Mary and George

So this fad for period piece-cum-thriller-cum-comedy – see The Great, see Emma, see The Favourite – is, it seems, proving to be founded on a winning recipe. And the more brutal (visually and thematically) the better, perhaps. Sky’s latest such release, Mary and George, a tale of court rivalries and the underhand jostling for power during the reign of King James I at the turn of the 17^th century, draws faithfully from this recipe with extra hearty dollops of the good stuff.

The utterly brutal and darkly comic are keenly maintained themes from the very outset of this engaging show, led somewhat by Nicholas Galitzine in the role of the confusing yet alluring George, but primarily by the titanic Julianne Moore as his brilliantly callous and ever-scheming mother, Mary Villiers. Their tale is one of peerless social climbing and outright self-interest embedding themselves in royal circles, no small degree of raunchiness and a deeply sinister edge when called upon and, yet, they are wholly likeable and relatable. They must be playing on something dark deep within all of us.

It’s in the performances of course, and both are splendid, along with that of Tony Curran as King James – all evidently had an absolute ball. This series is wonderfully shot and a particular mention must go to the divine and extraordinary level of ornate costume involved. While the story may take some slightly baffling turns and there are a few too many characters introduced at regular intervals to thoroughly keep track of, almost all are brilliant and/or hilarious at face value anyway and maintain a truly high quality of televisual spectacle.

Nothing is shied away from here, but the temptation for over-egged shock value is also avoided. There isn’t much reason to miss this one if the opportunity arises, Mary and George is an emphatically dark lark.

Will Snell

Mary and George is released on Sky on 5^th March 2024.

Watch the trailer for Mary and George here: