Overview
- The five-episode adaptation of Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, created by Joe Barton and starring Will Sharpe and Paul Bettany, premiered on Sky Atlantic and NOW on 21 December.
- Sharpe and Bettany say a pivotal late‑episode scene was approached without a set plan, relying on trust and experimentation under episode director Alice Seabright.
- Reviews are split, with outlets such as The Times praising the performances and layered staging, while critics including the Daily Mail and others fault the tone and adaptation choices.
- Multiple reviewers note a deliberately coarse, raunchy sensibility, citing heavy swearing and scatological humor alongside lavish production values.
- The series broadens the original play and film, devoting more time to the Mozart–Salieri rivalry and exploring Mozart’s domestic life with Constanze.