The Serpent (TV Series)

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''The Serpent'' is a British crime drama serial developed by

Mammoth Screen Mammoth Screen is a UK-based production company that was established in 2007 by Michele Buck and Damien Timmer. It produces drama for key UK broadcasters, especially ITV, and international distribution. Others may be looking for Mammoth Picture ...

and commissioned by the

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...

. The eight-part limited series is a co-production between

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

and

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

. It is based on the crimes of serial killer

Charles Sobhraj Charles Sobhraj (born Hotchand Bhawnani Gurmukh Sobhraj, 6 April 1944) is a French serial killer, fraudster, and thief of Indian-Vietnamese descent, who preyed on Western tourists travelling on the hippie trail of South Asia during the 1970s. ...

, who murdered young tourists from 1975 to 1976. The series stars

Tahar Rahim Tahar Rahim (born 4 July 1981) is a Franco-Algerian actor. He is known for his starring role as Malik El Djebena in the 2009 award-winning French movie '' A Prophet'' by Jacques Audiard, FBI Agent Ali Soufan in '' The Looming Tower'', Judas in ...

in the lead role as Sobhraj. The series was shot on location in Thailand, until the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

which halted production for five months from March 2020. Filming was completed in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, during August 2020. It premiered on

New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...

in 2021 and all eight episodes were immediately made available on BBC iPlayer. The show began streaming on

in April 2021.

Plot

Set in the mid-1970s, the story follows

, a French

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

and

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

descent, as he drugs and robs travellers, particularly young backpackers, travelling through Bangkok, Thailand, along

the overland ''The Overland'' is an Australian passenger train service between the state capitals of Melbourne and Adelaide, a distance of 828 km (515 mi). It first ran in 1887 as the ''Adelaide Express'', known by South Australians as the ''Melb ...

. He steals his victims' passports and identities to travel the world and sells stolen gems with girlfriend Marie-Andrée Leclerc. Charles Sobhraj is at the height of his crimes when a Dutch diplomat, Herman Knippenberg, begins investigating the murders of Dutch tourists and uncovers clues leading to Sobhraj.

Cast

Jenna Coleman Jenna-Louise Coleman (born 27 April 1986), known professionally as Jenna Coleman, is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Jasmine Thomas in the soap opera ''Emmerdale'', Clara Oswald in the science-fiction series ''Doctor Who'', Qu ...

as Marie-Andrée Leclerc *

Billy Howle William Walter Douglas Howle (born 9 November 1989) is a British actor. His films include ''On Chesil Beach'', ''The Seagull'', and '' Outlaw King''. On television, he is known for his roles in the E4 drama '' Glue'', the BBC miniseries '' The ...

as Herman Knippenberg *

Ellie Bamber Eleanor Elizabeth Bamber (born 2 February 1997) is an English actress. She won third prize at the Ian Charleson Awards for her 2017 performance in ''The Lady from the Sea'' at the Donmar Warehouse. On television, she is known for her roles in th ...

as Angela Knippenberg (later

Angela Kane Angela Kane (born September 29, 1948) is a German diplomat and was formerly the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs and Under-Secretary-General for Management in the United Nations. Education and career Kane was born in Hamelin, Lower ...

) *Amesh Edireweera as Ajay Chowdhury *

Tim McInnerny Tim McInnerny ( ; born 18 September 1956) is an English actor. He is known for his many roles on stage and television, including as Lord Percy Percy and Captain Darling in the 1980s British sitcom ''Blackadder''. Early life McInnerny was bor ...

as Paul Siemons *

Chicha Amatayakul Kitty Chicha Amatayakul ( th, ชิชา อมาตยกุล; born 5 August 1993), born Kanyawee Phumsiridol ( th, กัลยวีร์ ภูมิสิริดล), is a Thai actress, singer and model. She was a former member of t ...

as Suda Romyen *Sahajak Boonthanakit as Major General Janthisan *

İlker Kaleli İlker Kaan Kaleli (born 11 May 1984) is a Turkish actor best known for his role in '' Poyraz Karayel''. Life and career His mother is daughter of German mother and Turkish father who a scientist graduated from Heidelberg University. His fath ...

as Vitali Hakim *

Adam Rothenberg Adam Rothenberg (born June 20, 1975) is an American actor, best known for his role as Capt. Homer Jackson in the BBC One drama mystery series ''Ripper Street'' (2012–16). In film, he has starred in ''Mad Money'' (2008) as Bob Truman, ''Tennessee ...

as Gilbert Redland *

Mathilde Warnier Mathilde Warnier (born ) is a French actress, model, and columnist. In 2011, she became known for an exchange with Nicolas Bedos on the set of the show ''Au Field de la nuit''. In 2021, she portrayed Nadine Gires in '' The Serpent'', a British ...

as Nadine Gires *Supadej "Kenneth" Wongwatanaphan as Yotin *Ellie de Lange as Helena Dekker *James Gerard as Jules Dupont *Apasiri Kulthanan as Lawana *William Brand as Ambassador van Dongen *Chotika Sintuboonkul as Kannika * Ryan O'Donnell as Greg Raynott *Libby Jennings as Viola Raynott *Raphael Roger Levy as Count Michel-Andre Jurion *

Fabien Frankel Fabien Joseph Frankel (born 6 April 1994) is a British actor. He is known for his role as Ser Criston Cole in the HBO fantasy drama series ''House of the Dragon'' (2022–). Early life Frankel was born at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in We ...

as Dominique Renelleau *

Stacy Martin Stacy Martin (born 20 March 1990) is a French actress. Her breakthrough role was playing Joe as a young woman in Lars von Trier's 2013 drama film ''Nymphomaniac''. Early life Martin was born in Paris, where she spent her early childhood. She m ...

as Juliette Voclain *

Alice Englert Alice Allegra Englert (born 15 June 1994) is an Australian actress, director, writer, singer, and songwriter. She is best known for her roles as Rosa in the film ''Ginger & Rosa'' (2012) and Lena Duchannes in the film '' Beautiful Creatures'' ( ...

as Teresa Knowlton * Tim McMullan as Douglas Cartwright *

Nicole Beutler Nicole may refer to: People * Nicole (name) * Nicole (American singer) (born 1958), a contestant in season 3 of the American ''The X Factor'' * Nicole (Chilean singer) (born 1977) * Nicole (German singer) (born 1964), winner of the 1982 Eurovi ...

as Dagmar Boeder *Johan Van Assche as Otto Boeder *Surasak "Noo" Chaiyaat as Romyen *Grégoire Isvarine as Remi Gires *

Ruby Ashbourne Serkis Ruby Leilani N. Ashbourne Serkis (born 1998) is an English actress. Early life Ashbourne Serkis was born in Hackney, East London, to actors Andy Serkis and Lorraine Ashbourne and grew up in North London with her younger brothers Sonny and Lou ...

as Celia Austin *Armand Rosbak as Willem Bloem *Deepika Parajuli as Live Goddess "Kumari", Nepal *

Dasha Nekrasova Daria "Dasha" Dmitrievna Nekrasova (; ; born February 19, 1991) is a Belarusian-American actress, filmmaker, and host of the ''Red Scare'' podcast with Anna Khachiyan. In 2018, she became known as "Sailor Socialism", after her interview with a ...

as Connie-Jo Bronzich *Thomas Ryckewaert as Jean Huygens *

Alyy Khan Alyy Khan (or Aly Khan, ur, ; born 6 December 1968) is a British-Asian actor and host who has worked in Hollywood, Bollywood and Lollywood films and television series. He is known for his roles in the films '' A Mighty Heart'' (2007), '' ...

as Naranda Nath Tully *

Teerapat Sajakul Teerapat Sajakul ( th, ธีรภัทร์ สัจจกุล; RTGS: Thiraphat Satchakun), nickname Tui (), is a Thai actor and singer. He is also the chief executive for SEED 97.5 FM, one of the most popular radio stations run by MCOT. ...

as Interpol Lieutenant Colonel Sompol Suthimai *

Pravesh Rana Pravesh Rana (born 26 February 1983) is an Indian actor, television host and model. He has walked the ramp for various top designers and also won the title of Mr. India in 2008. He was a participant in the reality television show ''Bigg Boss'' ...

as Thapa, the Nepali police officer *

Darshan Jariwala Darshan Jariwala (born 29 September 1958) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films, television and stage. He won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Gandhi, My Father''. He is popular for his show in which he was seen as ...

as hotel manager

Episodes

Production

Development and casting

In July 2019, the BBC announced that it had commissioned the eight-part drama from Mammoth Screen, Tom Shankland, and Richard Warlow. Tahar Rahim would star as Charles Sobhraj. Jenna Coleman, Billy Howle, and Ellie Bamber joined the main cast in September 2019. Warlow and Toby Finlay would write, Shankland and Hans Herbots would direct, and Warlow and Shankland would executive produce alongside Stephen Smallwood, Preethi Mavahalli, Damien Timmer, and Lucy Richer.

Filming

''The Serpent'' was filmed in Thailand across nine provinces, although principal photography took place in the capital

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

and in the resort town of

Hua Hin Hua Hin ( th, หัวหิน, ) is one of eight districts (''amphoe'') of Prachuap Khiri Khan province in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula in Thailand. Its seat of government, also named Hua Hin, is a beach resort town. The district ...

in Thailand's

Prachuap Khiri Khan Prachuap Khiri Khan ( th, ประจวบคีรีขันธ์, ) is a town in western Thailand. It is the capital of Prachuap Khiri Khan Province and is on the coast at one of the narrowest stretches in Thailand, only from the border ...

province. Shooting lasted about 10 months, with the production team working with local production house

Living Films Living Films is an international film production company based in Thailand. They have produced feature films, documentaries, commercials, and television series including ''The Hangover Part II,'' ''Shanghai (2010 film)'', and ''Changeland''. Its ...

. Filming stopped in late March 2020 due to the

, but resumed in

, England in August 2020 after five-months. Scenes shot upon the resumption of filming were seamlessly blended among existing shots from Thailand, with just minor changes to the script required. According to Jenna Coleman, in multiple TV and radio interviews, scenes taking place in India and France (among other locations) were shot in England due to the production being prevented from filming on location. Later, the BBC Writers Room made the shooting scripts for the episodes available through its online script library; the scripts indicate which scenes needed to be shot in England.

Release

BBC One revealed first look stills of the series in January 2020. A trailer was then released on 17 December 2020. The drama debuted on

on 1 January 2021, followed by Episode 2 a few days later, after which the series settled into a weekly broadcast on Sunday nights. The complete 8-episode series was also released on

iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services de ...

also on 1 January. Both the BBC broadcast and streaming release were available to UK residents only. In early February, the UK version of Amazon began listing a DVD release of the series, available as of 22 February 2021. Netflix streamed the series internationally in April 2021.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the series holds an approval rating of 70% based on 33 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Tahar Rahim's unnerving performance brings reptilian menace to ''The Serpent'', but this uneven slice of true crime is too byzantine in structure and too pat about its central villain's motivations to really get under the skin." ''The Serpent'' received generally positive reviews in the UK. Rebecca Nicholson, writing in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', gave the first episode 3/5 stars, finding the time-hopping plotting unnecessary and confusing, and wondering whether the programme had much to say, while admiring the atmosphere and the 'routinely outstanding cast'. For Euan Ferguson writing in ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'', who admired Rahim and Coleman's acting, ''The Serpent'' was a 'skilful retelling' of the Sobhraj story and one that both pays homage to his victims, while revealing the cultural shortcomings of the flower children. That Rahim underplays Sobhraj's charm was a good thing for Ferguson. However, Rahim's absence of charisma makes it hard to understand how Sobhraj gained a hold over people for Flora Carr writing in ''

The Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'', who gives the show 3/5 stars. Giving the programme 3/5 stars, Ed Cumming in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' found the pace slow and Rahim's acting staying mostly on the right side of the fine line between inscrutable and dull.

James Delingpole James Mark Court Delingpole (born 6 August 1965) is an English writer, journalist, and columnist who has written for a number of publications, including the '' Daily Mail'', the '' Daily Express'', ''The Times'', ''The Daily Telegraph'', and ' ...

in ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' called it "the best BBC drama series in ages", admiring the period detail, superb casting and absence of "unnecessary politics" as well as noting that it might be especially painful for people who could have found themselves in similar scenarios to those that Charles Sobhraj exploited. By mid-point ''The Serpent'' gathers "considerable momentum" according to Trevor Johnson in ''

Sight and Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...

'' reviewing the first four episodes, who goes on to write that the series features an "alluring anti-hero" and excellent score, but is let down by the shallow characterisation of its Thai characters. Rahul Desai of ''

Film Companion Anupama Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist, film critic and director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. She is also the founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion, which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written sev ...

'' called ''The Serpent'' “a refreshing restoration of balance" adding that it "reduces Charles Sobhraj from an image to an individual, a portrait to a person – and most importantly, from a human to a reptile."

(formerly Knippenberg) has said that she was unhappy that ''The Serpent'' had downplayed her role in cracking the case. The journalist

Andrew Anthony Andrew Anthony is a journalist who has written for ''The Guardian'' since 1990, and ''The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', who ...

, who interviewed Sobhraj twice, said that while the series captured his "enigmatic detachment and quiet menace", it misses his more troubling qualities of wit, charm and "a kind of playful sense of self-mythologising". In the Netherlands, one publication noted the inability of Billy Howle, playing a Dutchman, to pronounce his Dutch lines accurately. In Québec and France, it was noted that Jenna Coleman struggled to speak French Canadian accurately.

References

External links

* *
''The Serpent''
trailer from the

...
's YouTube channel {{DEFAULTSORT:Serpent, The 2020s British crime drama television series 2021 British television series debuts 2021 British television series endings 2020s British television miniseries BBC television dramas Television series set in the 1970s Television series by Mammoth Screen Television series by ITV Studios English-language television shows Television shows set in Bangkok Television shows set in India Television shows set in Delhi Television shows set in Mumbai Television shows set in Uttar Pradesh Television shows set in Paris Television shows set in Nepal Television shows filmed in Nepal