# The Last Kingdom (2015)

> A displaced Dane-raised warrior fights to help a Saxon king forge England from warring kingdoms in the ninth century.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/56246

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 46
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, war, history
- Created by: Stephen Butchard
- Network: Netflix, BBC Two
- Cast: Alexander Dreymon, Emily Cox, David Dawson, Eliza Butterworth, Thomas W. Gabrielsson, Mark Rowley, Ruby Hartley, Harry McEntire
- TMDB rating: 8.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4179452/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: brutal
- Tone: gritty, epic, melancholic, sincere, brooding

## What critics say

Viewers broadly acclaim The Last Kingdom as a well-acted, character-driven historical epic with strong battle sequences and a rich sense of medieval England, though a few note visual lapses in later seasons.

## Synopsis

The Last Kingdom (2015-2022) is a British historical drama series created by Stephen Butchard for Netflix and BBC Two. Alexander Dreymon plays Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a warrior raised among Danes who finds his loyalty pulled between them and the Saxon king Alfred (David Dawson), whom he serves in a fight to unite fractured kingdoms into one land. Emily Cox's Brida and Eliza Butterworth's Aelswith add personal stakes and court intrigue to the campaigns. Across five seasons and forty-six episodes, the engine of the story is strategy and survival: shield wall clashes, sieges, shifting alliances and the constant pressure of rival armies and religious factions. Each season builds a longer arc of territorial conquest, so the storytelling is serialized rather than case driven. Set in ninth century Northumbria and Wessex, the series carries a gritty, earthy atmosphere, with brutal combat, moody landscapes and a sincere sense of duty and identity. Its tone blends heroic adventure with political weight and melancholy. Fans of Vikings and Game of Thrones will find resonance in its blend of battle spectacle and power struggles, and fans of Bernard Cornwell's novels will recognise the source's spirit.

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