APPARITIONS 1.6

Joe Ahearne's finale to his six-part chiller pulls elements from previous stories together, culminating in a deciding battle of wits between Father Jacob (Martin Shaw) and possessed Michael (Rick Warden). Following last week's climax, Jacob is now suffering a crisis of faith and physically weakened by his ordeal. Unable to read scripture or perform religious ceremonies without feeling ill, Sister Ruth (Siobhan Finneran) thinks he's been possessed and will need an exorcism himself...

Meanwhile, Michael is busy putting the finishing touches to his evil plan, which involves a visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, to steal a relic. Cardinal Bukovak (John Shrapnel) assigns a psychiatrist, Dr. Elaine Errison (Claire Price), to help Jacob get over his alarming religious phobia – but Dr. Errison's atheist views and belief he's suffering from delusions only cause Jacob further problems. With time running out, Sister Ruth approaches Father Daniel (David Gyasi) about performing his first exorcism on Jacob, but Jacob himself comes to realize there's only one power who can end his torment: Satan.

Episode 6 is another hour of tension, scares and general uneasiness. The series quickly developed a compelling atmosphere in its first episode, and that ambience has been maintained extremely well. At heart, Apparitions is absolutely nonsense extrapolated from Biblical stories and religious history, by Ahearne's skill is in presenting everything with utter conviction, aided by actors who refuse to put their tongues in their cheek. Martin Shaw's performance was the secret weapon; even though we're denied knowledge about his family or personal history, Father Jacob's potentially one-note and boring personality never fails to engage. Shaw somehow manages to make him a convincing character with a lot of heart, faith and enviable strength. Seeing him at his lowest ebb makes his eventual success in episode 6 all the sweeter, particularly as help and guidance from divine forces finally arrive...

Michael's ultimate plan to assassinate the Pope gave this episode a pulp fiction quality, not unlike a Dan Brown novel. The location shooting in Portugal and Italy also helped give the production a greater sense of scope and importance. It was a shame the climax (set in a church, with Michael in the choir, ready to shoot the Pope), was slightly undermined by awkward editing and an unintentionally amusing levitation, but up until that point the episode hadn't really put a foot wrong.

In fact, one particular scene was a series highlight; Jacob being exorcised by his old mentor Monsignor Vincenzo (Luigi Diberti), whom he discovered had been a lifelong Satanist ever since his family were killed in the holocaust. During the ritual, Jacob implores his friend to renounce Satan himself, but Vincenzo is unwilling to do so... until Jacob is momentarily possessed by the soul of his dead father, who tells his son not to blame God for what happened to their family 60 years ago. Surprisingly touching and cathartic, it was a rare moment when good prevailed on this series.

Nice to see sceptical Sister Ruth side with Jacob during his ordeal, although drippy Father Daniel was again a disappointment – and his terrible secret wasn't anything to get worked up about. Rick Warden continued his enjoyable, disquieting performance. His role as Michael has been a delight throughout these six episodes, even though it largely resembles a lobotomised, bearded Phil Cornwell shuffling around like Rainman.

Despite her limited screen-time, Dr. Errison was also a fun addition; refusing to believe Jacob's stories, even when the truths slaps her across the face. The final scene, with Jacob showing Dr. Errison a miraculously-healed scar on his arm, was an excellent way to close the series. "Nothing can make you believe?" asked Jacob. "No," came the shrink's obstinate reply. After a well-timed pause: "you really should talk to somebody about that..."

Apparitions clearly wasn't for everyone. Moody, gruesome and with sardonic put-downs the only source of light relief, the ratings suggested only a hardcore of horror fans stuck with it. 4 million tuned in for episode 1, but by episode 3 half that audience had been scared away. I hope it returns (and develops Jacob's character into more personal areas), but if it doesn't... well, like Joe Ahearne's Ultraviolet, we at least have six decent episodes for a small clique to celebrate.


18 December 2008
BBC1, 9pm

Writer & Director: Joe Ahearne
Cast: Martin Shaw (Father Jacob), John Shrapnel (Cardinal Bukovak), Siobhan Finneran (Sister Ruth), Rick Warden (Michael), David Gyasi (Father Daniel), Luigi Diberti (Monsignor Vincenzo), Claire Price (Dr. Elaine Errison), Antonia Whillans (Girl), Cherie Lunghi (Woman) & Josephine Amankwah (Soprano)

APPARITIONS 1.5

Spoilers. The great thing about six-part series is that there's rarely any excess fat. After a two-part opening, we're already at the penultimate tease for next week's finale! Episode 5 (why no titles, Mr. Ahearne?) finds Father Jacob (Martin Shaw) investigating a vision of the Virgin Mary by a Muslim teenager called Zaid Kopavic (Jamie Blackley), who is shown his dead father burning in Hell by the Marian apparition...

Jacob helps Imam Ahmed (Hassani Shapi) investigate the event, which had the hallmarks of Christian iconography that goes against Zaid's religious upbringing. Both men believe the vision was actually a cruel trick by Satan (who can take many forms), and attempt to persuade Zaid that his father isn't really suffering in the afterlife. But the boy is adamant the Virgin Mary is real, and makes arrangements to convert to Catholicism.

Adding to the mystery, after delving into the Kopavic family history, Jacob finds startling evidence to suggest their background as Bosnian refugees who emigrated to the UK is tied to Michael's (Rick Warden) forgotten past as an Army soldier. Is Zaid's vision all part of a devilish scheme to possess Michael again? If so, can Jacob persuade Zaid that his vision is false, before Michael loses his soul forever?

A very interesting and compelling episode, for the most part. Written and directed by Joe Ahearne, it was well-executed and dramatically satisfying. It was also less reliant on gore and FX than past episodes, putting the onus on the human difficulties of the Kopavic's and Michael as their entwined histories were revealed. Jacob himself suffered some major setbacks, as he realized Michael (before he ever had the "excuse" of being possessed by a demon) was a cold-hearted soldier who murdered Zaid's father and raped his mother Sana (Bana Bajic) in front of her sons. Far from the innocent homeless man he's been presented to us as, it was a satisfying sting in the tail to realise Michael is a murdering rapist. This disclosure tipped Michael over the edge, too – viewing himself as a lost cause, despite Jacob's assurance that his soul can still be saved.

Elsewhere, Sister Ruth (Siobhan Finneran) visited Monsignor Vincenzo (Luigi Diberti) in jail – apparently setting up the finale, as she learns Vincenzo was framed by Jacob to pay for his other crimes, and appears to be amassing demonic support behind bars. Again, Ruth witnesses supernatural activity first-hand (possessed prisoners and the inexplicable shattering of glass), so I'm sure she'll be shoulder-to-shoulder with Jacob by next week. Her line in withering one-liners are always worth a chuckle, too: "I've got to get the guest room ready for the next psychopath."

Ruth also defended Jacob in front of Cardinal Bukovak (John Shrapnel) again, who himself participated in this episode's events to a greater extent, by providing assurance and support to Jacob when the demonic plan was revealed: a "reverse exorcism", required to save the life of Ahmed after Zaid takes a knife to his Imam's throat and demands an "anti-exorcism" to release his father from Hell. But, of course, the only escapee from Hell is going straight back into Michael, as intended all along.

Small things like the inter-faith co-operation were interesting and informative, as well. The Virgin Mary is an important part of both Islamic and Catholic faith and, despite their theological differences, both religions know Satan must be behind Zaid's vision. Seeing Imam Ahmed and Father Jacob work together to help the boy understand how he's being manipulated was a potent detail for me.

Overall, this was a tense and often gripping episode with some great performances and characteristically bizarre imagery (the live pig being pushed off a tower block was a particulate favourite – I'm sure no swine were harmed in the making), and a fantastic cliffhanger ending where Jacob essentially assists in Michael's suicide and is left having a fit on the chapel floor. This series has been about evil forces testing Jacob's faith to breaking point, and the usually stoical priest's coercion into desecrating his faith for the greater good chalked up an apparent victory for Satan by this episode's end. Next week's finale should be very interesting...


11 December 2008
BBC1, 9pm

Writer & Director: Joe Ahearne

Cast: Martin Shaw (Father Jacob), John Shrapnel (Cardinal Bukovak), Siobhan Finneran (Sister Ruth), Rick Warden (Michael), Luigi Diberti (Monsignor Vincenzo), Jamie Blackley (Zaid Kopavic), Hassani Shapi (Imam Ahmed), Patrick Knowles (Misal Kopavic) & Brana Bajic (Sana Kopavic)

APPARITIONS 1.4

It's The Father Dowling Mysteries meets Rosemary's Baby this week, as Father Jacob (Martin Shaw) is called to an abortion clinic by Dr. Janice Greely (Claudia Harrison), after a heavily-pregnant old woman called Rosa (Ruth Posner) is admitted, and causes supernatural activity during an examination...

Soon after, teenage girl Zoe Dayton (Karen Bryson) arrives at the same clinic, wanting a morning after pill to prevent a pregnancy after allegedly being raped. But, unseen forces prevents Zoe taking her contraception, causing her to vomit and have convulsions. Even the less common method of injection fails, as the hypodermic syringe shatters in Dr. Greeley's hand.

Apparitions continues to find unusual ways to tackle the same topic of demonic possession. Here, Jacob suspects the possessing entities of young Zoe and elderly Rosa are "souls of the unborn". This causes him an ethical problem because, while it's theologically unclear where unborn souls go after termination, an exorcism will definitely send them to Hell. But it seems a demon who has possessed a blind ex-soldier called Simon (Adrian Bower) is counting on Jacob's inability to act in this grey-area of exorcism, so the Anti-Christ can be born without being "aborted".

It's a unique idea, less confused than last week's storyline, that also balanced Michael's (Rick Warden) supporting story much better. The homeless amnesiac is still coming under attack inside the seminary, as we discover demon-Simon knows Michael and they both served in the army together. Considering both men are, or have been, possessed by demons, I think it's safe to assume they stumbled upon something evil while on tour overseas. I wasn't sure it was wise to keep Michael on the fringe of each week's story last week, but this development shows a greater sense of direction and purpose for his character. It will be interesting to see exactly how Michael became possessed (via flashbacks, hopefully), and why he's so important as a "vessel" for the forces of darkness…

Sister Ruth (Siobhan Finneran) remains exasperating as an avid sceptic of Jacob's work and two-faced snitch to Cardinal Bukovak (even if Jacob's too canny to have the wool pulled over his eyes by her.) But it was nice to see her soften to Jacob's charms here and, towards the end, she actually witnessed something that might open her mind. I'm assuming the overall arc for Ruth is to have her standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Jacob as a believer in demon, much to Bukovac's outrage. Finneran is playing this role very nicely, making us itch at Ruth's dogmatism and scathing comments about Jacob's work. Hopefully she won't be a total Scully and fail to accept what's staring her in the face for too long.

The theme of abortion works brilliantly in this horror context, as exorcism is a form of abortion itself, and the Catholic church famously consider child abortion a grave sin. The episode also involves a group of pro-life campaigners (many of whom are disabled and might have been aborted under different circumstances), and their wheelchair-bound leader Craig (Andy Dear) had a surprising role to play as Jacob's investigation shed light on Zoe and Rosa's bizarre stories.

It's definitely hokum, but the mix of Biblical precedences, real-world parallels, pulp horror shocks, religious trivia (inverted crucifixes aren't Satanic), and memorable visuals, ensure its also very entertaining. Spooky dogs, bleeding eyes, a girl screaming the cries of unborn babies, a taxi cab murder, a boiling swimming pool… there's enough to keep you engaged on a superficial level, and enough intelligence to give your mind something to chew on.

Martin Shaw is especially engaging as Jacob, mostly for his subtle and amusingly down-to-earth temperament. In one scene, tormented Michael admits to Jacob that Satan has been talking to him. "Oh", replies Jacob, not even looking up from his desk as he ruffles documents. It's Jacob's calm, knowledgeable, indefatigable attitude that makes him a good hero; an unyielding tree in a thunderstorm, enduring the lightning strikes, listening for God in the wind, and certain of a new dawn.


4 December 2008
BBC1, 9pm

Writer: Joe Ahearne
Director: John Strickland

Cast: Martin Shaw (Father Jacob), Siobhan Finneran (Sister Ruth), Rick Warden (Michael), Claudia Harrison (Dr. Janice Greely), Karen Bryson (Zoe Dayton), Andy Dear (Craig), Adrian Bower (Simon), Jo Woodcock (Lisa Sengrath), Vernon Dobtcheff (Peitro Fonti) & Ruth Posner (Rosa Fonti)

APPARITIONS 1.3

The first story beyond the originally commissioned two-parter, Apparitions' opts to continue the storyline of homeless Michael (Rick Warden) after his recent possession, in a main subplot. But, more pressing events have the attention of exorcist Father Jacob (Martin Shaw), as he investigates an imprisoned rapist at the behest of Governor Lassiter (Neil Pearson)...

Serial rapist Cory Wardell (Stephen Wight) is the afflicted man, prone to sweating blood and talking with in a little girl's voice. Interestingly, he also performs a miracle by healing a throat wound he inflicts on a fellow con who later tries to rape him, prompting Jacob to consider a very unusual possibility: is Wardell possessed by Maria Goretti, the patron saint of rape victims?

It's an intriguing twist on our standard view of possession, once again well-researched by writer Joe Ahearne -- even if the premise and plot developments tend to always take their cue from Biblical stories and real-life historical precedents. That gives everything a kind of patchwork feel at times, as Ahearne's research guides the story and its developments too strongly at times.

After a compelling start, episode 3 starts to lose its thread, too. The mystery over who, or what, is possessing Wardell seems promising, but begins to drag and quickly becomes convoluted. The revelations and developments become difficult to keep track of, or care about. A case of too much plot crammed into the hour, not helped by the decision to donate a lot of time to Michael -- who is now suffering from amnesia and trying to make sense of his life...

This carryover from the previous two episodes was easier to follow than episode 3's plot, and it was interesting to see the after-effects of demonic possession on a victim. Michael clearly retains a strange connection to the supernatural, and the demons don't seem to be finished with him just yet. Still, the time taken up might have been better spent giving the Wardell situation room to breathe.

H.M.P Sandfield's chaplain, Father Daniel (David Gyasi), was a bland partner for Jacob throughout; but he had an interesting moment in Wardell's prison cell, where he spends the night with Jacob, trying to make contact with the entity targeting the rapist. Retiring to his bottom bunk, celibate Daniel showed his anxiety over the presence of magazine cut-outs of naked woman, finally experiencing a vision of a "succubus" straddling him.

Indeed, Apparitions' jolts of horror and gore are particularly unnerving: Wardell's forehead sweating blood, a particularly nasty throat slash in the climactic scenes, etc. Martin Shaw is also very good, but it's a performance that could become stuck in a groove if he's not careful. Sister Ruth (Siobhan Finneran) has a interesting role as Jacob's secretary with a nice line in caustic remarks. An employee of the sceptical Cardinal Bukovak (John Shrapnel), she's only really there to keep tabs on Jacob and compile evidence for his excommunication. The fact Jacob realizes she's a cynic working against him should provide a lot of drama. How long before she becomes a believer and sides with Jacob over the Cardinal?

Overall, while the story came together well, there was a troubling tendency to overload the audience with information and the developments didn't progress very smoothly. The po-faced seriousness and oppressive atmosphere might also become a drag. I don't expect a light and breezy viewing experience with an exorcist-themed drama, but I think Apparitions needs to balance light with dark a bit more.

It's relentless cold, clinical, vicious and rather depressing. That style suits its intended two-episode gut-punch, but now that Apparitions is a fully-fledged series, it's asking quite a lot for the audience to embrace that every week. It might help if there was a cathartic feeling of Good triumphing over Evil every week -- but instead, I just feel that Satan's minions have the initiative here. Even when they're "defeated", it's only the battle that's been won, not the war.


27 November 2008
BBC1, 9pm

Writer: Joe Ahearne
Director: John Strickland

Cast: Martin Shaw (Father Jacob), John Shrapnel (Cardinal Bukovak), Siobhan Finneran (Sister Ruth), Rick Warden (Michael), David Gyasi (Father Daniel), Stephen Wight (Cory Wardell), Elizabeth Berrington (Kim Portman), Neil Pearson (Governor Lassiter), Jane Holmes (Mrs Wardell Linda), Mia Fernandez (Fiona), Conrad Nelson (Inmate), Michelle Bonnard (Sandra Tellor), Jenna Southworth (Mary Portman) & Federico Natoli (Alessandro Serenelli)

APPARITIONS 1.2

Writer & Director: Joe Ahearne

The second part of last week's opener concludes that storyline, and while it isn't as interesting (with less emphasis on character and a thinner storyline), it was generally more fun.

Having successfully exorcised Liam (Shaun Dooley) last week, Father Jacob (Martin Shaw) still has to contend with the demon inhabiting a homeless man called Michael (Rick Warden), who has viciously attacked Jacob's clergy friend Vimal in a sauna and skinned him alive. Again, a source of contention is how Jacob can perform his exorcism in a society that doesn't believe in such things -- exemplified here by the police, who understandably think they're dealing with a psychopath, not a demonic possession.

Ultimately, the episode boils down to a battle of will between Jacob and Michael/Astaruth, with the demon suggesting Jacob allow himself to be "exorcised" of his faith -- a scenario Jacob's mentor Monsignor Vincenzo (Luigi Diberti) warns against. However, after Michael starts killing Jacob's friends, it seems Jacob is running out of options. But can his faith survive a run-in with one of Satan's minions?

Writer Joe Ahearne fills the episode with intriguing nuggets of religious and historical trivia; like the flaying of St. Bartholomew's skin, Pope Pius XII's controversial tenure during the holocaust, and ghoulish Nazi practices -- which he neatly folds into his plot, blurring reality with fiction. Fundamentally, this is all absurd tosh, but there are enough intelligent links to historical fact to make you suspend your disbelief and buy into the situation. Ahearne is particularly adept at feeding this kind of theological research into the storyline and treating everything with unyielding seriousness.

It helps that, at times, Apparitions is genuinely unnerving. While it sometimes slips into unintentional comedy (Michael bellowing wind at Jacob), sequences like a climactic levitation (excellent), the asphyxiation of Nurse Anne (Michelle Joseph) in a darkened bathroom (artfully done), the skinned body of Vimal (gross), a blessing blowing the fuses in a light shop (creepy), and flies swarming over a Bible bound in human flesh (horrid), were all tense moments with real bite.

Liam and his daughter Donna (Romy Irving) were perhaps pushed into the background too much, particularly considering this was part 2 of what began as their story -- although Liam becomes a reluctant sidekick to Jacob and helps him during an exorcism (but don't you need two priests for that?) Donna comes under the protection of Jacob throughout this episode, and there's a bizarre inference near the end that this little girl might grow up to become an equivalent to Adolf Hitler! Like I said, Apparitions is a bit too silly for its own good at times, but this was still an enjoyable and occasionally tense hour of chills and thrills. And Martin Shaw imbues everything with a significant degree of acting weight.

I think the real test for Apparitions will come next week, with the first of the remaining four episodes written as self-contained stories.


20 November 2008
BBC1, 9pm

Cast: Martin Shaw (Father Jacob), John Shrapnel (Cardinal Bukovak), Rick Warden (Astaruth/Michael), Luigi Diberti (Monsignor Vincenzo), Romy Irving (Donna), Michelle Joseph (Sister Anne), Sarah-Jayne Steed (Sarah), Shaun Dooley (Liam), Stephanie Street (DI Rachel), Siobhan Finneran (Sister Ruth), Patrick Bridgman (George) & Mia Fernandez (Fiona)

TV Week 25: Apparitions, The Graham Norton Show, Children In Need & John From Cincinnati

It's something of a milestone this week, with my twenty-fifth column for Newslite.tv. 25 already? Where does the time go?! This week I take a look at spooky BBC1 drama Apparitions, consider the merits of The Graham Norton Show, chew over Friday's Children In Need fund-raiser, and preview FX's supernatural surfing import John From Cincinnati.

"The scene is set for a thick soup of family drama, and an impenetrable mystery that would have David Lynch scratching his head in confusion." -- John From Cincinnati, read more...

APPARITIONS 1.1

Writer & Director: Joe Ahearne

Joe Ahearne came to my attention with his 1998 vampire series Ultraviolet. It was a surprisingly imaginative and clever piece of fantasy television that sadly never returned for a second run. A fan of sci-fi/horror (he directed numerous Doctor Who episodes in its comeback year), Ahearne has now created Apparitions; a supernatural chiller starring Martin Shaw as Father Jacob, an investigator at the Congregation for Causes of Saints, and part-time exorcist…

Now, if you're experiencing déjà vu, that's because you're half-remembering Andrew Marshall's 2003 flop Strange, which starred Richard Coyle as a former priest who battles demons. Ahearne directed three episodes of that short-lived drama, and clearly liked the idea so much that he's now appropriated it with the help of exec-producer Nick Collins. Admittedly, the idea of a man of the cloth battling evil forces is nothing new, so we'll let it slide…

Originally intended as a two-part special (before the BBC suggested a full six-part series), Apparitions finds Father Jacob in the process of trying to get Mother Theresa canonized 11 years after her death in 1997. His skills as an exorcist are later requested by a little girl called Donna (Romy Irving), who insists that her dad Liam (Shaun Dooley) is possessed by a demon, after hearing him talking to himself in his bedroom. Hmmm.

It's not the most damning of evidence, is it? And even after Jacob witnesses Liam swearing in front of his daughter, and uncovers evidence of the man's passionate agnosticism (Jerry Springer: The Opera on CD, Richard Dawkins' books), it's still not the blasphemous freak-show you associate as signs of demonic possession.

Indeed, if you're expecting a TV version of The Exorcist, you may well be disappointed. Apparitions is more interested in the disconnect between religion and modern secularism. How do you exorcise an adult disbeliever, who rubbishes your faith as mumbo-jumbo? How can Jacob protect Donna from her own father, if society won't accept demonic possession as the cause of Liam's problem? The answer proves to be a combination of mind-games with the possessed, and manipulation of the facts to encompass mental health concerns and child abuse issues.

Having done his homework, Ahearne's script sounds credible whenever it throws up the inevitable Bible quotes or comments on the history of the exorcism ritual. Shaw makes for a commanding presence with his clipped, snow-white beard and inherent gravitas. He looks the part, he sounds the part, and you can believe in him as a committed, altruistic dog-collared hero. Perhaps influenced by Max Von Sydow's iconic portrayal in The Exorcist, it's his unwavering calm and purity of faith that draws you in.

The supporting cast all seem good, too. There's Jacob's loyal assistant Sister Anne (Michelle Joseph), there to speak common sense; his boss Cardinal Bukovak (John Shrapnel), who doesn't believe in exorcism; old friend Monsignor Vincenzo (Luigi Diberti), who wants Jacob to supersede him as Rome's chief exorcist; and Vimal (Elyes Gabel) a young seminarian who was cured of leprosy as a child -- a miracle Jacob's been trying to have attributed to Mother Theresa, to earn her sainthood.

Vimal shoulders the big subplot of this story, as it becomes clear he's in contact with demons himself -- seeing them in the form of a possessed homeless man called Michael (Rick Warden), who claims Vimal's leprosy was cured by demons, not God. It's an interesting plot, as Vimal finds himself haunted by demons who want him to embrace the "new flesh" they've provided him with, and accept his homosexuality at the expense of his religious career.

The pervasive atmosphere is a mix of '90s drama and '70s chiller, with a flash of Kubrickian oddity in a steam room assault with Hellraiser-esque gore. The idea of people being possessed by demons mostly avoids the bodily contortions you associate with the affliction, and instead borrows from Russell T. Davies' The Second Coming -- where an actor's performance and a subtle effect (bleeding eyes and flickering lights, say) are the only tricks used to chill the blood. No rotating heads, sorry.

Shaun Dooley does a great job as Liam the possessed dad, bringing a mix of sympathy and erratic terror to the role. His aborted exorcism in a kitchen is a notable highlight -- with doubter Liam shifting in his seat as Jacob begins his blessing, before losing his cool, throwing a table to one side, and bellowing at Jacob in subtitled Albanian. Yes, Albanian. Funny how Albanian and Latin, the two prominent languages spoken by demons in this episode, can raise the hairs on the back of your neck. You just don't get that with Swedish.

On the downside, Apparitions isn't always smooth and efficient at spinning its yarn. There's a certain roughness to the plot, a few dumb moments, some poor dialogue, and a 15-minute trim would have been beneficial. But it gets the job done, establishes the premise and main characters well, and contains enough spooky moments to keep you gripped. I was also pleased to see some unsettling and grisly visuals creep into the episode by the end (together with an unexpected death.) It may just be just the latest tweak on an unoriginal idea, but if Apparitions can continue to balance realism and the supernatural to this standard, it should make for an effective, compelling series of weekly chillers. Hopefully it won't become exorcism-of-the-week with Martin Shaw.


13 November 2008
BBC1, 9pm

Cast: Martin Shaw (Father Jacob), John Shrapnel (Cardinal Bukovak), Luigi Diberti (Monsignor Vincenzo), Elyes Gabel (Vimal), Rick Warden (Michael/Astaruth), Michelle Joseph (Sister Anne), Shaun Dooley (Liam), Romy Irving (Donna), Sarah-Jayne Steed (Sarah), Adam Zane (Police Officer), Shyam Chudasama (Young Vimal), Guido Adorni (Priest) & Sam Mancuso (Archbishop)