Radio Times: Review by:; Jane Anderson

Put aside all thoughts of Shakespeare’s Henry V and especially Laurence Olivier’s rabble-rousing macho warrior. This is not so much “Once more unto the breach” as “Once more onto the couch” as Mike Walker's superb interpretation of Holinshed’s Chronicles provides a gripping psychological profile of the young Prince Hal.

Like Shakespeare's more familiar Henry, he can inspire men, lead an army and crush the faintest whiff of rebellion. But in this version he is also outsmarted at every turn by his exquisitely sharp French wife Catherine — what possible objection could she have to sleeping with the man who has just slaughtered 15,000 of her people is her sneering entry point to their marriage and she does not let up.

About this programme

1/3. The final series of Mike Walker's drama, inspired by Holinshed's Chronicles. The first instalment tells the story of Henry V, who inherits a kingdom in disarray in 1413, but goes on to become one of the country's most celebrated monarchs following famous victories over France and the rebel Hotspur. However, his triumphs on the battlefield come at great personal cost. Starring Luke Treadaway, Lydia Leonard and James Lailey.