The Musketeers

The Musketeers
Genre Action, Drama
Created by Adrian Hodges
Based on The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Starring
Theme music composer Murray Gold
Composer(s) Murray Gold
Paul Englishby
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of series 2
No. of episodes 20 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Adrian Hodges
Jessica Pope
Producer(s) Colin Wratten
Location(s) Prague
Running time 54–60 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel BBC One HD
BBC One
BBC America (U.S.)
Original run 19 January 2014 – present
External links
BBC website

The Musketeers is a BBC historical-action drama programme based on the characters from Alexandre Dumas's novel The Three Musketeers[1] and co-produced by BBC America and BBC Worldwide.[1] The first episode was shown on BBC One on 19 January 2014.[2] It stars Tom Burke as Athos, Santiago Cabrera as Aramis, Howard Charles as Porthos, Luke Pasqualino as d'Artagnan, with Tamla Kari as Constance, Maimie McCoy as Milady and Alexandra Dowling as the Queen. It also features Peter Capaldi as Cardinal Richelieu in the first series and Marc Warren (Comte de Rochefort) in the second series.[3]

Jessica Pope and Adrian Hodges produce the show for the BBC. The programme is largely filmed in the Czech Republic. All the major actors, except Capaldi, have been "contracted for the long run".[4] The show was commissioned for a second series on 9 February 2014,[5] which premiered on 2 January 2015.[6] On 2 February 2015, it was announced that the show had been renewed for a third series.[7]

Plot

In 1630 Paris, Athos, Aramis and Porthos are a group of highly trained musketeers commanded by Captain Treville who meet d'Artagnan, a skillful farm boy with hopes of becoming a musketeer. The series follows them as they fight to protect King and country.

Production

Conception

The BBC had been developing the idea of a new series based on The Three Musketeers since as far back as 2007, when the project was envisaged as a Saturday evening show to run between series of Doctor Who.[8] The eventual production of the series was finally announced in 2012, with Adrian Hodges in charge of the project.[9]

Filming

Paris was not considered as a filming location as over the decades development had detracted from the grittier architecture wanted. Dublin was also considered before settling on the Czech Republic, which suffered little damage during the two world wars. Many historic buildings were intact and privately owned stately homes were rented for filming.

Filming for the series took place mainly in Doksany, 30 kilometres north-west of Prague, where a Parisian square, a number of streets and the musketeers garrison were constructed. A disused convent had additional sets constructed including taverns, bedrooms and mortuary.[10]

Casting

During filming of the first series Peter Capaldi learned that he had been given the role of the Twelfth Doctor in Doctor Who.[4] The show's executive producer Jessica Pope commented that they would have to "recalibrate" plans for a prospective second series, in order to accommodate Capaldi now being unable to reprise his role.[4] Marc Warren joined the cast for the second series.[11] The Musketeers was originally planned to be broadcast in 2013, but was later delayed until 2014.[12]

Cast

List of episodes

The Musketeers is a BBC television historical action drama that is based on the characters of Alexandre Dumas's novel The Three Musketeers.

The series stars Tom Burke as Athos, Santiago Cabrera as Aramis, Howard Charles as Porthos and Luke Pasqualino as d'Artagnan. Commissioned on 3 May 2012,[3] The Musketeers began airing in January 2014. A second series was commissioned in February 2014, but it was confirmed that Peter Capaldi would not return as Cardinal Richelieu, due to his commitments filming Doctor Who.[5] It was also stated that Pasqualino, Burke, and Cabrera would return for the second series.[5] On 2 February 2015, it was announced that the show had been renewed for a third series.[7] As of 27 March 2015, 20 episodes of The Musketeers have aired, concluding the second series.

Series overview

Series Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 10 19 January 2014 30 March 2014
2 10 2 January 2015 27 March 2015

Episodes

Series 1 (2014)

Series
No.		 Episode
No.		 Title Directed by Written by Original air date UK viewers
(million)[13]
11"Friends and Enemies"Toby HaynesAdrian Hodges19 January 20149.28
Young swordsman d'Artagnan and his father Alexandre are on their way to Paris to petition the king when they are attacked at an inn; Alexandre is killed by a man claiming to be "Athos of the Musketeers". Seeking revenge, d'Artagnan heads to Paris to confront and kill Athos. Meanwhile, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis are ordered by Treville to track down a missing contingent of Musketeers. Upon their return, Athos is confronted by d'Artagnan, before being arrested for murder. The king orders Athos' execution. To prove Athos' innocence Porthos and Aramis enlist the aid of d'Artagnan in recovering letters stolen from the King's messengers by the Red Guard claiming to be Athos. d'Artagnan accompanies them to discover the truth.
22"Sleight of Hand"Toby HaynesAdrian Hodges26 January 20147.58
The Musketeers engineer d'Artagnan's imprisonment in a cell alongside Vadim (Jason Flemyng), a notorious criminal, who to escape uses the visiting Queen. Vadim has a plan to bring about a people's revolution by killing the King and Queen. But Vadim is the master of sleight of hand and his plans are more criminal than political.
33"Commodities"Saul MetzsteinSusie Conklin2 February 20146.77
The three musketeers are sent to Le Havre to arrest the flamboyant merchant trader/explorer, Emile Bonnaire (James Callis), who is to appear before the King for breaking a trade treaty between France and Spain. The journey to Paris is fraught with danger from Bonnaire's friends and enemies. Porthos is badly wounded in an ambush. Taking refuge in Athos' derelict family chateau brings back memories to Athos of his brother and of Milady de Winter. Porthos is angry when he discovers the commodity, slaves, that Bonnaire trades in.
44"The Good Soldier"Richard ClarkAdrian Hodges9 February 20146.14
Aramis’s old friend Marsac (JJ Feild), a former musketeer, returns to Paris to kill the Duke of Savoy (Vincent Regan) whom he holds responsible for the deaths of 20 musketeers. The Musketeers capture Marsac and he seeks their help to discover the truth that implicates Treville in the massacre. They are also charged with protecting the ruthless Duke who is in Paris to sign a treaty with the King.
55"The Homecoming"Saul MetzsteinJames Dormer23 February 20145.91
Porthos wakes from a drunken stupor beside the body of a dead man. Captured by the Red Guard he is judged and sentenced to death for murder. Before the sentence is carried out he is rescued by thieves and taken to the Court of Miracles, a slum of thieves, beggars, and whores run by Charon (Ashley Walters), where the orphan Porthos grew up. Athos, Aramis, and d'Artagnan, unable to enter the Court of Miracles to follow Porthos, investigate from the outside to discover the truth.
66"The Exiles"Andy HayBen Harris2 March 20145.62
King Louis's treacherous mother, the exiled Marie de' Medici (Tara Fitzgerald), returns to seek protection from an assassin. Aramis and d'Artagnan, sent to collect a young woman, Agnes (Amy Nuttall), and her baby son are stunned when armed men abduct the baby and the musketeers seek to find the baby and uncover who they were sent to escort.
77"A Rebellious Woman"Richard ClarkJames Payne9 March 20145.69
A young girl is killed trying to deliver a petition to the Queen as the royal coach passed. The petition was from wealthy noblewoman Comtesse Ninon De Larroque (Annabelle Wallis) pleading for women's education and rights. The Cardinal receives an offer from the Catholic Church if he can convict the Comtesse of witchcraft. Arrested and taken to a convent for trial, Milady's testimony guarantees conviction and when the Cardinal is mysteriously poisoned the musketeers must find the culprit before the Comtesse is burnt at the stake.
88"The Challenge"Farren BlackburnSusie Conklin16 March 20145.45
The prisoner Labarge (Vinnie Jones) the Musketeers were escorting kills the captain of the Cardinal's Red Guards and the animosity between the Musketeers and the Red Guard leads to the King ordering a challenge between the best fighter from the Musketeers and the Red Guards. Captain Treville arranges a contest between Musketeers and chooses himself when he learns the Cardinal has enlisted Labarge into the Red Guards.
99"Knight Takes Queen"Andy HayPeter McKenna23 March 20145.25
The King is disillusioned with the Queen's inability to have children and covets Charlotte Mellendorf (Charlotte Hope) as a possible new Queen. Under Musketeer protection the Queen, at a forest pool known for its powers of fertility, escapes an assassination attempt and with Aramis and Athos they flee to a convent pursued by the attackers who lay siege to the convent. With the nuns' help they defend the convent while d'Artagnan and Porthos return to Paris for help and discover who is paying the attackers.
1010"Musketeers Don't Die Easily"Farren BlackburnAdrian Hodges30 March 20145.27
A drunken Athos takes his estranged wife Milady hostage in the town square; the fact that d'Artagnan knows her then causes a rift to develop between the Musketeers. This gives the Cardinal and Milady the belief that they can wreak their revenge against the king's soldiers. Milady returns to the slums to employ Sarazin (Sean Pertwee) to kill the Musketeers, putting Constance's life in danger. The full extent of the Cardinal's treachery against the Queen is revealed but her response is a surprise.

Series 2 (2015)

Series
No.		 Episode
No.		 Title Directed by Written by Original air date UK viewers
(million)[13]
111"Keep Your Friends Close"John StricklandAdrian Hodges2 January 20154.93
The Musketeers rescue the Comte de Rochefort from hanging. The deceased Cardinal's man in Madrid who had seemingly escaped from a Spanish prison has news that General De Foix, France's chief military strategist, has been captured. The king's order his rescue by Rochefort and the Musketeers, but the duplicitous Rochefort has his own plans to rescue De Foix involving the death of the Musketeers. The Dauphin Louis is born.
122"An Ordinary Man"John StricklandAdrian Hodges9 January 20154.78
King Louis wants to experience the life of an ordinary Frenchman and insists the Musketeers take him onto the streets in disguise. In a tavern, the King and d'Artagnan are separated from the other Musketeers and they fall into the hands of slave traders intent on selling them as galley slaves on a Spanish ship. Their paths cross with Milady de Winter who works for the slavers. Rochefort sees a chance to manipulate the Queen in the interests of Spain.
133"The Good Traitor"Marc JobstLucy Catherine and Adrian Hodges16 January 2015TBD
An ex-general, a traitor, of the Spanish army arrives in Paris to plead for help in rescuing his daughter, held by Spanish agents in Paris; in exchange for a coded formula and cypher machine of a deadly new gunpowder the Spanish also want. The Dauphin is seriously ill and Constance takes the baby from the palace in an attempt to save his life. The Queen informs the King of the prince's abduction, finding him under a table in a compromising position with Milady de Winter.
144"Emilie"Andy HayRyan Craig and Adrian Hodges30 January 2015TBD
A prophet, Emilie of Duras, is raising an army from the peasantry of France to march on Spain. Aramis rides to her camp to resolve the situation and while there Queen Anne and Constance arrive and the reasons for Emilie's visions become apparent. Rochefort and the Spanish Ambassador's double dealings come to a head with the death of Rochefort's whore; and then of the ambassador at Milady's hand with Treville paying the price for failing to protect the ambassador.
155"The Return"Marc JobstSimon J Ashford13 February 2015TBD
Athos, who has renounced his title, is kidnapped by his tenants and discovers his neighbour, Baron Renard, is intent on taking his lands. Athos's indifference to his tenants, because his wife Milady had killed his brother at the family home, shocks the other musketeers; but a meeting with his dead brother's betrothed changes his mind and he agrees to give the tenants the land if they are prepared to fight for it; requiring the musketeers to train them.
166"Through a Glass Darkly"Andy HayMarnie Dickens & Adrian Hodges20 February 2015TBD
An astrologer invites the Royal party to observe a solar eclipse at his castle observatory and takes them all prisoner with their bodyguards d'Artagnan, Aramis, and Porthos; to take part in his deadly game of chance of life and death. Milady takes the toss of a coin to decide her fate and is allowed to live. The King has to make the same choice if his Queen and son are to survive while the musketeers seek a way to escape from a madman bent on revenge.
177"A Marriage of Inconvenience"Edward BennettSteve Bailie27 February 2015TBD
A marriage between Princess Louise, a cousin of King Louis, and a Swedish crown prince that would bring an alliance between France and Sweden to the detriment of Spain; allows Rochefort to plot his own advancement at court having the King's council members killed by unlikely assassins with a disastrous consequence for Constance's husband. Rochefort learns of the Queen's relationship with Aramis and Milady discovers whom Rochefort's loyalties lie with.
188"The Prodigal Father"Edward BennettSusie Conklin & Adrian Hodges6 March 20154.05
Treville tells Porthos who his father is and Porthos travels to meet his father, half sister and her husband he never knew. Porthos's loyalties to his father and the musketeers are tested when the musketeers discover his sister and murderous brother-in-law are pimping young girls as entertainment to the highest bidder. Constance has to make a decision about her future with d'Artagnan after doctor Lemay proposes to her. Rochefort manipulates King Louis's paranoia to take control of the court and his lust for the Queen comes to a confrontation with Anne and ends with his accusation of her treason.
199"The Accused"Nicholas RentonSimon J Ashford20 March 2015[lower-alpha 1]4.18
Athos and d'Artagnan rescue Constance from the executioner's sword and with Treville they help Porthos to capture the Spanish spymaster Vargas. Rochefort proves his case against the Queen and Aramis with testimony from Lady Marguerite. Milady rescues Aramis; Rochefort clears the court except for the red guard and the King signs the Queen's death warrant leading to a final confrontation between Rochefort and the musketeers.

Series 3

On 2 February 2015, it was announced that the show had been renewed for a third series.[7]

Notes

  1. ↑ BBC America broadcast "The Accused" on 14 March 2015.[14]TBD Rochefort produces a treasonable letter the Queen wrote to her brother, the King of Spain. The musketeers, with unexpected help from Milady, spirit the Queen away to safety at a convent leaving Athos and Milady to search for evidence that Rochefort is a spy for the Spanish. The King is poisoned and doctor Lemay is arrested and Constance is implicated. Constance is given a graphic ultimatum of her fate unless she testifies to the Queen's infidelity with Aramis. Porthos sets out to capture Vargas, the Spanish spymaster, while the Queen insists on returning to Paris and falls into Rochefort's trap that includes the arrest of Aramis for treason. 2010"Trial and Punishment"Nicholas RentonSimon Allen27 March 2015[lower-alpha 2]
  2. ↑ BBC America broadcast "Trial and Punishment" on 21 March 2015."Season 2 - Episode Guide - The Musketeers". BBC America. Retrieved 22 March 2015.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Ben Stephenson orders over 20 hours of new drama from BBC Drama Production". 3 May 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  2. ↑ "Friends and Enemies". BBC. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The Musketeers". Broadcast Greenlight. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Life after Capaldi for The Musketeers". BBC. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Series 2". Cultbox. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  6. ↑ "BBC - The Musketeers - Media centre".
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Series 3". DigitalSpy. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  8. ↑ Holmwood, Leigh (11 September 2007). "BBC lines up swashbuckling shows". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  9. ↑ Hemley, Matthew. "Modern take on The Three Musketeers comes to BBC1". The Stage. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  10. ↑ "The Location Guide". Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  11. ↑ Munn, Patrick. "TV Wise". Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  12. ↑ "BBC America Joins British 'Musketeers' Series". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week)". BARB.
  14. ↑

External links

Home video release

The first series of The Musketeers was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom on 31 March 2014 and in the United States on 26 August 2014.

The second series of The Musketeers is due to be released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom on 6 April 2015.[1]

Reception

The Musketeers initially received mixed reviews from critics, but they have become more positive as the series has continued. Jim Shelley, writing for the Daily Mail, heavily criticised the programme, saying "The Musketeers didn't take itself too seriously but was still so bad it bordered on self-parody" and that "the quality of the sub-plots hardly merited its 9pm slot in the schedule rather than (like Merlin or Robin Hood) much earlier, consisting of such clichéd set pieces as a fight following an accusation of cheating during a card game and a randy musketeer being caught in the act and having to dangle out of his lover's bedroom window while his mates watched on chuckling". Overall, he said "The main problem with The Musketeers, apart from the quality of the script, the acting and the predictability of the plot, was that there are only so many ways to make sword fights between men wearing blue leather tunics that entertaining or exciting."[2]

However, reviewing the third episode of the drama, Morgan Jeffery, writing for Digital Spy, praised the development of the characters, stating that there was a "real feeling of growth" and that it delivered "something a little more substantial".[3] Den of Geek writer Rob Kemp also gave a positive review, stating that The Musketeers had "won a lot of people over with its fun and adventurous take on this well-loved story", but also wrote that some of the dramatic elements felt "shoe horned and deliberate". Overall, Kemp had hope for the series and praised the change in focus in the third episode, saying that the "time was definitely right to start to explore the characters", before going on to say that the series would have "plenty more opportunities for the Musketeers to hit their more (and hopefully, better) dramatic strides". [4]

Upon its premiere on BBC America, Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times gave the drama a positive review, calling the series "not at all bad, just a bit old-fashioned". She also praised the updates made to the series, writing "purists may be dismayed that Mr. Hodges took so many liberties with the original plot, but purists are rarely any fun".[5]

Broadcast

Shown on BBC One, the first series of The Musketeers was broadcast weekly at 9pm on Sunday nights starting on the 19 January 2014. For the second series, it was moved to 9pm on Friday nights and screening began on the 2 January 2015.

The first series of The Musketeers was broadcast in Norway beginning on 2 March 2014 on NRK,[6] and in Sweden on 3 March 2014 on TV4.[7] In Greece the first series premiered on 12 March 2014 on OTE Cinema 1 HD.[8]

The series premiered in the United States on 22 June 2014 on BBC America.[9] The complete first series was "striped" on 3 August 2014 on the Australian Foxtel Cable TV channel BBC First, the day of that channel's premiere. The series started on 18 September 2014 on 'Box' Sky TV in New Zealand. The series started in Latin America on 9 October 2014 on BBC Entertainment.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Musketeers, The". Amazon.com. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  2. ↑ Jim Shelley. "The Musketeers was a French farce firing blanks, by Jim Shelley | Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  3. ↑ Morgan Jeffery. "The Musketeers: Episode 3 review - Trading action for character drama by Morgan Jeffery; Digital Spy". Digitalspy.co.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  4. ↑ Rob Kemp. "The Musketeers episode 3 review: Commodities by Rob Kemp; Digital Spy". Denofgeek.com. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  5. ↑ Stanley, Alessandra. "Four Guys With Swords and Morals". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  6. ↑ NRK1 søndag 02. mars kl 21.45 Musketerene
  7. ↑ "Musketörerna - tv4.se". tv4.se. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  8. ↑ "OTE Cinema : The Musketeers". Ote.gr. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  9. ↑ "The Musketeers". BBC America. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  10. ↑ "Destacados". BBC Latinoamérica. Retrieved 28 November 2014.

External links