4 take place. Uhtred is 53.
• 917: Book 9 takes place. Uhtred is 59
• 918: Book 10 takes place. Uhtred is 60.
• 923-924: Book 11 takes place. Uhtred is 65-66.
• 924: Book 12 takes place. Uhtred is 66.
• 937: Battle of Brunanburh. It is assumed that Book 13 (the final book) takes place at this time. Uhtred is 79.

If you're thinking that Uhtred is looking good for a 53-year-old in the latest season of The Last Kingdom, you're not wrong! It'll be interesting to see if future seasons age him up more noticeably.

The Saxon Stories (aka The Last Kingdom)

1. The Last Kingdom (2004)
2. The Pale Horsemen (2005)
3. The Lords of the North (2006)
4. Sword Song (2007)
5. The Burning Land (2009)
6. Death of Kings (2011)
7. The Pagan Lord (2013)
8. The Empty Throne (2014)
9. Warriors of the Storm (2015)
10. The Flame Bearer (2016)
11. War of the Wolf (2018)
12. Sword of Kings (2019)
13. War Lord (2020)

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Final LAST KINGDOM novel to be released this October

HarperCollins have confirmed that the thirteenth and final Last Kingdom (aka The Saxon Stories) novel by Bernard Cornwell will be released this October.

The book will be entitled War Lord and will, assuming Cornwell's previous statements about how the series ends hold true, depict the Battle of Brunanburh, effectively the last major conflict between the Anglo-Saxons and the Danes on the island of Britain for a century. Uhtred will be an old man by this time (in his seventies at least), so the series will presumably deal with Uhtred's ultimate fate and those of his friends and family.

Season 4 of The Last Kingdom, the Netflix series adapting the books, will arrive in the late spring or summer of this year. It will adapt the seventh and eighth books in the series, The Pagan Lord and The Empty Throne.

The Last Kingdom: Season 3

AD 899. King Alfred's health is failing and his grand vision to unify the seven kingdoms of England under Christian rule has not yet been fulfilled. His son Edward stands to inherit the throne of Wessex but he is callow and untested, and the troublesome Prince Athelwold is again pressing his claim to the throne. To secure his dynasty, Alfred asks his greatest warrior, Uhtred, to pledge his sword to Edward for life. Uhtred refuses, yearning to set out on his long-planned quest to retake his ancestral home of Bebbanburg. Their quarrel turns violet and Uhtred finds himself banished from the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms...just as the Danes prepare their boldest plan of attack yet, and seek his support.

The Last Kingdom is one of the most enjoyable programmes on air, a (mostly) historical romp through the life and times of Alfred the Great and his heirs, who seek to unify England as one kingdom whilst facing constant pressure from the heathen Danes. Bernard Cornwell's novels are great fun and the TV adaptation is mostly faithful, although occasionally compressing events or characters for clarity.

The third season loosely adapts the fifth and sixth books in the series, The Burning Land and Death of Kings, and follows an over-arcing plot where the various tensions between Alfred and Uhtred that have built up over the series explode, bringing them to blows and seeing Uhtred banished from his new home. Uhtred is ensnared in the machinations of the alleged sorceress, Skade, and is convinced to join an alliance of Danes against Alfred, to the disquiet of some of his men who are still loyal to Wessex. The result is ten episodes of political intrigue, action and character development as the various agendas of the factions involved are put into conflict.

For a show in its third year, The Last Kingdom still feels fresh and ambitious. The show has moved from the BBC to Netflix with a notable budget increase, so battles and sets are suddenly a lot bigger and more impressive than before. This is also why we get ten episodes this season rather than eight. The extra episode-per-book is a good idea, as it allows the story a bit more room to breathe. That fast and furious pace for the earlier seasons was good, but did sometimes feel a bit rushed. This time around, there is more time to digest what is going on. This is especially useful as the story is now unfolding on many fronts simultaneously, with Alfred, Uhtred, Beocca and Brida each getting a fair slice of the action.

The regular cast are on top form, with the show getting its finest dramatic moment when Alfred and Uhtred finally abandon their formal stations and speak honestly to one another about their interlocking lives and destinies. Alexander Dreymon and David Dawson do superb work in this sequence.

There are some weaknesses. The Skade storyline is somewhat dull, not helped by Thea Naess not being the strongest actor in the show's line-up, and it's somewhat merciful when it is resolved mid-season, allowing for a lot more interesting drama revolving around Uhtred and his torn loyalties in the build-up to the excellent season finale.

The third season of The Last Kingdom (****½) represents a show still on top form, with excellent writing, performances and better pacing than previous seasons. It is available to watch on Netflix now.

A fourth season recently finished filming and should air on Netflix in 2020.

The Last Kingdom: Season 2

AD 878. The Saxon kingdom of Wessex has won a tremendous victory at Ethandun. King Alfred has emerged as the pre-eminent Saxon ruler, forcing the Danes to a negotiated settlement which has resulted in the creation of the Danelaw, an area for Danish settlement along the east coast of Britain. However, Alfred's new Mercian allies are unhappy with the territory given away in this treaty. Alfred, who is driven by the vision of a united, Christian England, sends his sworn sword Uhtred to Northumbria to help liberate Guthred, a strong claimant to the throne of that kingdom. But Uhtred has his eye on his ancestral seat of Bebbanburg and, when his sworn foes Kjartan and Sven One-Eye learn that Uhtred has returned, they plot his downfall. Destiny is all.

The first season of The Last Kingdom was a pleasant surprise when it aired in late 2015. Adapted from the first two novels in Bernard Cornwell's Saxon series of novels, it was well-written and well-acted, with a superb cast and production values despite a relatively low budget (especially compared to its main competition in the swords-and-chainmail genre, Game of Thrones). By the end of the season it had become gripping viewing.

The good news is that the second season continues in this vein and improves upon it. The series opens with a distinct swagger in its step, the writers, crew and cast firing on all cylinders. The show's structure, where it adapts two books per season, means it only has four hours to adapt one of Cornwell's novels, each one of which is jam-packed with characters, politics and plot. As a result the TV show is fast-moving and often exhausting, with one episode often featuring more twists, turns, betrayals and character evolution than an entire season of other series.

The theme of the second season is homecoming: Uhtred thinks that everything he needs is in the north, causing him to contemplate abandoning Alfred's cause, but by mid-season he realises that his life is divided between different families and loyalties: to his ancestral homeland and the memory of his dead father; to his slain Danish family; to his adopted Danish brother; to his friends and allies in Wessex who have accepted him when no-one else has; and to the Danish culture, which he regards as freer and less restrictive than the sometimes stifling, Christian atmosphere in Wessex...but also far more dangerous.

Seeing Uhtred navigate these waters and conflicted loyalties is always gripping: after a solid first season, Alexander Dreymon becomes much stronger this year. He is particularly outstanding in the third episode, when Uhtred finds himself on board a slave ship and has to endure a particularly gruelling ordeal as a captive. Particularly impressive is how every cliche in the genre is presented here (the possibility of a manly, heroic escape which is extremely unrealistic) and then shot down in flames. Both Uhtred in captivity and his subsequent recovery, haunted by symptoms of PTSD, are extremely well-handled by writers and cast.

The second half of the season brings the simmering conflict between Uhtred and Alfred to a head. This is frustrating as Alfred is a good king, but a questionable judge of character and his constant suspicions of Uhtred based solely on his refusal to accept the Christian religion (despite saving Alfred's skin and that of his family, allies and kingdom multiple times) gets frustrating for both viewer and Uhtred. The latter half of the season, which sees the newly-cemented Wessex/Mercian alliance struggling against the Danish raiders Siegfried and Eric for control of London, is excellent in depicting these conflicted loyalties with many of the characters drawn into the maelstrom of political deceit and tortured families. Eliza Butterworth, Simon Kunz and Harry McEntire do particularly good work in this storyline. Most outstanding is Millie Brady as Alfred's daughter Æthelflæd, the future warrior-queen of Mercia, who plays the character with both steel and grace.

The season overall is excellent and was on course for five stars, but does lose out a little in the last few episodes. Æthelflæd's character development feels a bit haphazard (setting her up as a warrior, trained by Alfred's master-at-arms, only to have her martial skills vanish for several episodes in a role) and she is reduced to a fair maiden needing rescuing, which feels restrictive. Her romance with the Danish warrior Eric also feels unconvincing, although that may be a side-effect of what remains The Last Kingdom's biggest problem: its difficulty in depicting the passing of time. Years pass between half-seasons and months may pass between episodes, but this is rarely made clear in the narrative drive of the show (which at one point just gives up and puts "THREE YEARS LATER" on screen). The events in the finale also feel a little too melodramatic and convenient, but after a rough season for Uhtred we can perhaps forgive a bit of a self-indulgent ending.

The second season of The Last Kingdom (****½) improves on the first in acting, direction, visual effects, pacing and storytelling, but lets itself down a little towards the end of the season with some odd writing decisions. However, it can't dent the quality of what may be the best sword-wielding show on the air right now (with both Game of Thrones and Vikings in qualitative decline). It is available now on Netflix.

THE LAST KINGDOM renewed for fourth season

Netflix have renewed The Last Kingdom for a fourth season, as announced by the cast in an amusing video.

The BBC commissioned and began airing The Last Kingdom with a well-received first season back in 2015, co-produced with BBC America. For Season 2 BBC America dropped out as co-producer and was replaced by Netflix, who also started showing the series worldwide on the their platform, where it picked up a much wider audience. The BBC decided to pull out after the second season but Netflix picked up the show and it returned last month with a higher budget, more episodes and the strongest critical reception to date.

The TV series, set in the late 9th and early 10th centuries, follows the adventures and misadventures of Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a Saxon noble boy who is captured by Danes and raised as one of them. After the death of his adopted Danish family, he finds himself torn between his Danish and Saxon heritages, but eventually swears his sword to King Alfred of Wessex, a pious and godly king who believes it is his destiny to unite the seven Saxon kingdoms together as one: England. Alfred and Uhtred have a complex relationship, with Uhtred saving Alfred's life on several occasions but Alfred struggling to create a Christian kingdom when his greatest warrior refuses to convert to the cross.

The TV series is based on The Saxon Stories, a series of novels by historical fictional writer Bernard Cornwell. The series is planned to expand across 14 novels (eleven of which have been published), which in total will follow Uhtred and the fate of Wessex from Alfred becoming King in 871 all the way to the Battle of Brunanburh in 937, when the fate of England is finally decided; Uhtred will presumably be in his eighties in the last novel of the series. The series is loosely based on real history, with the caveat that the historical Uhtred actually lived a century after the fictional one.

Trailer for THE LAST KINGDOM Season 3

Netflix have posted a brief teaser trailer for the upcoming third season of The Last Kingdom.

Based on Bernard Cornwell's Saxon series of historical novels (which now extends across eleven novels and counting), the series is set in 9th Century Britain and explores the clash of cultures arising when Danish raiders (and settlers) arrive and clash with the native seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, the most powerful of which is Wessex. Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a Saxon child raised by Danish parents, is thrust into the middle of this conflict when he allies with Alfred, King of Wessex, soon to be known as "The Great" for his dream of unifying the island of Britain as one kingdom.

The first two seasons of The Last Kingdom were produced by the BBC and well-received, but the BBC cancelled the series due to mounting production costs. Netflix stepped in to save the show.

No release date has been set for the series, but it is expected to air on Netflix before the end of the year.

THE LAST KINGDOM cancelled by the BBC but saved by Netflix

The BBC has decided not to continue with its Saxon-era historical drama The Last Kingdom, based on author Bernard Cornwell's Saxon saga which currently runs to ten novels. However, Netflix have stepped in and will continue the series, with the third season due to air later this year.

The first season of The Last Kingdom was a co-production between the BBC and BBC America, but BBC America dropped out after the first season, citing disappointing ratings in the US, although UK ratings were strong. Netflix took over as international distributor and co-funder of the series. The BBC has decided not to continue the series, so Netflix have taken over production completely.

The news does make sense, as The Last Kingdom has received good critical notices since debuting. In addition The Last Kingdom gives Netflix a toehold in the historical drama field without the monstrous price tag of some of their other shows, like The Crown and the cancelled Marco Polo. By Netflix standards, The Last Kingdom's budget is very modest and even with a moderate budget increase (which would be helpful to sell some of the bigger action scenes) it would still be one of their cheapest programmes.

Season 3 of The Last Kingdom will air before the end of 2018, with Netflix to make a decision on continuing the programme based on how it fares as a Netflix original.

Slightly paradoxically, the BBC have cited competition from Netflix and Amazon TV as reason why they can't continue production of drama programmes like The Last Kingdom, and have even advised that in the future, predicted budget shortfalls for British broadcasters may threaten shows like Doctor Who and Sherlock.

The Last Kingdom: Season 1

AD 866. Uhtred, the Northumbrian Ealdorman of Bebbanburg, is slain in battle with raiders and his son, also called, Uhtred, is captured by Danes. Uhtred's spirit amuses one of the warriors, Ragnar, who decides to keep him and raise him as a slave and servant. When Uhtred saves Ragnar's daughter Thyra from another Danish boy, Ragnar adopts him into his household and teaches him the Danish art of war.

A decade later, Ragnar is betrayed and murdered by an affronted rival. Uhtred and a servant, Brida, escape. Learning that his uncle has usurped his father's seat, Uhtred decides to seek refuge in Wessex to the south. With Northumbria and Mercia overrun by the Danes and East Anglia under attack, Wessex is now the last surviving free Saxon kingdom in England. There Uhtred gains service with the king's brother, Alfred. Alfred is a visionary who sees a single great nation called England rising from the ashes of the Saxon kingdoms and the Danish strongholds...a nation that will need a great, first king.

The Last Kingdom is a television adaptation of the novel series of the same name by Bernard Cornwell, Britain's foremost and most popular writer of historical fiction. Cornwell's work has been adapted to the screen before, most notably his Sharpe series (starring a then-unknown Sean Bean) about a fictional officer raised from the ranks during the height of the Napoleonic Wars. The Last Kingdom is an earthier, harsher series where life is cheaper but also arguably more passionate. The series may have been inspired by the success of Game of Thrones, like so many others, but The Last Kingdom differs from them in one key respect: it's very, very good.

The first season adapts the first two novels in the series, The Last Kingdom and The Pale Horsemen. The through-line of the season is Uhtred's attempt to find a home where he can be accepted. Among the Danes, his Northumbrian birth causes some to look down on him, but amongst the Saxons his Danish upbringing is viewed with suspicion. His refusal to convert to Christianity also makes life difficult at the court in Winchester. Several times he offends his patron, Alfred of Wessex (the later King Alfred the Great), and he earns the enmity of several powerful noblemen, such as Odda the Younger. He does take an English wife, which helps with his image, but this causes further problems when their different backgrounds, religions and outlooks clash.

The series is clever enough to paint Uhtred as a deeply flawed human being. He is young and for all of the harshness of his times and the need to grow up quickly he can still be hotheaded, precipitous and foolish. His brashness and bravery is instrumental in achieving several victories and surviving ambushes, but also works against him as he blunders through the intricacies of court politics. Fortunately, various allies such as the priest Beocca and the great Wessex warrior Leofric are on hand to help him survive.

The series succeeds because of excellent writing, which borrows from the books but also mixes in other historical ideas, and tremendous performances. Alexander Dreymon's surly performance as Uhtred kind of grates until you realise he's supposed to be surly and arrogant, and this lessens over the series as he learns (more or less) humility. David Dawson is also nothing less than exceptional as Alfred, the bookish and quiet younger brother of the king who acts as his spymaster and chief diplomat who then unexpectedly is given the throne and crown despite a lack of charisma or battlefield skills. The fact that he somehow overcomes these problems to become the only English king in twelve centuries to ever be acknowledged "The Great" at first seems implausible, but his growth and evolution over the eight episodes leaves you in no doubt that this is a great man, a statesman who prefers reasoned dialogue but is prepared to use force when necessary. Adrian Bower gives an excellent performance as Leofric, and Leofric and Uhtred's "bromance" gives rise to many excellent moments of humour and comradeship. Female characters are also not forgotten, with Emily Cox giving a convincing conflicted performance as Brida, Uhtred's first love who cannot abandon her Danish ties. Charlie Murphy is also excellent as Iseult, the "Shadow Queen" of Cornwall, and Amy Wren gives a dignified performance as Mildrith, Uhtred's highly reluctant bride. Eliza Butterworth also has a tough role as Queen Aelswith, who initially appears to be very one-note, but later nuance is introduced to the character in a convincing manner.

In fact, all of the performances are excellent, helped by the quality script and great production values. The show is clearly made on a much tighter budget than Game of Thrones - the eight episodes in this first season apparently cost considerably less than just two episodes of Thrones - but delivers some impressive sets, visuals and battle sequences anyway.

If there are any weaknesses it's that the show can be a tad confusing at times, especially in its failure to show the passage of time. It's not made clear, for example, that months pass between some of the episodes, leading to the appearance of the Danes making peace and then breaking it almost instantly. There's also an issue with foreshadowing given that Uhtred is established as primarily wanting to retake his homeland of Bebbanburg but this ambition is then put on the backburner for most of the season. If the next season adapts the third and fourth novels in the series (as seems likely), this storyline should return to prominence then.

The first season of The Last Kingdom (****½) has a bit of a slow start but then transforms into a highly compelling, enjoyable slice of historical drama. It is available in the UK (DVD, Blu-Ray) now and will be released in the USA (on DVD only, controversially) on 6 January.

THE LAST KINGDOM renewed for a second season

The BBC has ordered a second season of The Last Kingdom, their TV drama based on Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Saga of novels.

The Last Kingdom has proven to be a successful series, winning critical acclaim and reasonably strong ratings on both sides of the Atlantic. The first season was based on the first two novels in the series (of nine so far), The Last Kingdom and The Pale Horsemen. If the second season is based on the next two novels, The Lords of the North and Sword Song, it will focus on Uhtred's quest to reclaim his homeland as well as widening the scope to new locations, including London.

THE LAST KINGDOM gets UK airdate

The Last Kingdom, the BBC drama based on Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Stories, will debut on BBC2 on Thursday 22 October at 9pm.

For unclear reasons, the drama is airing first in the United States starting this Saturday on BBC America. The drama has also received a massive amount of marketing support from BBC America, including an excellent website and plenty of trailers and featurettes. The BBC press for the show in the UK has been virtually non-existent in comparison. The airdate and time is also not particularly exciting: this should really be a prime-time Sunday night show airing on BBC1, given its clearly large budget and appeal.

Despite the BBC's baffling (but not unprecedented, as anyone who can recall the shabby handling of Rome can attest) treatment of the show, it's building up some good advance press in the States, with Variety giving the first episode a glowing review and proclaiming it the equal of Vikings and much better than the similarly-themed Bastard Executioner. Den of Geek also has a positive review.

Opening title sequence for THE LAST KINGDOM

BBC America has released the opening title sequence to The Last Kingdom, a new ongoing historical series based on Bernard Cornwell's Saxon series of novels. The first season of the show is expected to cover (more or less) the first two books in the series.

The series debuts on 10 October on BBC America. Bafflingly, no airdate has been given for the UK, where it is expected to air on BBC2.

Trailer for THE LAST KINGDOM

The BBC has released a trailer for The Last Kingdom, its new TV series based on Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Chronicles series of novels.

The TV series draws its name from the first novel in the series and focuses on Uhtred, a young English nobleman's son who is captured in a Viking raid and raised amongst them. Years later, Uhtred returns home and has to deal with his dual heritage and torn loyalties. In the process, he meets and befriends the young King Alfred of Wessex, who dreams of unifying all of England under one king and one god.

There are eight novels in the Saxon Chronicles (so far), giving the BBC a lot of material to draw on if this first season is a success. The first season will debut on 10 October in the United States on BBC America, and will probably air a few weeks earlier in the UK.

The BBC America website has some additional character profiles and background info on the series.

Cast announced for THE LAST KINGDOM

The BBC has announced the cast for The Last Kingdom, an eight-episode adapatation of Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Stories. The Last Kingdom is the name of the first novel in the series, but it is unclear if the TV series will just follow the first novel or will go beyond that timeframe.

Set in the 9th Century, the story focuses on Uhtred, a young Saxon who is captured by the Danes during a raid and is then raised amongst them. Returning to a England riven by war and invasion, the story focuses on Uhtred's conflicted loyalties as he seeks to reclaim his birthright, whilst also allying himself with Alfred, the only English king ever to be given the title "the Great". There are eight novels in the series altogether, with the latest, The Empty Throne, published last month.

The announced cast so far:

Alexander Dreymon as Uhtred
Matthew Macfadyen as Alfred the Great

Rutger Hauer
David Dawson
Emily Cox
Ian Hart
Tobias Santelmann
Thomas W. Gabrielsson
Peter Gantzler
Joseph Millson
Alexandre Willaume
Rune Temte
Henning Valin Jakobsen
Tomy Taylor
Jocelyn Macnab
Madeleine Power

The big hitters in the cast are Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner, Fatherland and way too many films to mention) and Matthew Macfadyen (Spooks, Pillars of the Earth). Hauer's role is unclear, but the most likely fit is Ragnar the Fearless, the Danish warlord who adopts the reluctant Uhtred and raises him as his son.

The series is now filming in the UK and Hungary and is expected to air on the BBC in 2015.

Bernard Cornwell's SAXON novels to be adapted for the screen

The BBC has announced it is filming a (relatively) big-budget, eight-episode TV series based on historical novelist Bernard Cornwell's Saxon series of novels.

Cornwell's series begins in 866 AD and chronicles the life story of Uhtred, a young Saxon who is kidnapped during a Danish raid and raised amongst them. He later returns to England and becomes acquainted with major historical figures of the period, most notably King Alfred the Great. There have been seven books in the series to date: The Last Kingdom (2004), The Pale Horsemen (2005), The Lords of the North (2006), Sword Song (2007), The Burning Land (2009), Death of Kings (2011) and The Pagan Lord (2013). An eighth novel, The Empty Throne, is published this October.

The BBC TV series will be called The Last Kingdom and will adapt the first few novels in the series, although how many is unclear. Cornwell's work has been adapted for television before, with no less than 16 TV movies being made of Sharpe, Cornwell's hero of the Napoleonic Wars (played by Sean Bean, who became a major star as a result).

Bernard Cornwell is a reliably entertaining author and, although this is his not his best work (his 'realistic' trilogy about Arthur, The Warlord Chronicles, takes that honour), it's still a hugely entertaining work of historical fiction. However, it is questionable if the BBC has the budget to do the series justice. It's previous 'big-budget' historical drama, The White Queen, was both tepid and fairly cheap-looking. Hopefully, with superior source material, they can do better this time around.