surangaf I was not going to write review, thinking that deserved obscurity of this series now, in spite of its alleged popularity at the time of broadcast, should be enough of a response from posterity. Unfortunately, given the lack of historical knowledge among westerners, as exemplified in the reviews already posted (one of theme even praising the non existent historically accuracy, made me change my mind.This is series is historically inaccurate throughout. This results from an propagandist desire to paint a picture of the main character in direct contrast to what is known about him through historical sources. In reality he was stupid, incompetent, uncultured, racist, intolerant, and extravagant. This series either ignore or deny some of those qualities. Those that have to be admitted are justified or excused. For example it can't deny he was an adulterous wastrel, but it repeatedly and implausibly claims that was because his mother did not give him any responsibilities.In order to whitewash his irretrievably unsympathetic character, other characters must be slandered. So this series attacks Queen Victoria (who was vile enough in reality) in every possible way, using an absurdly overacting actress. Prime Ministers, husbands and family members of his mistresses, Kaiser, and lots more, are slandered using crudest methods.In reality, this king had almost no effect on historical events, but he is portrayed as shaping events in vital ways. He was willing and knowing representative of one of the most brutish, oppressive, and exploitative, regimes ever to exist on earth; The British Empire. Comparable evil regimes of same scale did not appear on earth until middle of 20th century. Both imperial Russia and Germany as they existed from 1870s to World War 1, while bad, were not even on the same league when it comes to atrocities perpetrated by them. But this character is allowed to lecture others as if he was heading what is now called a 'liberal democracy'. While exaggerated aggression of Germany take a considerable part of screen time, hardly any mention of many bloody conquests, or resistance and independence struggles (and their brutal suppression) in 'colonies' are mentioned. Boer war, a struggle between two groups of colonizers, in which British were clearly the aggressor, is mentioned, but in a one sided way. Irish are laughed at using stereotypes.To those who are not idiotic or ignorant, this series is nothing but crudely made propaganda of the worst kind.

TheLittleSongbird Being fans or admirers of a lot of the actors here and being drawn to such an interesting subject, I loved Edward the Seventh. It is a visually sumptuous affair with beautiful costumes, locations and photography. The music is likewise gorgeous. The story is highly absorbing, well paced and very accurate, and the writing is intelligent even in the wordier parts.Edward the Seventh has a superb cast. Not only is it great on paper, but it is so much fun seeing so many familiar faces and all of them give great performances. Timothy West is marvellous in the titular character role, and of the cast the standouts were Helen Ryan as a tolerant and sympathetic Alexandra and especially Annette Crosbie's nuanced turn as the definitive Victoria.That is not to dispute the other performances either. Robert Hardy is suitably rigid and determined as Albert, John Gielgud is a wonderful Disraeli, Christopher Neame is a wonderfully wicked Kaiser and Francessca Annis is also very good as Lillie. All in all, a really well done series, very absorbing with not a dull moment with great production values and you couldn't have asked for a more better cast too. 10/10 Bethany Cox

roxannemyers6218 I watched the series when it was first broadcast, but I greatly enjoyed seeing it again, especially not having to wait a week between episodes. The work is extremely well-done as a drama and is also historically accurate. Seeing it for a second time made me more aware of all the sets and set dressings; the makers went to extraordinary means to insure that all the pictures on the walls and all the items on the desks were accurate. Because there are pictures available of the royal family through these decades, they could make sure of wallpaper, furniture, and costumes, and they took the trouble, even if the scene was short and the viewer would scarcely have time to notice. The only thing I noticed that was not historical was the aggressive behavior of Wilhelm II of Germany, but I can imagine that he appeared that way to the English.Edward VII was an excellent subject for a detailed 13-episode series. Even though he was neither king, nor allowed duties that would prepare him to one day assume the throne through most of the episodes, his life reveals things about the Victorian era. During his years in waiting, Europe was changing. Democratic revolutions were taking place. Though not dwelt upon, the British monarchy's fear of these revolutions is mentioned fairly often. Nationalism swept through even countries that were politically stable and would ultimately upset the empire. "Bertie's" father Albert hoped to unite Europe with marriage alliances, but Albert's early death and Bertie's brief reign allowed nations to arm to the teeth, preparing for war. Bertie's life is echoed in the current situation of Prince Charles, who will be even older when (and if) he ascends the throne. Finally, the life and times of this king are not well-known even in the U.K. and especially not in the U.S. Both the drama in the life of Edward VIII and the short reign of Edward VII leave him neatly tucked in a corner and forgotten. If the series were done today, I suspect that there would be more details on the affairs Bertie had with married women during the time he was the Prince of Wales. The way the director portrays them is essentially the Victorian way. The Prince's actions were by no means unique, and yet the solution at the time was to pretend the affairs did not exist. When scandal reached the ears of Queen Victoria, her biggest concern is how the news will affect the monarchy. The actors in the series deserve the last and greatest accolades. Not only did they portray important world figures through 30 to 50 years, but they, in large measure, closely resemble the historical personage and have mastered their mannerisms.

biffo2 Upon seeing this drama, I found the first few episodes to be really slow - a step-by-step account of the birth and childhood of the prince, containing all the dry and mundane details of the politics of the time and a lengthy show of his education. The young prince is portrayed as a sensitive, handsome boy under too much pressure from his parents and tutors. Whether everyone would agree with this representation I don't know - we never see him having fun with his brothers + sisters for example, and his natural apathy never comes across. Personally, I skipped the early episodes and only watched them after i'd watched the rest of the series, as I wanted to get on with the story.Although the drama picks up after the death of Prince Albert, the main problem with it is that is that the writing is so restrained. We see much of Bertie as a respectful son, husband and a cheerful friend, but NEVER as an adulterer (we never see any first-hand evidence of this, although his 'letters' are sometimes alluded to), we seem him playing cards a lot of the time and being a nice brother to Vicky. Too many scenes are devoted to sympathising with him over his mother's refusal to give him any real duties (She says he is too frivolous and irresponsible - though we don't SEE him doing anything very bad so this totally UNBALANCES the drama).As the lead, Timothy West portrays Edward as an intelligent idealist, not a reckless, fun-loving rake, and this, combined with the rather one-sided writing, means that West doesn't nail the character, and as a main character Bertie is rather bland. Annette Crosbie is a formidable Queen Victoria, we see how she jealously coveted her beloved husband and deeply resents Bertie - but this is about as much scope as the writing gives to her, so we are again denied a fully rounded character.By far my favourite portrayal was that of Queen Alexandra - the only character who the writing gave full justice to. We see her in-depth as a wife and mother, her tact and ability to dispel a bad atmosphere, her kind but simple nature, and her close bond with her sister Dagmar. Helen Ryan's performance is brilliant, she really gets Alexandra's personality off to the audience, even in her speech and movements. She is the only character with whom Bertie has a deep, complex relationship.As you can imagine, most of the series is filmed on tape in a studio, though the sets and costume are all very fine and sumptuous. The direction is generally okay, although sometimes I found that emotional scenes (still playing music in the background) would abruptly cut, and then we'd be on to the next scene, which seemed a bit crude.One of my main problems with the series is the concept itself. Of all the many Kings and Queens of England, why make a 13HOUR long series on... Edward the Seventh? It seems a bit of an odd choice to me. And then to subsequently leave out controversial aspects of his life just takes out all the fun and action. The King himself was a very lively, adventurous personality with a strong need for sexual and emotional fulfilment - I think he's be bored to pieces watching a drama like this.Ultimately, if you like history and have the time, 'Edward the King' is a quiet, compelling drama and will give you something decent to watch. Despite its flaws, you cam see they have taken the time and effort to recreate the Victorian age. However, it's not big on action and might not appeal to many of a younger generation. Though it lacks the dramatic intensity of dramas like 'Elizabeth R' and 'I, Claudius', anyone with an interest in the era and some patience will enjoy this.