The Frankenstein Chronicles

Last updated

The Frankenstein Chronicles
The Frankenstein Chronicles titlecards.jpg
Genre Period crime
Created by Benjamin Ross
Barry Langford
Starring
Theme music composerHarry Escott
Roger Goula Sarda
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes12 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersTracey Scoffield
David Tanner
ProducersCarol Moorhead
Lawrence Till
CinematographyIan Moss
EditorJesse Parker
Running time60 minutes (w/advertisements)
Production companyRainmark Films
Original release
Network ITV Encore
Release11 November 2015 (2015-11-11) 
6 December 2017 (2017-12-06)

The Frankenstein Chronicles is a British television period crime drama series that first aired on ITV Encore on 11 November 2015, [1] designed as a re-imagining of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus . Lead actor Sean Bean also acted as an associate producer on the first series. It follows Inspector John Marlott (Bean), a river police officer who uncovers a corpse made up of body parts from eight missing children and sets about to determine who is responsible.

Contents

The series co-stars Richie Campbell as Joseph Nightingale, Robbie Gee as Billy Oates, Tom Ward as Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel, Ed Stoppard as Lord Daniel Hervey, Vanessa Kirby as Lady Jemima (Lord Hervey's sister), and Anna Maxwell Martin as author Mary Shelley. Other historical characters portrayed include William Blake (first series), Ada Lovelace (second series) and Charles Dickens under his pseudonym of ‘Boz’. The first series consists of six episodes which opened to critical acclaim [2] and drew an average 250,000 viewers per episode.

A&E subsequently acquired the series for broadcast in the United States, describing it as "thrilling and terrifying". [3] On 20 June 2016, ITV announced that it had renewed it for a second six-part series, with production set for January 2017. [4] Filming commenced in March 2017, with Laurence Fox and Maeve Dermody joining the cast. The writing team for the second series consisted of Michael Robert Johnson, Paul Tomalin, Noel Farragher, Colin Carberry, and Glenn Patterson, with all six episodes directed by Alex Gabassi. [5] In December 2017, it was announced that Netflix had struck a deal to carry the programme in the United States and other territories. The series was removed from Netflix in February 2022. [6] [7]

Cast

Production

The Frankenstein Chronicles was filmed in Northern Ireland in 2015. [8] [9] [10]

Episodes

Series 1 (2015)

EpisodeTitleDirected byWritten byOriginal airdateViewers
(millions) [11]
1"A World Without God"Benjamin RossBenjamin Ross & Barry Langford11 November 2015 (2015-11-11)0.358
During an operation to catch a gang of opium smugglers, detective John Marlott (Sean Bean) uncovers a body on the bank of the river Thames. Upon examination, the corpse is revealed to be an amalgamation of body parts from up to eight children. Home Secretary Robert Peel (Tom Ward) orders Marlott to quietly investigate the matter. Marlott enlists the help of a vagrant boy who claims to have been told of a "monster" snatching children from the Smithfield market area in the dead of night. Marlott suspects that some of the body parts may belong to local butcher's daughter Alice Evans, who mysteriously disappeared just over a week ago. With the help of Constable Nightingale (Richie Campbell), Marlott identifies a public house where he suspects that some of the children may have been held.
2"Seeing Things"Benjamin RossBenjamin Ross & Barry Langford18 November 2015 (2015-11-18)0.278
After his discovery on the banks of the Thames, Inspector Marlott visits the house of artist and printmaker William Blake, who is on his deathbed.
3"All the Lost Children"Benjamin RossBenjamin Ross & Barry Langford25 November 2015 (2015-11-25)0.247
Having escaped the clutches of Billy Oates, Flora throws herself on Marlott's mercy. As the investigation continues, Marlott travels to Kentish Town to interrogate Mary Shelley.
4"The Fortunes of War"Benjamin RossBenjamin Ross & Mike Walden2 December 2015 (2015-12-02)0.269
Marlott and Pritty seek the help of a local vagrant as they attempt to identify the murderous gang working in the tunnels beneath Smithfield market.
5"The Frankenstein Murders"Benjamin RossBenjamin Ross & Stacey Gregg9 December 2015 (2015-12-09)0.215
Boz publishes his newspaper article, The Frankenstein Murders, which causes a public outcry and infuriates Peel on the eve of the Anatomy Act.
6"Lost and Found"Benjamin RossBenjamin Ross & Barry Langford16 December 2015 (2015-12-16)0.213
Convinced of Daniel Hervey's guilt, Marlott sets about searching the grounds of the hospital, where he finds Alice, who has been held captive by Hervey's faithful servant, Lloris (Brian Milligan). Although Alice manages to escape, Marlott is captured by Hervey, and when he awakens some hours later, he finds himself covered in blood, with Flora's lifeless body lying on his kitchen table. Despite protesting his innocence, Marlott learns that he is to be sent to the gallows, only to be brought back to life by Hervey through his experimental methods.

Series 2 (2017)

EpisodeTitleDirected byWritten byOriginal airdateViewers
(millions)
1 (7) "Prodigal Son"Alex GabassiMichael Robert Johnson1 November 2017 (2017-11-01) [12] N/A
John Marlott escapes from Bethlem Hospital looking to seek revenge on Lord Daniel Hervey. This does not go to plan.
2 (8) "Not John Marlott"Alex GabassiPaul Tomalin8 November 2017 (2017-11-08) [13] N/A
Marlott attempts to evade surveillance by getting a position in local seamstress Esther's shop by using a pseudonym. He is convinced that someone is lying about the recent murders of local clergymen and sets to uncover the truth in his search for justice.
3 (9) "Seeing the Dead"Alex GabassiNoel Farragher and Paul Tomalin15 November 2017 (2017-11-15) [14] N/A
A local fever is sweeping the neighbourhood. Marlott believes that Lord Daniel Hervey is the root of this and that Billy Oates will lead him to the source of the problem.
4 (10) "Little Boy Lost"Alex GabassiColin Carberry, Glenn Patterson and Michael Robert Johnson22 November 2017 (2017-11-22) [15] N/A
After meeting the eccentric Frederick Dipple at a party to reveal his new Automaton creation, Marlott realises that his allies may be in greater danger than he originally thought.
5 (11) "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell"Alex GabassiPaul Tomalin29 November 2017 (2017-11-29) [16] N/A
Armed with new information, Marlott is led to a suspiciously deserted tower. Is he ready for the darkness he encounters within?
6 (12) "Bride of Frankenstein"Alex GabassiMichael Robert Johnson6 December 2017 (2017-12-06) [17] N/A
With the police closing in, Marlott needs to pull out all the stops to help Esther escape from Dipple and Hervey, and in doing so, turn his fortunes around.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes season 1 has an approval rating of 80% based on reviews from 10 critics. [18]

Euan Ferguson at The Guardian concluded "It's genuinely rather good, and a beast of wholly different hide to Jekyll". [19] Carl Wilson at The Globe and Mail wrote: "On balance, the season ended just as brilliantly grim as it started." [20] Ben Travers at IndieWire said: "While it's unlikely to be remembered for as long as it took to make, The Frankenstein Chronicles certainly earned its shot at a long life on Netflix." [21]

Related Research Articles

<i>Emmerdale</i> British soap opera

Emmerdale is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale, a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale Farm was first broadcast on 16 October 1972. Interior scenes have been filmed at the Leeds Studios since its inception. Exterior scenes were first filmed in Arncliffe in Littondale, and the series may have taken its name from Amerdale, an ancient name of Littondale. Exterior scenes were later shot at Esholt, but are now shot at a purpose-built set on the Harewood estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Bean</span> English actor (born 1959)

Sean Bean is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean made his professional debut in a production of Romeo and Juliet in 1983 at The Watermill Theatre. Retaining his Yorkshire accent, he first found mainstream success for his portrayal of Richard Sharpe in the ITV series Sharpe, which originally ran from 1993 to 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toby Stephens</span> British actor

Toby Stephens is a British actor who has appeared in films in the UK, US and India. He is known for the roles of Bond villain Gustav Graves in the 2002 James Bond film Die Another Day, for which he was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor, William Gordon in the 2005 Mangal Pandey: The Rising film and Edward Fairfax Rochester in the 2006 BBC television adaptation of Jane Eyre. From 2014 to 2017, he starred as Captain Flint in the Starz television series Black Sails, followed by one of the lead roles in the Netflix science fiction series Lost in Space from 2018 to 2021. He currently stars as the Greek God Poseidon in Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

<i>Sharpe</i> (TV series) British television historical drama series (1993–2008)

Sharpe is a British television drama series starring Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe, a fictional British soldier in the Napoleonic Wars, with Irish actor Daragh O'Malley playing his second in command, Patrick Harper. Sharpe and Harper are the heroes of the Sharpe series of novels by Bernard Cornwell; most, though not all, of the episodes are based on the books. Produced by Celtic Films and Picture Palace Films for the ITV network, the series was filmed mainly in Crimea, with recordings of other episodes in Turkey, England, Portugal and Spain. The two final episodes were filmed in Jaipur, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas Henshall</span> Scottish actor (born 1965)

Douglas “Dougie” James Henshall is a Scottish television, film and stage actor. He is best known for his roles as Professor Nick Cutter in the science fiction series Primeval (2007–2011) and Detective Inspector Jimmy Pérez in the crime drama Shetland (2013–2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Henry (actor)</span> English actor

Guy Henry is an English actor whose roles include Henrik Hanssen in Holby City, Pius Thicknesse in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2, Gaius Cassius Longinus in Rome and Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Stevens</span> English actor (born 1982)

Daniel Jonathan Stevens is an English actor. He first drew international attention for his role as Matthew Crawley in the ITV acclaimed period drama series Downton Abbey (2010–2012). He also starred as David in the thriller film The Guest (2014), Sir Lancelot in the adventure film Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014), The Beast/Prince in Disney's live action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast (2017), Lorin Willis in the biographical legal drama Marshall (2017), Charles Dickens in the biographical drama The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) and Russian Eurovision singer Alexander Lemtov in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020). From 2017 to 2019, he starred as David Haller in the FX series Legion. In 2018, he starred in the Netflix horror-thriller Apostle, and since 2023, he has starred as Korvo Opposites in the animated series Solar Opposites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rupert Vansittart</span> English actor

Rupert Nicholas Vansittart is an English character actor. He has appeared in a variety of roles in film, television, stage and radio, often playing comic characters. He is best known for his role as Lord Ashfordly in the ITV drama Heartbeat and for playing Lord Yohn Royce in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2014–2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenna Coleman</span> English actress

Jenna-Louise Coleman is an English actress. She began her career in television, making her acting debut as Jasmine Thomas in the soap opera Emmerdale in 2005, followed by a recurring role in the BBC school-based drama series Waterloo Road (2009). She made her film debut with a small role in the American superhero film Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and made appearances on diverse British period miniseries, including Titanic (2012), and Death Comes to Pemberley (2013).

The German name Frankenstein most commonly refers to various aspects of a 19th-century novel written by Mary Shelley, but was originally a place name.

Paul Tomalin is a British television screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Micucci</span> American actress

Kate Micucci is an American actress, comedian, and musician who is half of the musical comedy duo Garfunkel and Oates. Some of her roles include Stephanie Gooch in Scrubs, Ally in 'Til Death, Shelley in Raising Hope, Lucy in The Big Bang Theory, Sadie Miller in Steven Universe, Sara Murphy in Milo Murphy's Law, Kelly in Hamster and Gretel, Daisy in Nature Cat, Clayface in The Lego Batman Movie, Velma Dinkley in Scooby-Doo since 2015, Webby Vanderquack in DuckTales, Stacey in Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, and Dr. Fox in Unikitty!.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Brown Findlay</span> English actress (born 1987)

Jessica Rose Brown Findlay is an English actress. She played Lady Sybil Crawley in the ITV television period drama series Downton Abbey and Emelia Conan Doyle in the 2011 British comedy-drama feature film Albatross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Gower</span> English actor

Andrew Gower is an English actor. He is best known for his recurring role as Cutler in Being Human and his turn as Prince Charles Stuart in Outlander. Gower won the Spotlight Prize for Best Actor in 2010.

Exposure is a current affairs strand, broadcast in the United Kingdom on the ITV network. The programme comprises long-form films, investigating and exploring domestic and foreign topics. Episodes are produced both by independent production companies and in-house by ITV Studios. The average budget for a single edition is between £150,000 and £200,000.

<i>Victoria</i> (British TV series) British drama television series

Victoria is a British historical television drama series created and principally written by Daisy Goodwin, starring Jenna Coleman as Queen Victoria. The series premiered in the United Kingdom on ITV on 28 August 2016 with eight episodes, and in the United States on PBS on 15 January 2017; PBS supported its production as part of the Masterpiece anthology. The series follows Victoria's early life, including her relationship with her husband Albert and her political responsibilities of the 1830s to the 1850s.

<i>Maigret</i> (2016 TV series) British television detective series (2016–2017)

Maigret is a British television series from ITV. It is an adaptation of the books by Georges Simenon featuring his fictional French detective Jules Maigret, played by Rowan Atkinson. The series is set in France in the mid-1950s. Its first episode aired on 28 March 2016 and the second on Christmas Day, 2016. A second series aired during 2017. It was reported in 2018 that the series had been cancelled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Oates</span> British television producer

Kate Oates is a British television producer, who was born in Nottingham and graduated from Warwick University. She began her career working as a researcher and editorial assistant for Germaine Greer, before becoming a script editor for the soap opera Crossroads. In 2003, she joined the radio soap The Archers as a producer, a position which Oates credits as the majority of her training. After resigning from this job, Oates began working on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale as a script editor, during which time she assisted with the soap's fortieth anniversary celebrations and worked on British Soap Award-winning storylines. She remained in the position until 2012 when she joined Coronation Street as the assistant producer.

<i>Marcella</i> (TV series) British television series

Marcella is a British Nordic noir detective series, written, directed and produced by Swedish screenwriter Hans Rosenfeldt, creator of The Bridge. The series is produced by Buccaneer Media for ITV and distributed worldwide by Buccaneer's parent company Cineflix. It was first shown on ITV on 4 April 2016, with seven further episodes released weekly.

George Asprey is a British stage, film, and television character actor. Since 2008, Asprey has played the part of Scar in the West End theatre production of the musical The Lion King.

References

  1. "ITV commissions The Frankenstein Chronicles starring Sean Bean". ITV. Archived from the original on 20 November 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  2. Hogan, Michael (11 November 2015). "The Frankenstein Chronicles, review: 'eerily effective'". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  3. A&E Press release 7 October 2015
  4. "ITV recommissions The Frankenstein Chronicles for ITV Encore". ITV. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  5. "Filming begins on ITV's The Frankenstein Chronicles - Season Two - starring Sean Bean". ITV. 14 March 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  6. Clarke, Stewart (12 December 2017). "Netflix Takes Sean Bean Drama 'The Frankenstein Chronicles' for U.S., Global Markets (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  7. "'The Frankenstein Chronicles' Leaving Netflix in February 2022". What's on Netflix. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  8. "The Frankenstein Chronicles - Northern Ireland Screen". 1 June 2018. Archived from the original on 1 June 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  9. "Sean Bean stars in Frankenstein Chronicles filmed in NI". BBC News. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  10. Kilpatrick, Chris (20 April 2015). "Frankenstein prepares to move in to Northern Ireland village". BelfastLive. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  11. "Weekly top 30 programmes on TV sets (July 1998 – Sept 2018) | BARB".
  12. "Episode 1 - Prodigal Son". ITV PRess Centre. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  13. "Episode 2 - Not John Marlott". ITV Press Centre. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  14. "Episode 3 - Seeing the Dead". ITV Press Centre. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  15. "Episode 4 - Little Boy Lost". ITV Press Centre. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  16. "Episode 5 - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell". ITV Press Centre. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  17. "Episode 6 - Bride of Frankenstein". ITV Press Centre. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  18. The Frankenstein Chronicles , retrieved 12 August 2021
  19. Ferguson, Euan (15 November 2015). "The week in TV: The Frankenstein Chronicles; London Spy; Peep Show; Unforgotten". the Guardian. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  20. Wilson, Carl (24 December 2015). "The Frankenstein Chronicles: Series 1, Episode 6 – "Lost and Found", PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  21. Travers, Ben (22 February 2018). "'The Frankenstein Chronicles' Review: Sean Bean's Netflix Series Comes Roaring to Life After Three Years in Purgatory". IndieWire. Retrieved 12 August 2021.