Game of Thrones star Kit Harington stars as Robert Catesby - his own ancestor - alongside Liv Tyler and Mark Gatiss in this three-part thriller based on the real-life 17th century events that led to Guy Fawkes Day.
After the death of Elizabeth I, King James of Scotland claims the English throne and the country goes to war with Catholic Spain.
As a result, English Catholics are driven into hiding and after witnessing the brutal means by which the Crown intends to punish his people for practising their faith, recusant Catholic Robert Catesby devises a plot to assassinate King James.
However, he must first enlist the help of loyal allies and heads to Brussels to seek the assistance of hardened war veteran Guy Fawkes.
Harington, who is also a co-executive producer on the show, has a personal connection to the real-life source of Gunpowder. The actor is a descendant of Robert Catesby, the central figure in the story, and plays him in the show.
A committed Catholic at a time when Protestant England persecutes Catholics relentlessly, Catesby's refusal to abandon his religion brings him to the edge of financial, social and psychological ruin.
Mark Gatiss plays Robert Cecil, King James' spymaster, who directs efforts to hunt down, torture and kill priests, while rank-and-file Catholics are subject to oppression and the loss of their property.
Peter Mullan portrays head Jesuit Father Garnet, whose peaceful protestations have little effect on Catesby.
Liv Tyler plays Anne Vaux, Catesby's astute and capable cousin, who becomes suspicious about his activities and fears the consequences will be the exact opposite of what Catesby intends.
Gunpowder chronicles the evolution of the plot, the selection of collaborators to carry it out, the gathering of resources and the obstacles to its execution, even as Catesby's team plays a deadly cat-and-mouse game with Cecil's ruthless spy network.
| CHANNEL |
BBC First (DStv 119) |
| PREMIERE |
4 February 2018 |
| TIMESLOT |
Sundays, 21h00 |
| REPEATS |
Mondays, 00h40
Tuesdays, 22h00
Wednesdays, 00h00 |