The Last Kingdom To Air This Month

A new historical drama is to air on BBC Two and BBC America later this month.

The Last Kingdom (8x60') has been made by Carnival Films. It has been adapted by writer Stephen Butchard for TV from Bernard Cornwell's franchise The Saxon Series.

The cast includes Alexander Dreymon (American Horror Story, Blood Ransom) as Uhtred of Bebbanburg, with Emily Cox (Homeland) as Brida, Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner, Galavant) as Ravn, Matthew Macfadyen (The Enfield Haunting, Ripper Street) as Lord Uhtred, David Dawson (Peaky Blinders) as Alfred, Rune Temte (Eddie the Eagle) as Ubba, Ian Hart (Boardwalk Empire) as Beocca and Adrian Bower (Mount Pleasant) as Leofic.

Set in the year 872, when many kingdoms have fallen to the invading Vikings, the great kingdom of Wessex has been left standing alone under the command of King Alfred the Great. Against this turbulent backdrop lives hero, Uhtred. Born the son of a Saxon nobleman, he is orphaned by the Vikings and then kidnapped and raised as one of their own. Forced to choose between the country of his birth and the people of his upbringing, his loyalties are tested. On a quest to claim his birthright, Uhtred must tread between both sides if he is to play his part in the birth of a new nation and, ultimately, seek to recapture his ancestral lands.

Combining real historical figures and events with fictional characters, The Last Kingdom tells the story of how a people combined their strength under one of the most iconic kings of history in order to reclaim their land for themselves and build a place they call home.
 
Gareth Neame, Nigel Marchant and Stephen Butchard serve as executive producers for the series. Nick Murphy is the co-executive producer and has directed multiple episodes, while Chrissy Skinns is the producer. The commissioning editor is Polly Hill for the BBC while Perry Simon, General Manager, Channels, and Richard De Croce, SVP Programming, are overseeing the series for BBC America.

The show will air on BBC America on 10 October, with a later date expected for BBC Two.

Image courtesy of BBC Media Centre.

www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre

(JP)