What to watch
The Frankenstein Chronicles ITV, 10.45PM; NOT STV
Made for the now defunct ITV Encore digital channel, this creepy drama lasted two series and has done the rounds of the streaming platforms but this is its first free-to-air terrestrial outing. Sean Bean makes a strong impression as John Marlott, a grief-stricken pre-victorian copper hunting a deranged child killer in 1820s London. The chief twist is that the killer in question appears to be a fan of Mary Shelly’s recently published
Frankenstein, as the first victim to surface on the banks of the Thames turns out to be “a composite: parts of at least seven children disarticulated and reassembled”. This opener is surprisingly well put together, the period atmosphere reminiscent of the BBC’S more recent hit, Taboo, and the script – co-written by Barry Langford and director Benjamin Ross – succeeds in walking a thoughtful line between mild horror and straightforward crime drama. Best of all is the strong cast, that includes Vanessa Kirby (who made a big impact as Princess Margaret in Netflix’s The Crown), Richie Campbell, Tom Ward, Ed Stoppard – plus Anna Maxwell Martin as Mary Shelley, who is eventually drawn into the case. Gerard O’donovan