TODAY’S TV Monster smash D

ARK and creepy, this atmospheric horror drama, first shown on ITV Encore, stars Sean Bean as an inspector in Georgian London. And it begins as it means to go on, in utter misery.

Sean, aka Inspector John Marlott, is in a rowing boat at night in torrential rain on the Thames. It’s 1827 and presumably fighting criminals mid-crossing was standard police fare at that time.

But it gets worse. Marlott discovers the corpse of a child that has been stitched in lots of places and is lying on the banks of the river. A word of warning, there’s a moment in the first few minutes that might just make you jump a mile out of your skin. “I’ve seen murder before sir, but nothing like this,” Marlott tells the pathologist. The doctor then reveals that the corpse is actually the reassembled parts of several children. Marlott is assigned to work within the offices of Bow Street by Sir Robert Peel, to investigate who is responsible. Is the murder a political move to squash Peel’s Anatomy Act or are the rumours of a more sinister Smithfield monster true? Yes, this is all very gruesome and it hasn’t even got going yet. Incorporating elements of detective thriller and horror genre, with Marlott the admirable hero, it’s not for the faint-hearted. Sean is brilliant as usual, and supported by a super cast including Anna Maxwell Martin, Charlie Creed-Miles, Ed Stoppard, Elliot Cowan, Stuart Graham, Vanessa Kirby and Kate Dickie. But it’s a chilling tale that may give you sleepless nights.