Anyone been watching the Tudors series on Showtime? I find it very entertaining but I'm very disappointed to find that they've changed history for rather odd reasons. Princess Mary (Henry VIII's sister) is being called Margaret (Henry's other sister) and she gets married off to the aging king of Portugal instead of the King of France... Why combine the two sisters to one? I guess this is being done for expedience of getting the first season to the break with the Catholic church as a climax, but it seems so silly since the sisters are ancillary characters anyway. The problem seems to be, if things were portrayed accurately and chronologically then Henry wouldn't be a strapping young man when he married Anne Boleyn, but rather the 40 year old that he was when he divorced the queen and married a 20 year old.

It makes for great television, but I'm sure a British audience would throw things at their televisions over all the nonsense.

As for me, in spite of all this, I'm hooked. I admit that I'd rather look at pretty people on my television... especially when the subject matter is a man that had 6 wives.

I think the solution for me is to keep a decent history at the ready so I can have my "That's not right" moments and get on with enjoying the show. It is a bit concerning that most people will take it all as fact.

amninator,
Don't be so sure that "a British audience would throw things at their televisions over all the nonsense." You would probably be suprised at how little many English people know about the details of their own history.Unfortunately many also get their idea of history through inaccurate TV productions.
Whilst(hopefully),most people would know that Henry VII had 6 wives and was fond of beheading them,many would be hard pressed to name any of his sisters or even know that he had any.
I must add that I certainly wouldn't count any of my fellow Brits here on AP in such a sweeping judgement !

VIv

Viv , you are right to exclude British Answerpudlians from your criticism. Even I know that Henry VIII looked exactly like Sid James and was sent a busty French princess who annoyed him by eating garlic. She looked like Barbara Windsor, hence the House of Windsor. I would carry on, but you get the picture, I hope.

See, this just typifies the lack of knowledge I was refering to.
She wasn't a French princess,she was Bettina the Earl of Bristol's ('Bristol's' get it nudge,nudge!)daughter,who used to own the Queen Vic.
Viv

quote:

Originally posted by VivienneHa:
See, this just typifies the lack of knowledge I was refering to.

Oh no, the shame,the infamy.

[Infamy! Infamy!

All together now... ]