Miniseries · BBC One
Gunpowder
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Kit Harington
Robert Catesby
3 eps
Mark Gatiss
Sir Robert Cecil
3 eps
Edward Holcroft
Thomas Wintour
3 eps
Tom Cullen
Guy Fawkes
3 eps
Peter Mullan
Father Henry Garnet
3 eps
Liv Tyler
Anne Vaux
3 eps
Derek Riddell
King James I
3 eps
Shaun Dooley
Sir William Wade
3 eps
Robert Emms
Father John Gerard
3 eps
Luke Neal
Jack Wright
3 eps
Luke Broughton
Thomas Bates
3 eps
David Bamber
Lord Northumberland
3 eps
Hugh Alexander
Sir Philip Herbert
3 eps
Simon Kunz
Lord Howard
3 eps
Josh Moran
George Farwell
3 eps
Richard Glover
Slater
3 eps
Tom Sweet
Young Robert Catesby
3 eps
Karl Haynes
Bald Drinker
3 eps
Matthew Neal
Kit Wright
1 eps
Sean Rigby
Lord Monteagle
1 eps
Daniel West
Thomas Percy
2 eps
Pedro Casablanc
Constable of Castille
3 eps
Philip Hill-Pearson
Sir Everard Digby
3 eps
Andy Lucas
De Tassis
3 eps
Kate Wood
Susan Whinniard
3 eps
Sian Webber
Lady Dorothy Dibdale
1 eps
Thom Ashley
Father Daniel Smith
1 eps
Eleanor Inglis
Lady Dorothy's Servant
1 eps
Gordon Mounsey
Execution Clergyman
1 eps
Fergus O'Donnell
Captain William Turner
1 eps
Andrew Jarvis
Alford
2 eps
Beatrice Comins
Elizabeth Catesby
2 eps
Shelley Draper
Anne Hudson
1 eps
Richard Hand
Court Clerk
1 eps
Kevin Eldon
Sir John Hawksworth
1 eps
Vivienne Soan
Mary Sparrow
1 eps
Ewart James Walters
Kennan
2 eps
Yolanda Calzado Gil
Spanish Heretic
1 eps
Robert Gwyllim
Sir William Stanley
1 eps
Murray Taylor
Tower Jailer
1 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Gunpowder actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Gunpowder reads strongest on Character Depth, Serialized and Bingeability.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
London, 1605. Robert Catesby, a 33-year old Warwickshire gentleman, devises a plot to blow up Parliament and kill the King.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E03
Episode 3
On the eve of the 5th of November, Catesby, Fawkes and the plotters load the tunnels below Parliament with barrels of gunpowder. Across the city, Father Garnet is under pressure to reveal Catesby's plot for the good of the Catholic faith. Will the priest be the one to betray Catesby at the eleventh hour?
- Directed by J Blakeson
- Written by Ronan Bennett
S01E02
Episode 2
As the king's network of spies close in on them, Catesby and Wintour attempt to raise an army for their plot across mainland Europe. Returning to London with Guy Fawkes in tow, Catesby assembles his gang of plotters for the first time. They know they must act fast, and the plan is formed - they will strike next week, 5 November, at the opening of Parliament.
- Directed by J Blakeson
- Written by Daniel West, Ronan Bennett
S01E01
Episode 1
It is 1603, and as England wars with Spain and the bloody persecution of Catholics intensifies, a young nobleman resolves to avenge his kin and defend his faith by any means necessary.
- Directed by J Blakeson
- Written by Ronan Bennett
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S01E02
Episode 2
- Directed by J Blakeson
- Written by Daniel West, Ronan Bennett
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Ollie MaddenExecutive Producer
- Ronan BennettExecutive Producer
- Laurie BorgProducer
Writing
- Daniel WestWriter
- Ronan BennettWriter
Direction
- J BlakesonDirector
Cinematography
- Philipp BlaubachDirector of Photography
Music
- Volker BertelmannOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- HBO Max Amazon ChannelStreaming
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- YouTube TVStreaming
- HBO MaxStreaming
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