I was utterly drawn in by the series from episode 1. I'll give nothing regarding plot away to those of you who have yet to watch it, however I will say this; the historical context of 'The White Queen' is compromised primarily by the fact that it is a BBC drama, and therefore it's goal is ultimately to entertain an audience. It is not, therefore, a history book or derived verbatim from the depths of historical archives and contemporary texts/literature, thus it achieves exactly what it ought to. It is interesting, moving, riddled with angst, violence, love, sex, betrayal etc. It encompasses many of the things that a good drama should, whilst following the theme of a book by Philippa Gregory and recreating an actual time line of events, albeit loosely in some areas. This is no easy task, and in my opinion the actors and actresses do a wonderful job in both depicting character and storytelling.
I am a qualified historian, and specifically in social history, so I really love playing with the idea of what it was like to be a member of society at a given time or era. What this show does is fabricate a version of a primarily female perspective on combating rank and power within the Royal household, Court and higher social spheres during the War of the Roses. I did not expect to be 'taught' anything, and so the odd ropey historical misrepresentation was never an issue, my viewing pleasure was well and truly seen to and my expectations for 'The White Queen' were met. I only hope the series follows with "The White Princess".
I am a qualified historian, and specifically in social history, so I really love playing with the idea of what it was like to be a member of society at a given time or era. What this show does is fabricate a version of a primarily female perspective on combating rank and power within the Royal household, Court and higher social spheres during the War of the Roses. I did not expect to be 'taught' anything, and so the odd ropey historical misrepresentation was never an issue, my viewing pleasure was well and truly seen to and my expectations for 'The White Queen' were met. I only hope the series follows with "The White Princess".