Starting earlier than ever before, Wars of the Roses LIVE! has once again returned to Warwick Castle.

On its longest run to date, the immersive summer show will run daily right up until September 3, meaning locals have plenty of opportunity to make sure they don't miss out.

We were invited down to see the show over the bank holiday weekend, joining a packed audience at the purpose-built jousting arena.

And we were not disappointed!

With guests literally queuing on the other side of the river to make sure they did not miss out, the show really begins ahead of the scheduled time as the actors walk amongst the crowd leading cries of 'House of York' and 'House of Lancaster'.

This continued as the arena filled, to build the excitement ahead of the show.

Then the performance got underway, condensing around 30 years of English history into around half an hour.

It occurred to me, as the actors got into full swing, that most people probably wouldn't have much knowledge of the 15th century. But the way the show gave a clear and concise history of the War of the Roses, including interesting details of the battles of Towton and Bosworth, as well as a very clear background to the houses of York and Lancaster.

The show was packed with jousting, sword fights and stunts (image via White Tiger PR)

To help the youngsters keep on track with the story, large rotating boards with the emblems of the two houses were displayed on each side, and were changed by the actors to reflect who was on top as the story developed.

And to keep things local, the story centred around the Earl of Warwick, Richard Neville - known as the 'Kingmaker' for his role in the War of the Roses.

But for those less worried about the history, and more interested in the action, there was definitely plenty of that!

Including sword fights, jousting and hand-to-hand combat, the show was full of excitement and truly engaged the whole audience - both young and old.

As the show reached its climax - with Richard III being replaced on the throne by Henry VII - the performance ended with a spectacular display of stunts from the riders, complete with pyrotechnics which wowed the crowd.

Stunts included the riders hanging off the side of their horses, and even flipping themselves over to face the other way while the horse galloped at speed around the arena.

The actors engaged the crowds throughout the show (image via White Tiger PR)

Throughout the show, the actors were also excellent at involving the crowd, dividing the two sides between the two warring houses, and encouraging youngsters and adults to cheers and boo where appropriate.

It really made the show a fully immersive experience.

I also thought the staging had been carefully considered. With the arena being long and thin to make space for the jousting, the action was rarely static, with the actors moving almost constantly to make sure those with a restricted view did not miss out.

And best of all the War of the Roses LIVE! show is also included in the price of a ticket, meaning guests can head to the riverbank to see the jousting having already seen the newly-refurbished trebuchet in action, the birds of prey show and explored the ramparts and the great hall.

So I would recommend getting to the castle early to make sure you can fit everything in during your visit!

Wars of the Roses LIVE! runs from 27 May to 3 September, 2023.

Day tickets from £24 (when booked in advanced).