The murder mystery is one of the oldest and most well-used genres out there. So, if you want your story to stand out, you need to find an angle that offers something fresher than the corpses littering the narrative.
For ‘Bodies’, which began life as a graphic novel, the intriguing concept looks to blend Jack the Ripper’s bloody handiwork with a time-spanning story that sees multiple detectives at work on a homicide that has potential political tendrils attached and a conspiracy to boot.
What’s the story of ‘Bodies’?
(Top L to R) 1890, Kyle Soller as DI Hillinghead, and 1941 Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as DS Whiteman. (Bottom L to R) 2023 Amaka Okafor as DS Hasan, and 2053 Shira Haas as DS Maplewood in ‘Bodies.’ Cr. Matt Towers/Netflix © 2023.
Bodies is a police procedural with a twist.
When a body –– the same body –– is found on Longharvest Lane in London’s East End in 1890, 1941, 2023 and 2053, one detective from each period must investigate. As connections are drawn across the decades, the detectives soon discover their investigations are linked, and an enigmatic political leader –– Elias Mannix (Stephen Graham) –– becomes increasingly central. Did he have a part to play in the murder? Or is something far more sinister at play?
To solve the mystery, the four detectives must somehow collaborate and uncover a conspiracy spanning over 150 years.
Amaka Okafor as DS Hasan in ‘Bodies.’ Cr. Matt Towers/Netflix © 2023.
Who else is in ‘Bodies’?
Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as DS Whiteman in ‘Bodies.’ Cr. Matt Towers/Netflix ©.
Who made ‘Bodies’?
Shira Haas as DC Maplewood on ‘Bodies.’ Cr. Matt Towers/Netflix © 2023.
Spencer’s original graphic novel was published in 2015, and was illustrated by Meghan Hetrick, Dean Ormston, Tula Lotay and Phil Winslade.
Paul Tomalin, who worked on ‘No Offence’, ‘Doctor Who’ spin-off ‘Torchwood’ and the UK’s version of ‘Shameless’, is the creator here, co-writing the series with Danusia Samal. And directing are Marco Kreuzpaintner (‘Project Lazarus’) and Haolu Wang (‘Doctor Who’).
The presence of Stephen Graham in particular makes this one more interesting; an actor who has put in great performances on TV and cinema screens, he’s been establishing a reputation that straddles character work and the occasional leading man gig, such as in chef drama ‘Boiling Point’.
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Stephen Graham as Elias Mannix in ‘Bodies.’ Cr. Netflix © 2023.
And we can only imagine the challenge of shooting something that has to span the likes of Jack the Ripper-era Whitechapel, 1940s London, the present day and a post-apocalyptic period where the world is in a perilous state, yet bodies are still popping up.
Despite its London setting, the series was mostly filmed in the North of England, including cities such as Hull, Leeds, Grimsby, Bradford and Rotherham. The first in particular has been a destination for Netflix period adventures, including the ‘Enola Holmes’ movies.
‘Bodies’ will drop its eight episodes on Netflix on October 19th.
Kyle Soller as DI Hillinghead in ‘Bodies.’ Cr. Matt Towers/Netflix © 2023.
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