The Last Kingdom author compares Uhtred with Arthur from The Winter King

The Winter King is a new series based on The Warlord Chonicles books by author Bernard Cornwell. Cornwell is the same guy who wrote the Saxon Stories books, which Netflix adapted as The Last Kingdom. Cornwell is one of the best historical fiction authors working today, and obviously has an interest in tales of medieval England.

The Last Kingdom is led by Uhtred of Bebbanburg (Alexander Dreymon), a warlord who gets involved in several important moments in the history of England. Meanwhile, The Winter King revolves around Arthur, or as he's more commonly known to myth, King Arthur.

Both of these guys are medieval warriors, but Cornwell is mindful of their differences. "[Arthur] has greater responsibility than Uhtred," he said on The Winter King official podcast. "One of the things that I tried to stress in the books is that there never was a 'King Arthur'. I mean, nothing in the records suggests he was ever a king...He was called a warlord, the leader of battles. And that's what Arthur is in the books and in the series. He's a warrior. But he's a very thoughtful warrior and a very responsible warrior."

"And he has responsibilities that Uhtred doesn't have. Uhtred's loyalties are towards Bebbanburg and his own people. He doesn't have to make decisions that affect the fate of the whole nation; Arthur does...So Arthur is a more thoughtful person. But he's just as effective a war leader because I'm quite sure that's what Arthur was – a leader of battles."

In The Winter King, Arthur is played by actor Iain De Caestecker. Cornwell hasn't med De Caestecker but thinks he works "perfectly" in the lead role.

Obviously, The Winter King teams with Burger King for a commercial

The Winter King recently became available to stream on ITVX, and the studio is trying to get the word out. And what do you do if you want to sell a show about a king? You partner with Burger King. It just makes sense. That resulted in one of the oddest commercials I've seen in a while:

If that doesn't make you want to watch The Winter King (and maybe eat a Whopper), I don't know what will.

The Winter King may have just become available on ITVX, but it streamed earlier this year on MGM+. We watch all 10 episodes, and have thoughts aplenty:

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