| Image Alt: | Series title over an image of silhouettes of two horse riders riding across a western landscape |
| Genre: | |
| Director: | Hugo Blick |
| Music: | Federico Jusid |
| Language: | English |
| Num Episodes: | 6 |
| Producer: | Colin Wratten |
The English is a revisionist Western television miniseries written and directed by Hugo Blick, and produced by the BBC and Amazon Prime. Starring Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer, it follows an Englishwoman who travels to the American West in 1890 to seek revenge on the man she blames for the death of her son. It premiered in the United Kingdom on BBC Two and iPlayer on 10 November 2022, and in the United States on Amazon Prime Video on 11 November 2022.[1] The series received positive reviews from critics, particularly for Blunt and Spencer's performances.
Englishwoman Lady Cornelia Locke comes to the West in 1890 looking for revenge on the man she sees as responsible for the death of her son. She meets Eli Whipp, ex-cavalry scout and member of the Pawnee Nation by birth. Eli is on his way to Nebraska to claim the land he is owed for his service in the US army, despite having been told that the white men will not honour their debt. Cornelia and Eli discover a possible shared history.[2]
In February 2020, Emily Blunt joined the cast of the series, with Hugo Blick writing and directing, and Amazon Studios and BBC Studios set to co-produce.[3] In May 2021, Chaske Spencer, Rafe Spall, Toby Jones, Tom Hughes, Stephen Rea, Valerie Pachner, Ciarán Hinds, Malcolm Storry, Steve Wall, Nichola McAuliffe, Sule Rimi and Cristian Solimeno joined the cast.[4] [5]
Principal photography began in Spain in May 2021 and ended in September 2021.[6]
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an 82% approval rating and an average rating of 7.7/10, based on 56 reviews. The website's consensus reads: "A visual knockout elevated by Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer's performances, The English is a heady and somewhat meandering Western made with admirable craft."[7] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8] The Guardian gave it five out of five, stating: "although you might lose track of the details, the plot never becomes impenetrable or the performances less than compelling" citing Spencer and Blunt's performances as "a revelation".[9]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series | Emily Blunt | [10] | ||
| British Academy Television Awards | Best Actor | Chaske Spencer | [11] [12] | ||
| British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Director: Fiction | Hugo Blick | |||
| Best Costume Design | Phoebe De Gaye | ||||
| Best Original Music: Fiction | Federico Jusid | ||||
| Best Production Design | Chris Roope | ||||
| Irish Film & Television Awards | Actor – Television Drama | Stephen Rea | [13] | ||
| Royal Television Society Programme Awards | Leading Actor: Male | Chaske Spencer | [14] | ||