Pick of the day
A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES Sky 1, 9pm A GRIPPING tale of witchcraft to give you the creeps on a Friday night.
Based on the best-selling novel by Deborah Harkness, this is a fast-paced drama full of magic and mystery.
Teresa Palmer plays historian Diana Bishop, who is off to give a lecture on alchemy at Oxford University. All seems normal until her documents start to blow away in the wind and she “accidentally on purpose” magics them safely back. Twist klaxon: she’s a closet witch.
Suddenly, this all feels very Harry Potter. Plus, we’re at the dreaming spires of Oxford University – as Hogwarts a setting a film crew could possibly find.
Confiding in a witch friend about her accidental powers, Diana then admits: “I’m still not comfortable around magic, not after what happened to my parents.” And there’s the backstory klaxon.
Later, there’s a scary incident with a book in the famous Bodleian Library, involving dimming lights and possessed pages. And watch out for a disturbing scene with two young men, a car and a lot of blood.
Downton Abbey’s Matthew Goode plays Matthew Clairmont, a vampire who is desperate to get his hands on the magical book. And in thoroughly British style, the result is three well-spoken vampires down the local boozer wondering how to get hold of a dusty old book at the library.
Lots of jumpy moments make for tense viewing, but with a premise based on witches and vampires, it’s also a lot of fun.