Another TV show depicting the Matter of Britain is here, with The Winter King taking the same-titled novel by historical fiction icon Bernard Cornwell and turning it into a ten-part TV show that debuts on Sunday, August 20.
The show, like the book, is an alternative take on the Arthurian legend, this time taking a historical slant as the story places characters like King Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere, Uthred and Owain in a historical epic instead of a fantasy one.
Combining established actors with new faces, the cast of The Winter King brings dramatically new versions of classic characters to life, much as another Cornwell adaptation The Last Kingdom did.
Interested in these actors, or the iconic names they play? Let's meet The Winter King's cast.
Iain De Caestecker as Arthur
You may know the classic King Arthur stories like the sword in the stone, the lady in the lake and the knights of the round table in Camelot, but cast those from your mind for this adaptation.
Arthur Pendragon in the show is the son of Uther Pendragon, ruler of the land of Dumnonia, though owing to his existence as an illegitimate son, he was exiled when young. However when the story properly begins, he's built himself up as a warlord, and decides to return to his former land.
Iain De Caestecker is a Scottish actor with a career that spans British shows, Hollywood and more. When young he acted in over 50 episodes of British soap Coronation Street, but arguably his biggest role is in Marvel's Agents of Shield.
De Caestecker's also been in a few movies, notably Lost River (alongside the likes of Saoirse Ronan, Matt Smith, Christina Hendricks and Eva Mendes), which was Ryan Gosling's directorial debut, as well as the popular historical horror movie Overlord.
Jordan Alexandra as Guinevere
In The Winter King as in Arthurian tales, Guinever is Arthur's wife. In tales she's depicted in a vast range of ways, sometimes evil and sometimes noble, but this new TV show comes down somewhere between the two.
In the show Guinevere is driven with high aspirations in terms of social status and power, but unfortunately, she doesn't care what the consequences of her actions are for those around her.
Jordan Alexandra is a relatively new actor. She's had background roles in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Brave New World and Bridgerton, and was also in Boiling Point as well as an episode of Mammals in named roles. The Winter King marks her largest role to date.
Eddie Marsan as Uther Pendragon
Uther Pendragon is Arthur's father, both in The Winter King and by all historical accounts in the real world too. In legend he's tricked into sleeping with his enemy's wife to conceive Arthur.
In The Winter King Arthur is also Uther's illegitimate son. Uther is shown as an old battle veteran who's the high king of Dumnonia, and he's well-respected by almost everyone in court (emphasis on 'almost').
Eddie Marsan is one of the biggest-name actors in The Winter King. He's been in the Robert Downie Jr Sherlock Holmes movies as LeStrade, Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen and The Wrath of Man, Edgar Wright's The World's End, Snow White and the Huntsman, Jack the Giant Slayer, Little Dorrit, Filfth, Hancock, 21 Grams, Ray Donovan, Mission Impossible III, V for Vendetta, War Horse, the list goes on and on.
Interestingly Marsan is no stranger to Arthurian stories, playing the voice of a creature in Merlin as well as an episodic role in Galavant.
Nathanial Martello-White as Merlin
The historical figure of Merlin needs no introduction, with the iconic wizard synonymous with wizards around the world, but how will The Winter King handle this creature since it's historical?
In the show Merlin is actually a political figure, one of the few who resists the authority of Uther Pendragon, doing so through a powerful belief in his Gods that drives him.
Playing Merlin is Nathaniel Martello-White, a British stage actor who graduated to the screen. Martello-White is perhaps best known for recent roles in the Mangrove episode of Small Axe, as well as shows like One Dollar, Deceit and the first two episodes of the 23rd season of Silent Witness.
Ellie James as Nimue
Nimue, or as she's otherwise known in Arthurian legend, the Lady of the Lake, was a fairy in most of the works of the Matter of Britain. She's a bit of a renegade in the legends, largely due to her inconsistent portrayal, sometimes giving Arthur Excalibur or ferrying him to Avalon when he's dying, but sometimes trapping Merlin in a tomb to kill him.
In The Winter King, Nimue is understandably not a fairy as they did not exist in pre-Roman Britain. She's instead a priestess, one whom Merlin tends to as she gets visions and powers from the Gods.
Ellie James — not to be confused with the musician of the same name — is a British actress. She's been in some hit shows from the country including I May Destroy You, Giri/Haji and Red Rose.
Valene Kane as Morgan
In Arthurian legend, Morgan le Fay is usually shown to be Arthur's sister. She's a witch who tends to protect and help him, though latter depictions tended to show her more as a villain and even his rival, or sometimes in more complex terms.
The Winter King may take a side though. Morgan is another one of Uther's illegitimate children, and is Merlin's pupil, though unfortunately, she's also a pagan.
If you're into your action TV, you may well have seen Valene Kane before. She was in Gangs of London as Jacqueline Robinson, The Fall as Rose Stagg and Blue Lights as Angela Mackle. On the big screen she was the main character's mum in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and as one of the key cast of War Games.
Stuart Campbell as Derfel Cadarn
While not as familiar a name as Arthur or Merlin, Derfel is another historical figure from Britain, often told in legend to be a Christian monk (and later saint) who was one of the few survivors of the Battle of Camlan, Arthur's last fight.
The version of Derfel shown in The Winter King is actually the narrator of the story. He's one of Arthur's warriors and believes that the man is the best hope for a unified Britain, even if he realizes that the man isn't perfect.
Perhaps best known for Rogue Heroes, Stuart Campbell is a young actor who has been in a range of other shows too. They include The Chemistry of Death, Hetty Feather and Baptiste, with him having multi-episode roles in all of them. He's also been in individual episodes of Doctors, Outlander and London Kills.
The Winter King airs in the US on streaming site MGM+ from Sunday, August 20 at 12:01 am PT and 9pm ET on its linear channel. It will then air weekly.
In the UK, it is set to air later in 2023 on ITVX but we will let you know as soon as a release date is announced.
