My name is Utred, I am the son of Utred……and so begins an absolute barnstorming of a action drama. The Last Kingdom Season 1 is the best all of the Last Kingdom seasons so far. (There are three.)

All the actors and actresses were to me relatively unknowns. Indeed they hailed from around Europe and UK as opposed to any big names from US, however the acting was superb. I was most impressed with the three leads in Alfred (David Dawson)

Brida (Emily Cox)

and of course the leading man Utred (Alexander Dreymon)

All three were so different in their character but more importantly believable! A testament to their acting chops. The supporting cast were brilliant, I personally found none of them lacking, as sometimes you can have a weak link or two dragging everyone down.

What I loved about the Last Kingdom Season 1 was the way it was directed and shot. There was such richness in the scenes, and by that I mean the world it was set into. The background wasn’t just a house with a few props thrown in. It was filled with people, movement and sound. For example, there was a scene where Utred (the child) was in Ragnar’s home, Ubba and his host of the Danes were up to all sorts of shenanigans! The sounds, the screams, people moving in and out of shot. It made it real…….

I need to give it extra marks for the music and the excellent use of silence (for dramatic effect) along with fantastic dialogue means this is the best Last Kingdom Season so far.

I have to doff my cap to BBC for Season 1, truly a memorable experience.

The entire creative team for Season 1 created something special.

Jim gives the Last Kingdom Season 1 – 8.5/10

*The only knock being the lack of a bigger budget ala Game of Thrones, but to be honest that is me being a bit harsh and a tad unrealistic – no pilot show would have a huge budget like Game of Thrones to be honest.