The Gunpowder Plot: Exploding the Legend
The Gunpowder Plot: Exploding the Legend | |
---|---|
Genre | documentary |
Created by | Darlow Smithson Productions, Ltd. |
Directed by | Mike Slee |
Presented by | Richard Hammond |
Theme music composer | Richard Attree |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Production | |
Executive producer | Richard Battin |
Producer | Mike Slee |
Production locations | UK, Spain |
Editor | Ross Bradley |
Camera setup | Lee Butterby Peter Allibone Chris Bryant Mike Craven Todd Dave Baillie (aerial photography) |
Running time | 104 min. |
Original release | |
Network | ITV |
Release | 1 November 2005 |
The Gunpowder Plot: Exploding the Legend was a British television show, hosted by Richard Hammond that recreated elements of the Gunpowder Plot in which Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the House of Lords.
First aired on ITV1 on 1 November 2005, this £1 million[1] programme centres on a reconstruction of the Houses of Parliament as they were in 1605 (the current ones had not yet been built at the time of the Gunpowder Plot), constructed using period equivalent methods wherever possible. This was stocked with mannequins to represent notable commoners, members and the king before the bomb was detonated. The programme was made to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the plot.
Synopsis
The programme explores through partial dramatization the plot itself, and the persons involved. It also answers the question of whether the plot would have actually worked: the Houses of Parliament would have been completely obliterated, and most of the windows in nearby Westminster Abbey would have been shattered.
The first hurdle to overcome was the actual recreation of the 17th-century Houses of Parliament. As the buildings were demolished to expand the current structures, Simon Carter, the Parliamentary Curator provided drawings of the original structures for the recreated structure to utilise using 650 tonnes of concrete. Explosives expert Sidney Alford helped to determine that thirty-six barrels containing one cubic ton[2] of gunpowder were used in the plot. Alford further proved that the "decayed" powder was classified as such because it was unsuitable for infantry use, but could still detonate.[3]
The dramatic experiment, conducted on the
The power of the explosion, which surprised even gunpowder experts, was such that 7-foot-deep (2.1 m) solid concrete walls (made deliberately to replicate how archives suggest the walls in the old House of Lords were constructed) were reduced to rubble. Measuring devices placed in the chamber to calculate the force of the blast were themselves destroyed by the blast, while the skull of the mannequin representing King James, which had been placed on a throne inside the chamber surrounded by courtiers, peers and bishops, was found far from the site. According to the findings of the programme, no one within 100 metres of the blast would have survived, and all windows within a large distance of the palace would have been shattered, including the stained glass windows of Westminster Abbey. The power of the explosion would have been heard at least five miles away, and seen from much further. Even if only half the gunpowder had gone off, everyone in the House of Lords and its environs would have been killed instantly. The blast would have been mostly directed upwards, Arup blasting consultant David Haddon, pointed out, raining debris in a 200-meter radius.[3]
The later part of the programme addressed the
Cast
- Richard Hammond - Host
- Justin Pollard - Historical Consultant
Historical dramatization
Production
When approached with the idea of building a full-size replica of Parliament, stuffing the basement with gunpowder and blowing it up, presenter Richard Hammond considered it a hoax.[7] He "simply did not believe that anyone would be crazy enough to recreate the Gunpowder Plot."[7]
Production, historically and scientifically correct, took six months. While historical research was underway in England, Hammond and explosives expert Sidney Alford had to travel to Spain to buy some gunpowder, as not enough was available in the UK. They were stopped at the French border by customs because, as Hammond recounted, "our expert [unsurprisingly] turned out to be contaminated with traces of just about every form of explosive known to man, triggering a security alert."[7]
Hammond recounts that during filming the 2005 London Bombings put the production in a different frame of reference:
There were those who said we should stop our project, that it was insensitive. I disagreed. This is, after all, the story of a young man who felt persecuted in his country, who travelled abroad to learn how to use explosives and returned prepared to perpetrate an appalling act of terrorism - and if that rings a bell, so it should.
Production designer Jo Manser built part of the House of Lords (the Westminster tower) to scale as it was in 1605, and then "blew it up to see if Guy Fawkes would have succeeded 400 years ago".[2] Manser said the set (11m by 23m and 16m high) required a production crew of 45 people, and cost £200k.[2] The set was built between July and September 2005. AP Structural engineers were consulted to assess the equations used building the structure to ensure accuracy and safety. Despite preparations, Manser noted that while sets are eventually discarded, "this was a more exciting way to dispose of it."[2]
For the interior filming, fifteen small digital cameras were used, including
Reception
References
- ^ Factiva Search
- ^ a b c d e "In Profile: production designer Jo Manser". Broadcast Freelancer. Broadcastnow.co.uk. 5 November 2005. Archived from the original on 29 March 2006. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
- ^ a b c Adam Sherwin (31 October 2005). "Gunpowder plotters get their wish, 400 years on". The Times. London: Times Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
- ^ The Gunpowder Plot: Parliament & Treason 1605 - People
- ^ Francis Bacon: Biography and Much More from Answers.com
- ^ Taipei Times - archives
- ^ a b c d Richard Hammond (1 November 2005). "BLAST FROM THE PAST Richard Hammond recreates the Gunpowder Plot .. for real". Daily Mirror. MGN Ltd. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
- ^ Nicolson, Adam (4 August 2005). "Guy Fawkes was also trained abroad". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
- ^ a b "Mike Slee Producer / Director / Writer". Retrieved 10 July 2008.
External links
- What If the Gunpowder Plot Had Succeeded?
- The History of the Gunpowder Plot (Produced by The Parliamentary Archives)
- The Gunpowder Plot of 1605
- Catholic Encyclopedia: The Gunpowder Plot
- The Gunpowder Plot (Website exploring the history of the plot for younger users)
- The Gunpowder Plot (House of Commons Information Sheet)
- The Gunpowder Plot: Exploding the Legend at IMDb