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The Gunpowder Plot: Exploding The Legend
Image:Gppetl screenshot.jpg‎
The title screen for 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 UK Flag of the United Kingdom
Production
Executive
producer(s)		 Richard Battin
Producer(s) Mike Slee
Co-producer(s) David Coward
Kate Haddock
Editor(s) Ross Bradley
Location(s) UK, Spain
Camera setup Lee Butterby
Peter Allibone
Chris Bryant
Mike Craven Todd
Dave Baillie (aerial photography)
Running time 104 min.
Broadcast
Original channel ITV4 120
Picture format 1x100m[1]
First shown in 5 November, 2005
External links
IMDb profile

The Gunpowder Plot: Exploding The Legend was a British television show, hosted by Richard Hammond, that tried to recreate the Gunpowder Plot in which Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament.

First aired on the ITV Network in 2005, this £1 million[2] programme centres around 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.

Contents

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: not only would the Houses of Parliament have been completely obliterated, but most of the windows in nearby Westminster Abbey would have shattered from the force of the explosion.

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 Dr. Sidney Alford helped to determine that thirty-six barrels containing one metric tonne 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 Advantica Spadeadam test site and overseen by Arup, proved unambiguously that the explosion would have at the very least, killed all those attending the State Opening of Parliament in the Lords chamber,[3] including - according to historical consultant Justin Pollard - King James I and VI of Scotland, the Archbishop Bancroft, Lord Northampton and the English philosopher, Francis Bacon.[4][5]

The blast radius indicated in red would have killed everyone within it, while those in the blue-shaded area would likely be harmed by falling debris.
The blast radius indicated in red would have killed everyone within it, while those in the blue-shaded area would likely be harmed by falling debris.

The power of the explosion, which surprised even gunpowder experts, was such that seven-foot deep 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 a large distance away from the site. According to the findings of the programme, no-one within 100 metres of the blast would have survived, while all the stained glass windows in Westminster Abbey would have been shattered, as would all windows within a large distance of the palace. The power of the explosion would have been heard at least five miles away, and seen from many more. 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 latter part of the programme addressed the contrafactual historical aspects, had the plot actually succeeded. Pollard notes that the conspirators ideally planned to use the bombing to create a Catholic monarchy, with Robert Catesby and the Catholics in power while 9-year old Elizabeth sat the throne. Pollard speculates that English history would have therefore more closely resembled that of France; a president would have been living in Buckingham Palace. However, Pollard points out that in all likelihood, the result would have been much the same as what actually transpired, with the conspirators caught and executed. Additionally, had the plot succeeded, there would have been a massacre of Catholics, which represented 5% of the populace, resulting in no Catholics in England at all: "In reality, the blast would have sent shockwaves through the Protestant community, bolstering their resolve against the hugely outnumbered Catholics and sparking ruthless revenge." Pollard concludes that the plot was a "stupid" plan, stating that "you can't change the politics of a whole country just by blowing up a few hundred people."[6]

Cast

Richard Hammond - Host

Historical dramatization

Henry Douthwaite as Guy Fawkes
Stuart Liddle as King James I
Matt Rozier as Robert Catesby
Jonathan Dunstan as Thomas Winteur
Daniel Hoadley as Thomas Percy
Toby Knight as John Wright
Tallulah Boote Bond as Princess Elizabeth
John Joyce as Father Henry Garnet

Production

When first approached with the idea of building a full-size replica of Parliament, stuff the basement with gunpowder and blow it up, Presenter Richard Hammond considered it all a hoax.[7] He "simply did not believe that anyone would be crazy enough to recreate the Gunpowder Plot."[7]

Production took six months, with specific pains to render faithfully the details of the recreation both historically and scientifically. While historical research was underway in England, Hammond and explosives expert Dr. Sidney Alford discovered that they could not find enough of the type of gunpowder within the UK, and travelled to Spain to obtain the amounts needed. 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 while filming was ongoing, the 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. ”

—Richard Hammond, [7]
The power of the explosion surprised even gunpowder experts.
The power of the explosion surprised even gunpowder experts.

Production designer Jo Manser was charged with building part of the House of Lords (specifically, the Westminster tower) to scale as it was in 1605, and then "blow it up to see if the Guy Fawkes would have succeeded 400 years ago."[8] Manser further notes the sheer size of the set (11m by 23m and 16m high) required a production crew of 45 people for all the required departments, and the building of the set cost ₤200k.[8] The set was built between July and September of 2005. A significant degree of research went into building the dynamic structure of the set. AP Structural engineers were consulted to assess the equations used in the building of the structure to ensure accuracy and safety. Despite all the preparations, Manser noted that while all sets are eventually discarded, "this was a more exciting way to dispose of it."[8]

Manser notes that for the interior filming, fifteen small digital cameras were used, including PD150s. For the external shots of the explosion, a slow motion camera was used, which wasn't the type typically used in television filming, but Advanitca routinely used them to study the explosions frame by frame.[8]

Reception

Adam Nicolson of The Guardian writes in August that the casting of Hammond was "eccentric."[9] Thomas Sutcliffe of The Independent noted with "satisfaction" that the documentary was "irresistible to anyone with a weakness for the delicious combination of immediate spectacle and delayed climax."[10] Sunday Express' Adrian Pettet points out that Gunpowder is "a cross between Mechanibals and Timewatch, its great fun and there is a bit of proper history smuggled in there too".[10]

References

  1. ^ Documentary G
  2. ^ Factiva Search
  3. ^ a b c Adam Sherwin (31 October 2005). "Gunpowder plotters get their wish, 400 years on". The Times. Times Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved on 2008-07-10.
  4. ^ The Gunpowder Plot: Parliament & Treason 1605 - People
  5. ^ Francis Bacon: Biography and Much More from Answers.com
  6. ^ Taipei Times - archives
  7. ^ a b c d Richard Hammond (1 November 2005). "http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16316997&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=blast-from-the-past-name_page.html BLAST FROM THE PAST Richard Hammond recreates the Gunpowder Plot .. for real]". Daily Mirror. MGN Ltd. Retrieved on 2008-07-10.
  8. ^ a b c d "In Profile: production designer Jo Manser". Broadcast Freelancer. Broadcastnow.co.uk (5 November 2005). Retrieved on 2008-07-10.
  9. ^ Adam Nicolson: Guy Fawkes was also trained abroad | Politics | The Guardian
  10. ^ a b "Mike Slee Producer / Director / Writer". Retrieved on 2008-07-10.

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