TV - Houdini & Doyle

Starting on Sunday on ITV is a 10 part supernatural crime drama, Houdini & Doyle, with Stephen Mangan and Michael Weston headlining the cast...

Stephen Mangan (Episodes) plays Sir Arthur Conan Doyle alongside Michael Weston (Six Feet Under, House) as Harry Houdini, two of the most fascinating and iconic characters of the early 20th century: real-life friends, real-life adversaries, real-life crime solvers. Over the next couple of days we’ll also have interviews that the actors gave to ITV about the show.

London, turn of the last century. For the first time in human history everything is changing and there’s a growing belief that science can explain it all, including the mysteries of death itself. Enter two of the great characters of the last 100-odd years who grudgingly join forces to investigate crime; specifically crimes that appear to have, and may indeed have, a supernatural slant.

Harry Houdini: master magician, escape artist, born penniless and now the highest paid performer in the world and he wants everyone to know it. He refuses to believe in the paranormal. As a professional magician and master of illusion he knows there’s nothing supernatural about magic. To him, everything unexplained is a trick, a gimmick, or a fraud.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is the creator of the greatest detective of all time - Sherlock Holmes - but is also a passionate believer in the paranormal. Because, having lost someone very close to him, he desperately wants to find a way of communicating with them. 

This fundamental difference between the two men leads to conflict... and humour... and competition. High-minded competition in the pursuit of the truth and ridiculous petty competition in the pursuit of, well, competitiveness. But despite all this, they need each other. Doyle needs Houdini because he is gullible. Houdini needs Doyle because he is wrong.

Houdini & Doyle draws heavily on the rich history of the period. At the turn of the 20th century the Metropolitan Police, mired in the ways of the 19th century, were overwhelmed with bizarre and often inexplicable cases so they turned to outsiders including, believe it or not, Houdini and Doyle, who collaborated with New Scotland Yard on some unsolved and inexplicable crimes. At its core, it’s a character study masquerading as a procedural - involving vampires or ghosts or time travel or telepathy - and each week there will be a mystery solved. Or almost solved, for there’ll always be a nagging doubt about what really happened.

Joining the international cast of new and established talent are exciting new Canadian actress Rebecca Liddiard as Constable Adelaide Stratton, whose character in the series is the first female PC ever to work for the London Metropolitan Police Force, Tim McInnerny as Inspector Horace Merring, fast rising star Adam Nagaitis as Sergeant George Gudgett.

This new crime drama series is Executive Produced by House creator David Shore, and written and created by his long-time collaborator David Hoselton, and leading Canadian screenwriter David Titcher. Multi award winning Stephen Hopkins (24, Californication) is the lead director and Adrian Sturges (The Enfield Haunting) produces the series. Executive Producers are David Shore, David Hoselton, David Titcher for Shore Z, Kenton Allen, Luke Alkin and Matthew Justice for Big Talk Productions and Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie and Maggie Murphy for Shaftesbury.

Images & Info - ITV