Guy Fawkes Night is huge in the United Kingdom, and it’s also known as Bonfire Night. On Nov. 5, people around the country celebrate the bringing down of a treasonous plot that could have wiped out the King and those in charge of the country.
Of course, it failed, and that’s all because of an anonymous note. In the end, a man named Guy Fawkes was found red-handed under the Houses of Parliament, ready to light the fuse that would take out everyone. He wasn’t alone, though, and soon after came a search for everyone involved in this treasonous plot.
Guy Fawkes Night remains popular with the masses, but you may want to understand the real story behind it all. You can do with these four movies and shows.
Gunpowder
The 2017 miniseries Gunpowder starring Kit Harington is just one of the most recent versions of the tale. It doesn’t just focus on Guy Fawkes, and instead, focuses on the larger plot and how Fawkes ended up being the man to hold the match.
Harington plays Robert Catesby, who happens to be one of Harington’s direct ancestors, a man desperate to see change in England. The hatred toward Catholics intensified in 1603, as Scottish King James VI (who would become James I of England) took over the English throne. As the Catholics determined they needed that change, they searched for the only option available to them.
Over the course of three episodes, we see how the plot developed, along with how it all came crumbling down in the end. There’s also the story of what happened to the men afterward.
Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot
The 2004 miniseries from the BBC gives us another look into the series, but this time, it takes us further back in time. We start in 1561, with Mary, Queen of Scots returning to Scotland after being in France for most of her life. It gives us a look at Mary’s marriage to her third husband James Hepburn and how this played a part in the eventual Gunpowder Plot.
Robert Carlyle takes on the role of James VI in the second part of the miniseries. It’s in this second part that focuses more on the plot to bring him down, along with the Houses of Parliament, as the hatred toward the Catholics intensifies.
Guy Fawkes
While Fawkes wasn’t the one to actually create the plot, he has been the one most connected to the entire thing, and that’s due to him being caught. How did he end up caught up in the whole thing? Well, you’ll want to turn to the 1923 silent film from Britain.
Yes, it’s a silent film, and I do think that it just adds another layer of history to the entire situation. It was based on the 1840 novel of the same name by William Harrison Ainsworth, and includes other major players in the plot, including Robert Catesby and the Earl of Salisbury.
Of course, you can check out V for Vendetta, but this isn’t exactly about the Gunpowder plot. It’s still worth a watch for fun on Guy Fawkes Night.
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