If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Costing £17 million and boasting Oscar winner William Hurt amongst the cast, ITV had high hopes for the 12 part drama Beowulf: Return To The Shieldlands.Beowulf is inspired by the 3182 line tale of a Norse hero keeping the world safe from monsters. It is the oldest known poem in Old English and has inspired tales like the Lord of the Rings.In the opening episode We meet Beowulf (Kieran Bews) as a child who sees his father getting killed and is taken into the care of respected chieftain Hrothgar (William Hurt). Hrothgar sees greatness in young Beowulf, which upsets his son, Slean and his wife Rheda (Joanne Whalley.)Beowulf battles the fearsome monster Grendl and wins the respect of the community. By the end of the series there are more connections with the Old English poem and the series tries to click into gear and events fall into place but it is too little and too late. The audience deserted the series in droves.The series was aimed at a family audience and boasted good CGI but the story was uninvolving, Hurt was underused and comparisons were made with Game of Thrones. However in the UK, GoT although getting plenty of media attention has lower viewing figures than Beowulf as it is shown on a premium subscription channel and even with illegal downloads more people talk about it than actually watch it.What really did the series damage was that it was not very good and we saw a few months earlier, The Last Kingdom which dealt with themes of royalty and loyalty in Saxon times and it was better.

Not the sort of thing I usually watch but I was lured by the attraction of North East scenery. I wasn't particularly enamoured by the first couple of episodes but it has improved and I have found myself looking forward to the light entertainment it provides on a Sunday evening. It is billed as a fantasy tale so who cares if it is true to the original 10th century poem? That was fantasy too! Personally, I think the ratings would be higher if it was broadcast on a more appropriate day, possibly a midweek evening when more youngsters would be likely to view. Programme schedulers did not do it any favours when they pitched it up against the national institution that is Countryfile and although there was quite a lot of hype before the first episode was broadcast, there has been very little advertising since. This should have been a great showcase for the North East region and I feel disappointed for the hard working cast and crew who worked on this production.

After doing what most people should of done and given it a chance to let the story and characters get moving, I have become more than pleasantly surprised by the amazing story, excitement and characters. I suggest ignoring the bulk of the other comments and try watching all the episodes over a couple of nights , or if your brave or bored then in on day. You will be surprised by how good the series is becoming.-------------/\--------------------------/\---------------- Don't be shy, give Beowulf a try !!! Kieran Bew is actually an amazing actor, he is playing a man damaged by wars over the years and experience and portrays this well. I would compare his actions likened to someone with massive depression.

At last we have a fantasy series that all the family can enjoy. Beowulf gets unfairly compared to Game of Thrones which it was never meant to be. Aiming it at family viewing has obviously resulted in restrictions on the degree of violence that can be shown and a total absence of nudity and swearing. The upside is my children and all there friends are able at last to watch and enjoy a swords and monsters series, after years of denying them access to GOT and its likes. I particularly like that the characters do not recklessly dive into action without a second thought (an all too common fault of this genre). There is a momentary pause as they try to comprehend the situation and how best to tackle it. To me this is a truer to real life than the Gung Ho hero who shows no appreciation of the consequences of his recklessness.The production values are top notch with the village of Herot physically built in the Dales of North-east England, making full use of a landscape little changed in 2000 years. Interiors look good too as do the costumes. The choice to set it Ii. The mythical Shieldlands allowed free reign with the costumes and the mix of races amongst the many tribes. The stories so far have been a good balance of intrigue, action and character development. Having just viewed episode 5 the factions vying for power continues to increase and events seen to be overtaking everyone's ambitions; there's a sense that everyone except the Queen, is on the back foot and reacting to events rather than seeing there plans come to fruition. The trailer for Episode 6 introduces another tribe to the fray and further shifting of alliances.To all those who still moan about Beowulf being GOT lite:It's easy to forget how slow the first season of GOT was. Mostly talking heads with swear words thrown in for shock value and nudity when the the viewer was in danger of falling asleep from all the exposition. Kill off a main character at the end of the season and you're done. Repeat each year with the odd set piece battle.I really enjoy GOT, but no way are my kids going to watch it; I have no qualms about them watching Beowulf.