Who Created It?
The Frankenstein Chronicles was created by Benjamin Ross and Barry Langford and initially aired on ITV Encore in November 2015.
What’s It About?
The Frankenstein Chronicles is a twist on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and suggests what might have inspired her to write it.
In 1827 London, Inspector John Marlott is ordered to quietly investigate the discovery of a child’s body that’s been stitched together from the body parts of eight individuals.
The British Parliament is debating the Anatomy Act, which would allow medical schools to dissect bodies of paupers or unclaimed corpses. At the time, grave robbing wasn’t technically illegal, but if you wanted to dissect bodies, it was only legal to use the bodies of executed murderers.
Marlott is also dealing with the loss of his wife and child and with the devastating effects of syphilis. He’s far from perfect but he’s not scared to investigate fully, put himself in danger, and look out for people less well off than himself.
Marlott hears about a ‘monster’ taking children and he teams up with Sergeant Nightingale to follow the cryptic clues and find out who’s responsible. But he finds out more than he bargained for.
Who’s In It?
There’s a bit of a who’s who in British acting in this series.
- Sean Bean is perfectly-cast in the role of Inspector Marlott. I’m not saying he can’t play other roles, but this grizzled, mumbling guy from the olden days is what he does best.
- Richie Campbell plays Sergeant Nightingale who helps Marlott with the investigation.
- Tom Ward is Sir Robert Peel and plays the British politician well.
- Ryan Sampson plays Boz, a pseudonym used by the young Charles Dickens when he was a reporter.
- Ed Stoppard plays the aristocratic Sir Daniel Hervey.
- Mary Shelley even turns up in a few episodes, played by Anna Maxwell Martin.
What Should You Expect?
- Expect to watch a good English period drama.
- Expect to see the ugly side of 1827 England: the exploitation of women and children, the utter disregard for human life, particularly the poor and the young, and the heinous practices of body snatching and murder for profit.
- Expect to feel grateful that you weren’t alive in 1827 England and you don’t have to deal with the grubby atmosphere, the dirt and the grime, the primitive surgical techniques, the way people lived, and the things they had to do just to survive.
- Expect to feel like you need a shower after each episode.
- Expect to need to listen and watch without distractions. The setting is dark, a lot of the people look similar, and the speech of some of the actors can be hard to understand.
- Expect to be impressed that someone has thought of another twist on Frankenstein.
- Expect to be sad that there’s no sign of them making a third season.
How Many Seasons Are There?
There are two seasons of six episodes each.
Season 1 is about uncovering the bad guys and the reasons behind why they’re doing what they’re doing. There’s a lot of politics going on in the background, which hampers the investigation. The end of Season 1 came as a surprise to me.
I can’t say much about the plot of Season 2, because it would be giving away the ending of Season 1. There are more murders and twists to the story, but it’s a bit harder to follow and isn’t quite as engaging as the first season.
It’s been left open for another season but there’s no sign that they’re going to make another one.
Where To Watch It/Get It?
You can watch it on Prime Video or buy a DVD or Blu-ray copy from Amazon.
