The Last King (2003– )
"Charles II: The Power & the Passion" (original title)

The chronicle of Charles II's time on the throne, his 10 year exile from Oliver Cromwell's England, and his triumphant return.

Stars:

Rufus Sewell, Rupert Graves, Charlie Creed-Miles

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 4 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Rufus Sewell	...	Charles II (4 episodes, 2003)
Rupert Graves	...	George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham (4 episodes, 2003)
Charlie Creed-Miles	...	James, Duke of York (4 episodes, 2003)
Christian Coulson	...	James, Duke of Monmouth (4 episodes, 2003)
Shirley Henderson	...	Catharine of Braganza (4 episodes, 2003)
Martin Freeman	...	Lord Shaftesbury (4 episodes, 2003)
Helen McCrory	...	Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine (4 episodes, 2003)
Peter Wight	...	Ormonde (3 episodes, 2003)
Tabitha Wady	...	Anne Hyde (3 episodes, 2003)
Robert East	...	Arlington (3 episodes, 2003)
Dorian Lough	...	Clifford (3 episodes, 2003)
Ian McDiarmid	...	Sir Edward Hyde (2 episodes, 2003)
Graham McTavish	...	Captain (2 episodes, 2003)
Diana Rigg	...	Queen Henrietta Maria (2 episodes, 2003)
Robert Cavanah	...	Rochester (2 episodes, 2003)
Shaun Dingwall	...	Earl of Danby (2 episodes, 2003)
Nick Bagnall	...	Hopkins (2 episodes, 2003)
Mélanie Thierry	...	Louise de Kéroualle (2 episodes, 2003)
Albert Welling	...	MP #1 (2 episodes, 2003)
Jochum ten Haaf	...	William of Orange (2 episodes, 2003)

Storyline

The focus of King Charles II is his court, his squabbling family and his glamorous mistresses - from the high-born and promiscuous Barbara Villiers through folk heroine and sex symbol of the day Nell Gwynne to the French spy Louise de Keroualle. It is an original take on a historical period written by award-winning screenwriter Adrian Hodges, whose credits include David Copperfield and The Lost World, which penetrates to the heart of the charismatic monarch who was deeply traumatised by the execution of his father.

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Plot Keywords:

charles ii | king | exile | court | execution | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC [uk]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

Portuguese English

Release Date:

21 March 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Last King: The Power and the Passion of Charles II

Filming Locations:

Barrandov Studios, Prague, Czech Republic

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), A&E Television Networks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

235 min 60 min (4 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shirley Henderson's elaborate hairstyle for Catherine's arrival initially took two hours to create.

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Goofs

Just before the sequence concerning the smallpox epidemic, we get a brief look at Rufus Sewell's upper right arm and can clearly see a smallpox vaccination scar.

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Quotes

King Charles II: [on his deathbed] Be kind to Portsmouth and let not poor Nelly starve.

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Connections

Referenced in The Making of 'Charles II' (2003)

User Reviews

Terrific movie

I've watched this twice now, since A&E has been broadcasting the show this weekend under the title "The Last King" -- presumably because American audiences can't be expected to know or care who Charles II is.

Anyway, I don't understand the earler negative review at all. Hard to believe we watched the same show. The one I watched is a fantastic, very human, extraordinarily well-acted, and surprisingly faithful period piece.

While the acting in general is at a very high level (special props to the actress who played Lady Castlemaine), Rufus Sewell is simply remarkable. He communicates intelligence, self-indulgence, simple human decency and moments of power and passion wonderfully well. A terrific performance. I suppose because of his dark, somewhat moody good looks he only gets cast as bad guys by Hollywood (Helen of Troy, A Knight's Tale), but he deserves better.

Two thumbs up!