‘The Last Kingdom’ Oral History: Alexander Dreymon, Mark Rowley and More Break Down How the Epic Netflix Series Became a Sleeper Hit

The Last Kingdom is ready for its last run.

With the debut of the feature-length film Seven Kings Must Die on Netflix on April 14, the epic series is wrapping up, with the fifth and final season having aired on Netflix in March 2022.

The film serves as a fitting send off to the series, which is based on the Bernard Cornwell novel series The Saxon Stories. Like the books, the show follows the fictional character Uhtred (played by Alexander Dreymon), a Saxon who was captured and raised by Danish invaders in England in the ninth century A.D. Uhtred is raised to live the life of a viking, but destiny puts him in the employ of the House of Wessex and King Alfred, who seeks to unite the disparate kingdoms into one country called England.

With a basis in real history and top-notch stunts, acting and writing, the show has quietly grown into one of the most popular titles in the streaming space despite virtually no promotion or fanfare. When Nielsen revealed its list of the most popular streaming titles of 2022, The Last Kingdom came in at No. 14, ahead of Amazons The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and ranking not far below hits like The Crown, The Umbrella Academy and Stranger Things.

Yet The Last Kingdom has reportedly shot its entire run on a tight budget and schedule, especially when compared to shows like Rings of Power or Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon. It also changed platforms midway through its run. The show originated on BBC Two and BBC America before Netflix came on to produce and solely distribute the series beginning with its third season.

How, then, did this show come out of nowhere and become the definition of a sleeper hit? Below, Variety speaks with cast members and producers about how the show came to be and how it will conclude.

Nigel Marchant (series showrunner and executive producer via Carnival Films): It was during the success of Downton Abbey. There were tremendous changes in television in terms of the scale and what could be achieved with CGI and visual effects. The question was put to the development team, Whats a book you read and loved that we couldnt have made five or 10 years ago that we could look at now? Then the team brought The Last Kingdom and Bernards world to us. What really grabbed our attention was the duality of the character Saxon and Dane and that personal journey. Also this period in history had never particularly been explored on the small screen.

One of the biggest challenges for the show would be to find an actor who could convincingly embody the character of Uhtred. But the production team knew they had struck gold when they found Alexander Dreymon.

Marchant: Alex was born in Germany and then spent time over in America. He had this kind of international duality himself. And what he really had was a presence, a leading man quality that we thought the genre needed and deserved. Our casting director and Nick Murphy the director of that first block of episodes fell in love with him immediately.

Alexander Dreymon (Uhtred and series co-producer): It was just toward the beginning of sending self-tapes, so it would have been April of 2014 I sent in a tape. Then I got hired in September or October. It took a long time. It was produced by Carnival, which is part of NBCUniversal, for BBC Two and BBC America at the time. So all the heads had to agree that this was the guy who was going to do itIt came linked with the books and so I just got into the books and it gave me a very clear idea of what it was going to be.

The series also managed to put together an impressive cast going into its first season, including David Dawson as King Alfred, Emily Cox as Brida, Harry McEntire as Aethelwold, Ian Hart as Father Beocca and Eliza Butterworth as Aelswith.

Dreymon: The casting department excelledAlex Irwin and Kelly Valentine Hendry, they really deserve a shout outThe greatest thing is, what they did is not only did they cast actors who are great for the part, but they also cast actors who are great for the family, you know, for the on-set atmosphere. In my opinion, that is a character in and of itself, that makes the show what it is. It would never have been what it is if we didnt have the relationship we have together.

Marchant: I look back on just how delicious that cast was. Kelly Valentine Hendry did the entire series with her colleagues. Dave Dawson was just brilliant, as were Emily and Eliza and Ian, all of them. She just put this gorgeous cast together. And the other big decision we had was again, this was with the BBCs support, but we really felt it was important to have our Danes be Scandinavian actors and that was lovely. We found all of this talent over there that was so rich and so brilliant.

Work on the show began in late 2014 in Hungary, with the show using Budapest as its base of operations throughout its run.

Dreymon: Starting the show was just so exciting. Everything was new. I had been doing horseback riding when I was a kid when I was living in South Dakota. So I was so excited about getting back on a horse and having that be part of my job. What a luxury There was just so much prep work to do. That first season, thats really all I did. I just worked. Toward the end of it, I remember between takes just taking my fur off and lying on it wherever I was standing, just lying down and taking a power nap for however many seconds I had before the next take. I was so tired, so exhausted.

Marchant: Weve had other shows in this same genre, and youre trying to compete with them without, necessarily, the budget. So how can you be creative to get the best production value on screen so that you can compete with those shows? We very much did want to not be compared to Game of Thrones. We were looking at real history with a couple of fictitious characters, but it was historical, it wasnt fantasy. Nick Murphy as director, Chrissy Skinns our producer, and Gareth [Neame] and I, we brought that team on very early to really sit down and work out, what are we building? Whats our base?

With the second season, Uhtred began to form what fans took to calling Team Uhtred. Mark Rowley and Arnas Fedaraviius both joined the series in roles that would take them through Season 5 and into Seven Kings Must Die.

Mark Rowley (Finan): I became aware of the show when I was auditioning for the show. I ended up doing a bit of research and then very quickly become a fan. The thing that really stuck out to me when I first watched it was not actually the visuals, its the sound. You know, its very iconic. Im not going to try and replicate how [Eivr] sings the opening theme [laughs].

Arnas Fedaraviius (Sihtric): Actually, I was aware of it like a little over a year before I joined. I noticed it in my peripheral. I was scrolling through some platforms looking for something to watch and I noticed it but I never engaged in itWhen I got the job, I remember watching the very last episode when there was that huge battle and Alex was doing all those crazy stunts and jumping over shields. It was a very dramatic journey. When it all ended, I kind of got emotional realizing how big of a thing this is.

Walking onto any new set can be intimidating, but one thing all who spoke with Variety agreed upon was that Dreymon set the tone for the set and what it meant to be No. 1 on the call sheet.

Rowley: It was fantastic working with Alex, it really was. He is honestly one of the best leads I have ever worked with. He is so open, respectful. Especially on set, he makes sure every everyone is heard. And thats across the board, even from the driver, or the people working in the kitchens. Its really inspiring. We talked about it on set, all of the guys, that its been such a learning curve learning from him how to be a leading actor in a TV show. Alex is a prime example of how to do it properly.

Fedaraviius: I was very stressed because I hadnt been on a show before. I hadnt been on something thats like family based and running for a longer time. So it was a very new experience and I was very nervous. But then I met Alex and hes the nicest person youve ever met. I dont think Ive met a nicer person. And that kind of set the tone like, Maybe this is going to be okay.

The Last Kingdom has consistently been praised for a number of things, but its stunt work has always been top of the list. The show features epic battles and fight scenes every season that continued to push the envelope.

Dreymon: I loved all the stunt stuff! Our stunt coordinator, Levente Lezsk, is just the best guy. We became friends instantly. This show wouldnt exist without him. He was such a such an integral part of itWorking with those guys was just so cool because theyre all so on top of their game. Like the the two stunt doubles that I had the first one was Bence and the second one was Tams, who stayed with me for a long time then also became our fight master.

They both trained with a guy called Kassai Lajos, who is a Hungarian national treasure because hes revived the ancient art of horseback archery as it had been practiced by the HunsHe lives on this big farm. First time I met him, he was standing in horse training arena, which is huge. And he had spun a wire from one end to the other. He was balancing on one foot on the wire, there was a small target in each corner very far away. And he had two quivers. And while hes balancing on one foot, he takes an arrow, shoots it into one target, then changes hands, takes another arrow from the other quiver, and shoots into the other one and just empties the quivers. Every shot is a bullseye. So that just tells you a little bit about the skill level that these guys had.

The show received positive reviews from critics from the outset, but was by no means a breakout hit in the early going.

Marchant: It was always respected, but it had not quite found its audience at the beginning. I think thats been a gradual process.

Things began to change once Netflix became the sole distributor in Season 3, even to the point of what the show could get away with in terms of its content.

Fedaraviius: The transition was very vivid. We could definitely feel the transition to Netflix because, if you remember, we started Season 3 with, like, burning priests alive [laughs] and a level of violence that prior to moving to Netflix wasnt necessarily availableI think Season 3 was definitely one of my favorite seasons, remembering it for my character as well.

Rowley: I feel like every season is different, even purely by the haircuts [laughs]. Its just so much fun. This is what I always say to people, because people are like Oh, it must must be crazy with all those swords and shields and spears, and Im like, Yeah, its fun, but youve got to remember, we are grown men playing with plastic swords! [laughs] They add in the ting ting after! So its fun and engaging just carrying on with your pals every day. Its brilliant. Yes, there are scenes where you really need to concentrate on it. Theres some scenes that you need to bring your heart and your soul to. But for Season 3, it was just brilliant, especially with the iconic characters that came in. Season 3 to me was my favorite.

Dreymon: My favorite scenes to do were the ones between David and myself at the end of Season 3We always shot two episodes in one block and then we will change directors. And that was the last block. So it was it was very much towards the end and I think it might even have been Davids last scenes on the show ever. Im not 100% sure, but certainly very close to it. So that was an emotional time anyway, but they were great. And yeah, David is just such a gem to work with. Anything you throw at him, you know that hell catch it and throw it right back. Hes so well prepared and so precise.

One thing that did not change? The budgets and tight shooting schedule.

Dreymon: It got worse [laughs]. We had to put out a product that looked like it was bigger, like it had a higher production value. It did, but we didnt get a higher budget. On the contrary. So we all just got better at what we did and working together.

Marchant: Dont get me wrong, Id love that [Rings of Power or House of the Dragon] budget [laughs]. But I like to think thats where creativity comes from. If youve got a budget, and youve got to stick to it, you need that collaboration between all of the departments and certainly the writers and directors, the fight choreography. How do we achieve this? How do we work together? Whats that area thats worth spending our money on?

Rowley: I think it comes down to storyline. If you have a good storyline and strong characters, then people are gonna watch it. You know, it doesnt matter how much money you have, or you want to throw at a project. If its not got a soul and its not got actors and creators behind it who care about it, its gonna be different, isnt it? And I think with The Last Kingdom, all of us who got involved with the show, we put our heart and soul into it.

With the release of Seasons 3 and 4 on Netflix, the shows popularity began to skyrocket, with the show beginning to rank on Netflixs weekly Top 10 list.

Marchant: I think it was probably when season four dropped and we did see this massive spike in popularity. We saw it on the internet and we got a few big name fans along the way, like Ricky Gervais.

Fedaraviius: Around Season 3, just seeing the online following of every actor growing and getting these DMs from people from all over the world, just the kindness of the words, we went, Oh, wait, is this a big thing? And then I remember when Season 4 or 5 came out where we came up to No. 1 or somewhere around that on Netflix, and that just was a complete surprise. I never really think about it that way. Once youre really working on something, you dont necessarily look at it as a some sort of a project thats worthy of appraisal or something. You just forget about those things. Its a huge shock.

But all good things must come to an end. It was announced in 2021 that the series would end with its fifth season.

Marchant: The decision was made between all of collaborators. We felt that five seasons in this day and age is good going for all of us. You cant keep reinventing, and we wanted to go out leaving the audience wanting more. We wanted to finish a proper story that had a beginning, middle, end over five seasons.

Rowley: We all knew as a cast we werent going to be there the following year because people were getting killed off and all that stuff. So we just wanted to make the most of it. So that was really tough. But we bonded so much. And we had a great time regardless. I think thats the main thing Ill miss about The Last Kingdom, going to work and working with my friends everyday. Were all doing different shows and all that now. We still have our WhatsApp groups and chats, but its a bit of a gutter. We just got on so well. We all know that and we know whats real.

Not long after it was announced that the fifth season would the be end of the show, Netflix announced that the film Seven Kings Must Die was in the works.

Dreymon: Bernard Cornwell puts this in a very succinct way that I love. He compares it to Gone With the Wind. In Gone With the Wind, you have the big story, which is the Civil War, and then the little story, which is Scarletts story. And they flip the stories. The little story becomes the big story and they tell Scarletts story with the backdrop of the war. So The Last Kingdom is the same thing. The big story is the creation of England and the little story is Uhtred and his quest for Bebbanburg. Season 5 wraps up Uhtreds story. The movie is really about wrapping up the big story, which is the creation of England.

Rowley: I was told about the movie, I think it was in the last week of filming [on Season 5] when we were filming the final battle. One of the execs called me up. So I was very happy, even though I was getting my ass kicked on set. [laughs]

Very few cast members ended up making the jump from the series to the film, something that made the experience quite a bit different than working on the show. It was so weird doing the film, because the whole cast werent there. And I think that, to me, was a really big indication of how much we all got on and how a great environment it was up until that point. We still had a great time making the movie, but it was just a different kind of energy and vibe. We missed them. We missed Millie [Brady] and Eliza [Butterworth] and their shrieks of laughter.

But much like the show, the movie shot on a short schedule and with a tight budget.

Fedaraviius: At first we thought shooting the movie was going to be like shooting an episode or two, because it was like two months. It just seemed like not necessarily as much work to do. But then we ended up doing six-day weeks and it felt pretty, pretty tight. At the end, we managed to pull through and again we have a great team. We have a great leader in Alex. His work ethic is one of the most impeccable ones, alongside Mark. So I think that type of energy trickles down. So however tight the schedules become, everybody feels like they want to do the work because of the leadership being so cool.

Now, with the show and the movie behind them, the cast members have started to reflect on the legacy of the show.

Fedaraviius: I always really appreciated that this show explores vulnerability. I think its one of the shows that shows men and women experiencing very difficult times in life but not pretending to push through with clenched teeth and white knuckles. I think thats a beautiful message, that being vulnerable is okay and sometimes thats way manlier, as Uhtreds character shows.

And for fans who are worried that the cast have all gone their separate ways, fear not.

Rowley: We started a new thing where every year we meet up. We meet up as a cast or collective and we go on adventure. So we did Scotland last year. I think Arnas and Big Magnus [Samuelsson] are setting up next to go to potentially Sweden, or were gonna go to Lithuania. So well keep it going. We just wont take swords with us, obviously, for customs. [laughs]