Skip to content
Shardlake… Matthew Shardlake…
Sounds like another awful modern cop drama, but it’s England, 1536. Henry VIII has broken away from the Catholic church, while powerful monstaries are going against reform… Good, they’re a joke party! HA! 😀
A hunchback with a deformed hand, Matthew (Arthur Hughes – The Jetty) is a lawyer send to investigate the murder of an emissary of the King, someone having sliced their head from their neck, putting a bit of a fright into visiting Dr. Goodhap (Matthew Steer – The Ipcress File), who doesn’t want the same to happen to him.
Alas, when it comes to the titular character investigating the death, and working out who did the deed… Well, in the end, you just wish EVERYONE would get bumped off, given how tedious this is.
So, will Goodhap suffer a mishap? It’d save him the pain of having to endure the rest of this, that’s for sure!
And zero awards go to the special FX, for a body so wooden, only an actor from Hollyoaks could beat it!
Additionally, Sean Bean takes the role of Thomas Cromwell… playing Sean Bean, as usual. Gritty BAFTA… Gritty BAFTA… Gritty BAFTA…
Shardlake broadcast on Disney+ in April 2024, then was cancelled after one season. I’m not surprised.
Shardlake begins tonight on ITV at 9pm. It’s available to watch in full on ITVX.
If you want to buy the novels, there’s a 7-Novel Boxset on Amazon.
It’s not yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD, but when it is, it will be listed on the New DVD, Blu-ray, 3D and 4K releases UK page.
Director: Justin Chadwick
Producers: Alma Bacula, John Griffin
Screenplay: Stephen Butchard
Novels: C. Sansom
Music: Alex Heffes
Cast:
Matthew Shardlake: Arthur Hughes
John Barak: Anthony Boyle
John “Jack” Barak: Anthony Boyle
Thomas Cromwell: Sean Bean
Alice Fewterer: Ruby Ashbourne Serkis
Novice Simon Whelplay: Joe Barber
Brother Gabriel: Miles Barrow
Abbot Fabian: Babou Ceesay
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk: Peter Firth
Brother Jerome: Paul Kaye
Master Bugge: Mike Noble
Brother Edwig: David Pearse
Brother Guy: Irfan Shamji
Dr. Goodhap: Matthew Steer
Prior Mortimus: Brian Vernel
Robin Singleton: Michael Rivers
Snook: Ken Nwosu
Old Annie: Hilary Tones
Joan: Kimberley Nixon
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.