''The Executioner'' (; literally "Spare From The Blade") is a

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

till

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

historical fiction television drama produced by

TVB Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong SAR. The Company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Cantonese language service, and TVB ...

. It is set during the

Chenghua Emperor The Chenghua Emperor (; 9 December 1447 – 9 September 1487), personal name Zhu Jianshen, was the ninth Emperor of the Ming dynasty, who reigned from 1464 to 1487. His era name " Chenghua" means "accomplished change". Childhood Zhu Jianshen wa ...

's reign in

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, China, and centers on a political conspiracy. Filming took place from January to April 2015 on location entirely in Hong Kong. It premiered on 7 December 2015, on Hong Kong's broadcast network

TVB Jade TVB Jade (), or simply Jade, is a Hong Kong Cantonese-language free-to-air television channel owned and operated by Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) as its flagship service, alongside its sister network, the English-language TVB Pearl. Bro ...

and Malaysia's cable television channel,

Astro On Demand Astro On Demand (Simplified as Astro AOD) is a Cantonese-language drama TV channel service co-established by TVB and Astro. It features the latest TVB drama series and broadcasts the same time as the origin channel. The channel was officiall ...

. It ran for 26 episodes, with the last episode airing on 10 January 2016. ''The Executioner'' received positive reviews during its broadcast.

Background

The drama is a fictional telling of the events that occurred during

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

reign. In actuality, the Chenghua Emperor had taken his nanny who was a mother figure to him as a consort.

Consort Wan Consort Wan may refer to: Imperial consorts with the surname Wan *Wan Zhen'er (1428–1487), concubine of the Chenghua Emperor * Consort Chen (Yingzong) (1431–1467), concubine of Emperor Yingzong of Ming Imperial consorts with the title Consort ...

as she became known was twice the age of the Emperor, he was eighteen and she was thirty-five at the time she became his consort, but she became his favorite consort and gave birth to a son who died soon after. However Consort Wan was also an unscrupulous person who along with high ranking eunuchs would sell government titles to anyone willing to pay a high price. In terms those who bought these titles illegally would abuse their titles by raising taxes to unreasonable amounts in their county's or deal in illegal activities without getting punishment. The Emperor who did not want to offend Consort Wan would turn a blind eye on these issues. Unable to bear the Emperor a child, fearing others will be favored by the Emperor and also to continue her hold on the Emperor, Consort Wan would command her servants and eunuchs to force abortion on any consorts that became pregnant with the Emperor's child. If any consort did get the chance to carry the Emperor's child to birth both mother and child would soon be murdered. After finding out a concubine named Ji is pregnant, Empress Wu protects her and the unborn child by entrusting them in the care of the gate keeper, but Consort Wan's finds out and seeks to murder the gate keeper, Concubine Ji and her child. The child survives and is reunited with Emperor Chenghua at age five. The child later grows up to be the future

Hongzhi Emperor The Hongzhi Emperor () (30 July 1470 – 9 June 1505) was the tenth Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1487 to 1505. Born Zhu Youcheng, he was the eldest surviving son of the Chenghua Emperor and his reign as emperor of China is called t ...

Synopsis

One takes away life; the other welcomes life. Midwife Fa Yui-hung and executioner Yip Sheung-luk come together when they must protect a new life who is wanted dead by the Imperial government. During

reign, Fa Yui-hung is the most renowned midwife in the capital. Her services are highly sought after by the rich and poor. She is a compassionate person that won't do harm to others even if she is paid a high price. One night a mysterious man Yip Sheung-luk shows up at her door step claiming to be the savior of her father-in-law who is away on a journey. As her father-in-law's savior, Sheung-luk claims he was welcomed to stay at the Bak household. After finding items in her home missing Yui-hung trails Sheung-luk around town, only to find that he is hiding a heavily pregnant woman who he is tasked to protect. Yui-hung agrees to help the pregnant woman, but Sheung-luk refuses to tell her the identity or background of the pregnant woman. After saving the life of the local warden from an escaped fugitive, Sheung-luk is offered the position as the towns executioner. As he sees it as a profession everyone in town sees him as a murderer including Yui-hung who mocks him whenever she gets a chance. No one wants to be associated with him and in order to receive company he goes to the local brothel just to pay for any courtesan willing to keep him company while he has dinner. Walking through the woods one night Sheung-luk and Yui-hung finds a ditch with a pregnant woman left for dead. After the woman dies Yui-hung immediately instructs Sheung-luk to save the baby inside the dead woman. After the baby boy is born Yui-hung wants to bring the baby to the authorities but Sheung-luk knows the dead woman was not a regular person by looking at her accessories and clothing. In order to protect him and his savior's daughter-in-law, he advises Yui-hung not to go to the authorities yet. The new born baby boy soon gets them both in trouble when they become the most wanted criminals in the kingdom. The two go through many dangers to keep themselves alive and protect the baby boy with a mysterious connection to the Chenghua Emperor.

Cast

Bak family/household

Maggie Shiu Maggie Shiu (born February 27, 1965) is a prominent Hong Kong actress. Career Her career began in 1985 when she joined Hong Kong TVB. As her career developed, she took on variety of roles in TV series and movies. Hong Kong audiences still remember ...

as Fa Yui-hung 花蕊紅 *

Bowie Wu Bowie Woo Fung (born 18 January 1932) is a Hong Kong veteran actor and director with family roots in Guangdong, China. A matinée idol in the 1950s and 1960s, he began his acting career in long form Cantonese films 1953, becoming an overnight succ ...

as Bak Chin-chung 白千松 *

Law Lok-lam Law Lok-lam (, born 20 October 1948) is a veteran Hong Kong character actor currently under Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) management. A versatile actor who has acted in many Hong Kong television dramas since the 1970s. He has been in so man ...

as Fa Choi-san 花在山 *

Hebe Chan Hebe may refer to: Mythology * Hebe (mythology), the goddess of youth in Greek mythology Arts and entertainment * Hebe (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics character * Cousin Hebe, a character in Gilbert and Sullivan's ''H.M.S. Pinafore'' * '' Hebe: ...

as Chiu Sui-ying 趙小櫻 *Max Choi as Lok Yeung 洛陽

Imperial prison department

Kenny Wong Wong Tak-bun (born 30 April 1963), known internationally as Kenny Wong, is a Hong Kong actor. Filmography References External linksKenny Wongat HKMDB The Hong Kong Movie Database (HKMDB) is a bilingual (English and Chinese) website sta ...

as Yip Sheung-luk 葉常綠 * Glen Lee as Mak Sau-ching 墨守成 * Louis Szeto as Yan 仁 *Mark Ma as Yee 義 *

Kelvin Yuen The kelvin, symbol K, is the primary unit of temperature in the International System of Units (SI), used alongside its prefixed forms and the degree Celsius. It is named after the Belfast-born and University of Glasgow-based engineer and phys ...

as Lai 禮 * Man Yeung as Chi 智

Yin Hung Garden brothel

Mat Yeung Mat Yeung Ming (born 27 February 1981) is a Hong Kong television actor known for his roles as Lui Ting in ''Screen Play'' (2000), as Wan Po-yu in ''The 'W' Files'' (2003), as Tin Hoi in ''Be Home for Dinner'' (2011), and as Senior Inspector Jasp ...

as Chek Tsz-chau 赤知秋 *

Katy Kung Katy Kung (born 5 December 1989) is a Hong Kong actress under the contract of TVB. Career Katy Kung's career began at the age of 16, when she became a model for a magazine introduced to her by a friend. She later worked as a television present ...

as Chuk Siu-moon 祝小滿 * Leo Tsang as Yue Gwai 饒歸 * Samantha Chuk as Leung Bo 梁保 *

Rachel Kan Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aunt ...

as Chek Ching-ha 赤映霞 *

Roxanne Tong Roxanne Tong Lok Man () is a Hong Kong actress and former beauty pageant contestant contracted to TVB. Background Roxanne Tong was born in Hong Kong, the older of two children. Her father, Tong Chun Chung, was an actor. She is the niece of Hon ...

as San Yut 新月 * Matthew Chu as Ah Gau 阿九 * Kayley Chung as Yin-yin 燕燕 * Siu Koi-yan as Ang-ang 鶯鶯 * Nicole Wan as May Leung 媚娘 * Helen Seng as Siu Kam 小琴

Imperial Court

* Stanley Cheung as

明宪宗朱見深 *

Jess Sum Jess Sum Cheuk-ying (traditional Chinese: 沈卓盈) (born 5 April 1984) is a Hong Kong actress previously under TVB. Personal life Sum became good friends with co-actresses Grace Chan, Katy Kung and Zoie Tam when filming the drama '' The For ...

Empress Wu The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

吳皇后 *

Akina Hong Akina may refer to: * Akina, a character in the 3D-CG Hong Kong donghua TV series ''Zentrix'' * Mount Akina, name for Mount Haruna in the ''Initial D'' series of manga and anime * Akina, New Zealand, suburb of Hastings City, in the Hawke's Bay Regi ...

萬貞兒 *

Hugo Ng Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on a ...

as Lee Chi-sing 李孜省 *

Jimmy Au Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * Jimmy (2008 film), ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * Jimmy (1979 film), ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melat ...

as Tai Wai-yan 戴懷恩 * Joel Chan as Sima Chau 司馬丑 * Chan Wing-chun as Cheung Ping 章平 *

Eddie Li Eddie Li Yu-yeung () is a Hong Kong model and actor. He made his first appearance in Hearts Of Fencing on TVB in 2003, in which he played a rich kid who thought he was all that because he had so much money, a character that resembles (or probabl ...

as Pang Gwai 彭貴 *Cheung Chun-ping as Chow Tai 周泰 * Judy Tsang as Kei Siu-guan 紀小娟 *Rocky Cheng as Kam On 金安 *Alex Lam as Siu Tak-chi 小德子 *

Lucy Li Lucy Li (born October 1, 2002) is an American professional golfer. She currently holds records as the youngest qualifier for the U.S. Women's Amateur and the U.S. Women's Open. She is the second-youngest qualifier for the U.S. Women's Amateu ...

as Yuk Cham 玉簪 * Deborah Poon as Ling Yung 凌容

Extended cast

Elaine Yiu Elaine Yiu (born 21 November, 1980 in British Hong Kong) is a Hong Kong actress and television host contracted to TVB. Career Elaine Yiu entered the entertainment industry after winning the TVB8 Presentator Contest in 2002, subsequently signing ...

as Yuen So-sam 阮素心 *Mak Ka-lun as Wing Siu-ho 榮兆豪 * Kitty Lau as Kau Cho 裘棗 *Kelvin Lee as Lau Seung-hei 劉雙囍 *Kedar Wong as Wo Him 和謙 *

Lee Yee-man Lee Yee-man ( born October 18, 1984 in Hong Kong) is a Hong Kong actress and host. She won the 2001 ATV actress competition, and began her acting career at ATV. Later, in 2007 she began acting for TVB. ATV Series TVB Series Film * ''Shock W ...

as Sik Cheung-yee 翟霜兒 *

Yeung Chiu-hoi Yang (; ) is the transcription of a Chinese family name. It is the sixth most common surname in Mainland China. It is the 16th surname on the ''Hundred Family Surnames'' text. The Yang clan was founded by Boqiao, son of Duke Wu of Jin in the Sp ...

as Cheung Hon-lam 張翰林 * Mok Wai-man as Senior Sik 翟老爺 * Gary Tam as Choi Chin-wan 蔡展雲 * Jones Lee as Yen Tai-bak 殷泰伯 *

Derek Wong Derek Wong (born Wong Zi Liang, traditional Chinese: 黃梓良, 13 January 1989) is a retired Singaporean badminton player. Wong is a two-time Olympian, who took part at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics, where he was flag bearer in the latter' ...

as Mysterious person 神秘人 * Wang Wai-tak as Ling Kim-fung 凌劍鋒 *

Snow Suen Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

as Liu Ching-ching 呂青青

Development

*The costume fitting ceremony was held on January 7, 2015 at 12:30 pm Tseung Kwan O TVB City Studio One Common Room. *The blessing ceremony was held on March 5, 2015 at 2:00 pm Tseung Kwan O TVB City Studio Thirteen. *Filming took place from January to April 2015 at TVB Ancient City

backlot A backlot is an area behind or adjoining a movie studio containing permanent exterior buildings for outdoor scenes in filmmaking or television productions, or space for temporary set construction. Uses Some movie studios build a wide variety of ...

and on location around Hong Kong.

Viewership ratings

International broadcast

Awards and nominations

References

External links

The Executioner TVB Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Executioner TVB dramas Hong Kong television series 2015 Hong Kong television series debuts 2016 Hong Kong television series endings 2010s Hong Kong television series