David Dawson's exit from the show, however, opened the door to better roles for him, with the biggest one being Joseph Merrick in Year Of The Rabbit, which attracted a huge audience. The Death of Alfred was expected, but David Dawson's exit wasn't. The series follows King Alfred (played by David Dawson) and his dream to unite all the kingdoms of England. David is a highly respected theatre actor as well as a small screen star. Other TV highlights include a recurring roles on Peaky Blinders, Banished, The Secret Agent, and Ripper Street. [EXPLAINER]. The Last Kingdom: How many seasons of The Last Kingdom will there be? While Uhtred, portrayed by Alexander Dreymon, is the face of the show, his legacy is impossible if Alfred's vision wasn't there to lead everyone. He has had a varied career on television, including roles in The Road to Coronation Street (2010), series 2 of Luther (2011), Ripper Street (2012–2016), The Secret Agent (2016), as King Alfred in The Last Kingdom (2015–2018) and as Joseph Merrick ("The Elephant Man") in Year of the Rabbit (2019). This Boxing day I had the pleasure of interviewing my cousin David Dawson. "How can anyone forget his 'My England.... my love...' That was heartbreaking. He was known for creating the Danelaw in the North of England - which defined the Danish and Saxon boundaries in England. However arguably his greatest role to date was playing writer Tony Warren in 2010’s BBC Four drama The Road to Coronation Street for which he received critical praise. The exact cause of his death is unknown but he had been suffering from an illness for most of his life, which modern doctors believe could have been Crohn's disease. December 29, 2015 Sarah Oliver One comment. He's become my favourite character now. As the years went by he fell ill and his wife Aelswith (Eliza Butterworth) and children Aethelflaed (Millie Brady) and Edward (Timothy Innes) realised he would not be alive for much longer. RELATED: 11 Male Actors With The Most Emmy Awards, Ranked. He'll never know if his efforts were in vain or not.". The version of King Alfred on The Last Kingdom may only be a loose adaptation – as the show’s main character Uhtred of Beddanburg (played by Alexander Dreymon) is based on the real Uhtred the Bold who was alive in the early 1000s. Eliza Butterworth is only 26, which is why her perfect portrayal of the queen mother and mama bear Lady Aelswith has been hailed by all fans. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. NEXT: The Last Kingdom: 4 Things About Uhtred That Are Accurate (And 6 That Aren't), Billy Oduory is an author and editor with a vast experience in creating interesting entertainment reads. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. The Saxon King started to take more of an interest in Uhtred's Pagan beliefs, and he was keen to find out more about Uhtred's heritage.