When it comes to bringing historical events to the screen there are a couple of options, one is to make it a total documentary, this is not what you are going to get with this series, you are going to gets some good actors that could have had a little better direction portray what happened during the great fire of London in 1666 and some of the events that happened during the 4 days that the fire burned uncontrolled though the streets of the city and what happened to some of the people that were close to the fire. It attempts to put some faces to the story and help the viewer understand the events of the time that lead up to other tragedies that were occurring at the same time. The struggle for the religious hearts of the people and the fear of foreigners, the depths that some people had to go to just to survive and the lack of caring that some people had for their neighbors and then how in some of the bleakest circumstances the people you least expect end up helping someone else just out of kindness. Is it all true and accurate? Probably not, however it is a decent way to spend 3 hours.
10 Reviews
Stick with it, it's ultimately worth seeing.
Sleepin_Dragon6 November 2019
For anyone expecting a documentary, it's worth noting that this is a dramatisation, there is historical content of course, but there is also a theatrical content running alongside. It's a truly interesting drama, you get some fascinating content, how it started, and how it was stopped.
The accompanying story is interesting, and ends up overshadowing the interest of the fire itself.
It does feel like a drama of two halves, if I'm honest, I didn't care a huge deal for the first two episodes, maybe my expectations were for something quite different, however, the third and fourth parts are terrific, there's a massive switch up in quality.
The special effects are a mix of wonderful and awful, sometimes it looks a bit amateur, and other times it looks amazing. A mixed bag.
The acting is very, very good, the standout without any shadow of doubt is Charles Dance, he's brilliant in it, sinister and commanding. One of two perhaps felt miscast.
Watch it for a bit of escapism. 7/10
The accompanying story is interesting, and ends up overshadowing the interest of the fire itself.
It does feel like a drama of two halves, if I'm honest, I didn't care a huge deal for the first two episodes, maybe my expectations were for something quite different, however, the third and fourth parts are terrific, there's a massive switch up in quality.
The special effects are a mix of wonderful and awful, sometimes it looks a bit amateur, and other times it looks amazing. A mixed bag.
The acting is very, very good, the standout without any shadow of doubt is Charles Dance, he's brilliant in it, sinister and commanding. One of two perhaps felt miscast.
Watch it for a bit of escapism. 7/10
It didn't set the world alight....
ianharrison74716 September 2023
Entertaining not boring. Drama not documentary.
Tiled roofs and too wide streets. Actors emerged with lovely clean bright clothes and faces. Tiled roofs ? At least it was a bit more down and dirty by the finale.
Charles Dance did his normal towering authoritarian part very well, Andrew Buchan a solid professional but dangerous baker.
Completely ridiculous... the common man would never had access to Charlie the second ? And Sammy Pepys was a bit off the other wall .... It is true he buried his wine but not sure that Theresa Mays the stern approach for the part. It looked like he was Made in Dagenham.
However it's ok to watch on a rainy night when you aren't burning the house down.
Tiled roofs and too wide streets. Actors emerged with lovely clean bright clothes and faces. Tiled roofs ? At least it was a bit more down and dirty by the finale.
Charles Dance did his normal towering authoritarian part very well, Andrew Buchan a solid professional but dangerous baker.
Completely ridiculous... the common man would never had access to Charlie the second ? And Sammy Pepys was a bit off the other wall .... It is true he buried his wine but not sure that Theresa Mays the stern approach for the part. It looked like he was Made in Dagenham.
However it's ok to watch on a rainy night when you aren't burning the house down.
A crushing disappointment
Leofwine_draca21 November 2014
Another viewer compared this would-be miniseries exploring the 1666 Great Fire of London to EASTENDERS and I think they were spot on: this is extraordinarily disappointing given the effort and level of talent involved, and says a lot about the current state of the ITV drama department.
The miniseries is about the fire but the fire hardly comes into it. Instead we gets lots of uninteresting soap opera shenanigans involving sex, politics and conspiracy. The characterisation is on the level of a provincial pantomime and never once did I believe in or care about any of the sub-plots.
In a bid for quality, a lot of familiar actors from the best TV series around today are brought in. We get Rose Leslie and Charles Dance from A GAME OF THRONES and Jack Huston from BOARDWALK EMPIRE, but none of them are at their best. And they're sidelined in favour of Daniel Mays, who's out of his league playing Pepys (who seems to be a bit of a twit) and the singularly wooden Andrew Buchan. No, THE GREAT FIRE is a chore to sit through and there's nothing here I can recommend to any viewer.
The miniseries is about the fire but the fire hardly comes into it. Instead we gets lots of uninteresting soap opera shenanigans involving sex, politics and conspiracy. The characterisation is on the level of a provincial pantomime and never once did I believe in or care about any of the sub-plots.
In a bid for quality, a lot of familiar actors from the best TV series around today are brought in. We get Rose Leslie and Charles Dance from A GAME OF THRONES and Jack Huston from BOARDWALK EMPIRE, but none of them are at their best. And they're sidelined in favour of Daniel Mays, who's out of his league playing Pepys (who seems to be a bit of a twit) and the singularly wooden Andrew Buchan. No, THE GREAT FIRE is a chore to sit through and there's nothing here I can recommend to any viewer.
Pretty poor
ObeseManWatching17 November 2014
This is drama by numbers.
A great idea for a script but unfortunately the writing, the directing and most of the acting fails to deliver. There is one character in particular (Hannah)that had I been there I would have thrown her ON To the fire. Constantly whining and nagging and the poor actress was so miscast as a 13 year-old - maybe her agent misheard and thought it was for a 30 year old!
The cast contains some quality actors particularly Daniel Mays and Charles Dance but they are directed so badly that at one point I really thought Dance was going to twirl his moustache and utter "Mou-ha-hah".
Mays also fails to deliver anything much more than a caricature of Pepys and in the first episode the whinging boatman (read cab driver for modern day equivalent) is so clichéd that I thought he was going to say "You know 'oo I 'ad in the back of my boat the other day?"
Indeed the only actor who showed any depth was Rose Leslie as the sister-in-law but think in future years she may be embarrassed to have this one on her CV.
ITV dramas have shown a massive improvement in quality in recent years but sadly this does not fall into that category and is more typical of their output that graced our screens in the late 1990s and early noughties. It is more suited to soap opera than serious drama and is an opportunity missed.
A great idea for a script but unfortunately the writing, the directing and most of the acting fails to deliver. There is one character in particular (Hannah)that had I been there I would have thrown her ON To the fire. Constantly whining and nagging and the poor actress was so miscast as a 13 year-old - maybe her agent misheard and thought it was for a 30 year old!
The cast contains some quality actors particularly Daniel Mays and Charles Dance but they are directed so badly that at one point I really thought Dance was going to twirl his moustache and utter "Mou-ha-hah".
Mays also fails to deliver anything much more than a caricature of Pepys and in the first episode the whinging boatman (read cab driver for modern day equivalent) is so clichéd that I thought he was going to say "You know 'oo I 'ad in the back of my boat the other day?"
Indeed the only actor who showed any depth was Rose Leslie as the sister-in-law but think in future years she may be embarrassed to have this one on her CV.
ITV dramas have shown a massive improvement in quality in recent years but sadly this does not fall into that category and is more typical of their output that graced our screens in the late 1990s and early noughties. It is more suited to soap opera than serious drama and is an opportunity missed.
Not good enough
helenhelga20026 November 2014
I thought this was very badly written, and not worth watching. Every one in it has been so badly flawed as to be unbelievable. Not a fan I am afraid. The cast were trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ears. It seemed more a script more suited to Eastendfers, another program which I cannot be bothered to watch. No celebration of how well organized the society must have been that only 6 people perished. We think of our society as being so enlightened and modern, but I doubt that the outcome of a fire in London today of such magnitude would be so well managed with so little loss of life. There was an opportunity here to show the courage and fantastic organisation skills of our ancestors, instead we get 2nd rate intrigues and the baseness of human frailties which are not entertainng to watch, much admit to. And, quite honestly, not something that is often common in these sorts of situations. Pitifully bad storyline, which had the potential to be good.
Interesting but more drama than docu;
grandcyn14 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I really liked it but it seems unfinished; I had to ask my husband if it was over or there was another part? when it ended they were looking for the the mother and her son in a field or someplace; and we had to do research to find out if there really was a conspiracy to replace Charles (II?) with James.
Not good at all
jusstinemorgan8 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This was absolutely one of the worst things I have ever watched! The plot doesn't focus around the great fire at all instead it focuses on some drama that nobody cares about. A room full of people decided to make a film about one of the most significant events in English history and they wrote this!? Whaaat? It was so ridiculous and the plot doesn't even make sense!
If you are looking for something to watch on a Saturday then go find a dumpster fire because I guarantee you it will be better then this!
I feel sorry for the actors that have to be associated with this mess.
If you are looking for something to watch on a Saturday then go find a dumpster fire because I guarantee you it will be better then this!
I feel sorry for the actors that have to be associated with this mess.
Not My Favorite
PartialMovieViewer18 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Boring. From our side of the pond, we generate enough boring drivel - why must our British cousins scoop from the same sewer. Brilliant idea for a two - to - four hour movie...but this not series material. Great cast, but no damned dragons - why? Why wasn't Martin Clunes (the greatest actor - EVER) cast for this show? Ah well, if you wish to bored by pointlessness.
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