The Last Kingdom producers discuss ending the series right

Producer Mat Chaplin is looking forward to a battle on a frozen lake

What is the most spectacular moment of Season 5?

The biggest moment that I have dealt with is the ice battle in episode six. This is a collision of
three armies on the shores of a frozen lake, and it has been an epic challenge to put that
together. A combination of stunts, special effects, and visual effects. And in the middle of all
of that is proper, heavy, emotional storytelling. We shot that over a period of eight days, big tough days of day shoots, night shoots, 180 extras. It’s going to be fantastic. It was touch and
go, but we nailed it, and it’s going to be fantastic.

What was it like working with Alexander Dreymon as director?

Working with Alex as a director, as well as an actor, was a very interesting experience. It’s the
first time that I have done that, working with someone who’s both behind and in front of the
camera, sometimes simultaneously, and I was quite nervous about how it would go. But Alex
absolutely nailed it. He was very diligent, always very prepared, worked incredibly hard, gave
so much time to the cast around him, and I think his episode is going to be outstanding.

Who are the new faces of season five?

There are a number of new characters who have joined the show in season five, or rather a
number of characters who have grown up since we last saw them. Aethelstan, played by Harry
Gilby, is the bastard son of Edward, who as we know has been given to Uhtred to raise, to
train, to look after, and so has come to be like a son to Uhtred. And he’s doing a really
wonderful job of inhabiting that role. Aelfwynn, the daughter of the Lady of Mercia, is played
by Phia Saban, and she is someone who is struggling to come to terms with the role her family
and society expects her to perform. She just wants to live the life of a teenage girl, and why
shouldn’t she? So she has to come to terms with what is expected of her. Eadgifu is played by
Sonya Cassidy, and she is a smart, beautiful, clever woman who is the best foil possible for
Edward, King of Wessex. She becomes his most trusted advisor, and he would be lost without
her. Aelfweard is played by Ewan Horrocks, and he is the son of Aelflaed, and grandson of
Aethelhelm, and as such, is the nominated heir to the throne of Wessex by Aethelhelm. He is
the person who Aethelhelm would like to be king, and, as such, becomes a victim of 10th
century power politics, in a way which is quite tragic to watch.

Describe the epic scale of season five.

The scale of the show has grown again in season five. In addition to Winchester and Mercia,
locations which were familiar to us in the show, we now have two major new locations – we
have Rumcofa, which is a Deadwood-style border town, lawless, wild, exciting. And we have
Eoferwic, York, which is the Danish capital of Northumbria, and that’s a very interesting blend
of Roman, Saxon and Danish architecture, sort of piled on top of one another. It’s a fantastic
set that our production designer, Dominic, and his team have built, it’s just a thrill to shoot
in. And we have to create Bebbanburg, the site of a big battle at the end of the season.

What are the themes of season five?

One of the weightier themes that season five deals with is man’s inhumanity to man. Our
ability to decide that those who are different from us are inferior to us, and to act accordingly.
And I think that’s a theme that is always timely, always relevant. I also think that this season
deals with ambition, and whether ambition can be trusted, and how ambition relates to
destiny. If I want something, is that justifiable, or am I being led down a dark path? Aethelhelm suffers tragic consequences because of his ambition. So can ambition be trusted? And when
does ambition become destiny? When is ambition a good thing? When is it justifiable? Or
when will it cost you? I think those are the things that this season deals with.

Why do you think The Last Kingdom is such a hit with audiences?

I think it’s such a hit with audiences because it offers such an exhilarating blend of action and
emotion in a world which, in a way, is much simpler than ours, and in a way, exotic and
thrilling, unlike ours. I think it’s about emotion, I think it’s about love, and happiness, and the
difficulty of getting those things. I think it’s about wonderful settings, about great actors,
about a great story.