Complaints after Gunpowder drama

A NEW television drama about the plot to kill King James I and Parliament which features Baddesley Clinton in Lapworth and Alcester’s Coughton Court in the storyline has been criticised by some viewers for being too gory.

The complaints to the BBC and Ofcom were sparked by the first episode of Gunpowder on BBC One on Saturday night.

It follows Robert Catesby, nephew of Thomas Throckmorton of Coughton Court, who hired Guy Fawkes as part of a failed attempt to assassinate King James I by blowing up Parliament in 1605.

Several of the other plotters were related to the Throckmorton family.

But the BBC was forced to defend the historical drama after complaints from viewers upset by scenes that depicted a priest being hung drawn and quartered, and a woman being crushed to death underneath a large iron slab which was weighted down.

A spokesman did not confirm how many complaints there had been, but said: “The scenes aired after 9.30pm with a clear warning given to viewers before the episode started.

"The methods depicted are grounded in historical fact and reflect what took place during the time of the gunpowder plot.”

It was at Coughton Court that the family and associates of the plotters received the news of its failure early on 6th November, 1605, while arms, ammunition and horses were stored there ready for the uprising that was meant to follow the assassination.