PILLARS OF THE EARTH | Begins Sat 16th Oct 9pm CH4
PILLARS OF THE EARTH begins on Saturday 16th October at 9pm on Channel 4.
The Epic historical mini-series, is the $40million adaptation of Ken Follett's best-selling 1989 novel of the same name.
The largely British cast includes, Eddie Redmayne (Jack Jackson), Hayley Atwell (Aliena), Anatole Taubman (Remigius), Jonathan Coy (Father Ralph), David Bark-Jones (Francis) Ian McSahne (Waleran), Matthew Macfadyen (Prior Phillip), Rufus Sewell (Tom Builder), Natalia Worner (Ellen) and Donald Sutherland (Bartholomew)/
This epic tale begins against a background of crisis caused by the
disruption of the succession to the English crown. King Henry’s only
legitimate son has died in the fiery sinking of the White Ship,
leaving Henry’s daughter Maud, his nephew Stephen and his bastard son
Gloucester to compete for the crown. Greedily jockeying for advancement
in this treacherous atmosphere is the Hamleigh family, petty nobles
trying to marry their brutal son William to Aliena, daughter of Earl
Bartholomew of Shiring. Her refusal of William leaves him burning for
revenge against Aliena, her father, and her brother Richard. Helped by
his scheming mother Regan, William is instrumental in the Earl’s
execution for treason, and brutalizing both Aliena and Richard, driving
them orphaned and penniless out into the world.
His fury at Aliena also causes William to dismiss Tom Builder,
master-mason of William’s bridal home. Tom dreams of building a new kind
of cathedral, a building filled with light; but now he, his pregnant
wife and their children must wander in search of work and food. Tom’s
wife dies giving birth to a son who in a strange twist of fate is saved
and brought to Kingsbridge Monastery, where idealistic Prior Philip
inadvertently becomes involved in the struggle for the English throne. . Advised by the mysterious and beautiful forest-living healer Ellen,
who knows more about this secret than she can yet reveal, Tom Builder
goes to Kingsbridge in hope of work repairing the church there. When
that church burns down, the way becomes clear for Prior Philip to turn
it into a cathedral... and this work goes ahead despite continual
interference by the politically ambitious Bishop Waleran Bigod. As Tom’s
work proceeds, Ellen’s son Jack -- who has accompanied Tom and his son
and daughter to Kingsbridge -- reveals a great talent for carving and
building. This work, however, is continually hampered by Waleran and his
allies the Hamleighs. There have been accusations that Ellen, accused
of witchcraft, caused the burning of the Kingsbridge church. But in
reality Waleran wants her silenced because of what she knows about his
part (along with two other men whom Ellen cursed) in the sinking of the White Ship and the death of England’s
rightful heir. When Ellen escapes, Waleran and his allies are left in a
state of dangerous uncertainty, while Prior Philip and everyone working
on his cathedral become targets for the Hamleighs’ hatred........
A TV Event not to be missed!