Top News

A "masterpiece" series focused on the early reign of King Henry VIII is streaming for free in the UK. The Tudors hit the small screen in 2007 and charts the monarch's turbulent rise, his standoff with Rome, and his obsession with siring a male heir.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers stars as the brutal ruler in a performance that earned him two Best Actor in a Television Drama Golden Globe nominations in 2007 and 2008. The ensemble cast includes a host of other stars, including Superman himself, Henry Cavill, Sam Neill of Jurassic Park fame, and Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn, among many others.

The show was written and created by Michael Hirst and produced for Showtime. It ran for four series, the last of which aired in 2010.

Fans have flocked to IMDb to shower the series with praise. One fan called it a "beautiful masterpiece", adding: "I must say that I absolutely LOVE this series! I love the actors, actresses, the characters, the plot, the scenery, the costumes... and well, I just love everything about this show!

"I especially love Jonathan Rhys Meyers, he is an excellent actor and portrayed King Henry VIII perfectly!"

Another wrote: "The Tudors is excellent historic drama series."

However, some took issue with the historical inaccuracies shown. One viewer, who gave it a 1/10 score wrote: "Why embellish when the actual story is dramatic enough? I mean, come on...embellish some, but stick to the basic facts at least!

"There are movies that embellished on Henry VIII...like HBO's HenryVIII, but, they stuck to the basic facts and the actors were cast brilliantly."

However, another fan gave The Tudors a perfect score and said called it the "best TV show ever made", and was among those pushing back on negative reactions to it.

"I must admit that I am shocked at so many bad reviews on this excellent show," they wrote.

"Of course, there are some historical inaccuracies but they are indeed forgivable as they fit well into the storyline and do not interfere with it. Besides, the show sticks to historical facts as much as it is possible. It features many details from real history."

The episodes have 12 and 15 rating and contain thinkings like strong sex, and depiction of executions - so viewer discretion is advised.

All four series of The Tudors are streaming for free (with ads) on Channel 4. It's also available to watch on Amazon Prime video, or you can buy episodes on YouTube.