Pilot · The Gunpowder Plot

The Letter in the Cellar.

London, November 1605. Thirty-six barrels sit under the House of Lords, and a man calling himself John Johnson guards them. A few streets away, an unsigned letter lands on a lord’s table. Paper beats barrels.

First look: The Letter in the Cellar
Episode: CC-101 · Pilot
Runtime: ~5 min
Place: Westminster
Date: 4–5 Nov 1605
Status: In production

Key art for the pilot: Lord Monteagle reads the warning letter, Catesby plans over a map, Fawkes waits in the vault, Knyvett searches by lantern, Cecil reads a report, and two pawns keep watch.

The night, from both sides

Crown and Check, 1605.

A secret plan and a warning letter bring two sides of the story together. Follow the clues that connect the people above ground with the man waiting in the cellar.

Crown

The council and the net.

A warning reaches a lord’s table. A council studies the message, and a search officer follows the clues below ground. The people around King James I must decide what the letter means.

Check

The organiser and the cellar-man.

Robert Catesby builds the plan. Guy Fawkes, using the name John Johnson, keeps watch over the barrels. Their whole plan depends on nobody talking. Somebody does.

Meet the pilot’s characters

Same company. New costumes.

Familiar faces take on new roles in this adventure. Meet the messengers, planners and watchful characters at the heart of the tale.

Bishop as

Lord Monteagle

The warning arrives. He takes the letter straight to the council.

Knight as

Robert Catesby

The organiser. It is his plan, his circle and his gamble.

Knight as

Guy Fawkes

Waiting in the cellar under a false name, unaware that a warning letter has reached the world above.

Rook as

Sir Thomas Knyvett

The search officer who goes down the stairs at midnight.

Bishop as

Robert Cecil

The net. He knows more than he says and waits for the right moment.

Two Pawns: a clerk carrying papers and a helmeted garrison guard with a lantern and pike.

Pawns as

Clerk & Garrison

One carries the words and the other keeps watch. The kingdom runs on them.

A closer look

Get to know the characters.

Look at the cast from different angles and spot their changing expressions. A raised eyebrow, a watchful glance or a hurried step can tell a story of its own.

The pilot characters seen from the front, side and back. — The cast from every angle

The pilot characters showing different expressions. — Faces full of clues

Beyond the episode

One night, everywhere.

We’re developing more ways to explore this first adventure, including a comic and coloring pages. Collections and puzzles are planned too; none of these products is available to buy yet.

Comic Issue 01: the same night, told panel by panel.
Coloring: pages drawn from the issue’s frames.
Clothing: character designs inspired by the pilot.
Pins: the letter and the lantern.
Puzzles: story scenes to piece together.

Premiere list

Be there when the letter arrives.

We’ll email you when the pilot premieres and Issue 01 goes to print. Email updates are for ages 13+. Parents can sign up for younger readers.