Apparitions On BBC One~ Review and highlights
This brand new six part drama series, Apparitions, started on BBC One last night and was as good as the somewhat subdued hype promised. Aunty Beeb hasn’t really made much of a fuss about Apparitions and I think they should have done. It was an excellent opening episode which – if you could suspend your disbelief long enough – brought the principles and story behind The Exorcist into the 21st century.
Apparitions is a hard-hitting story takes us on a terrifying journey into a world of possession and satanic conspiracy. All out war between good and evil is imminent; and it’s time to choose sides.
Martin Shaw stars as Father Jacob, a Roman Catholic priest who’s working to promote candidates for sainthood – and primarily Mother Teresa – but who is inexorably drawn, initially against his will, into the world of exorcism.
The idea for the series came from Martin himself. He’d always wanted to play an exorcist so his idea was subsequently picked up and developed further by Joe Ahearne, one of the creators of This Life, Ultraviolet and Doctor Who.
Tony Wood, Creative Director of Lime Pictures, the company behind the show’s production, said, “Joe Ahearne has created a gripping story of intrigue and mystery which raises as many questions as it answers.
“Martin Shaw is the perfect choice to play the lead role in this bold series, a very different and darker acting challenge to that which the audience will have seen him in before.”
In last night’s first episode we were introduced to the story which is centered on the character of Father Jacob. His job within the church is to promote candidates for sainthood but in his search for miracles, he occasionally sees the hand of Satan and performs an exorcism when it’s required.
Although a reluctant exorcist, he has an undeniable talent for it and his mentor Monsignor Vincenzo, played by Luigi Diberti, wants him to take over when he retires as Chief Exorcist of Rome.
Vincenzo reveals to Father Jacob that his name has come up in exorcisms and that the demons fear him. Jacob refuses Vincenzo and won’t hear of his becoming Chief Exorcist but when 10 year old Donna turns up in his office begging for help, he’s intrigued by what she has to say and is driven in his desire to help her.
Donna is convinced that her dad Liam, played by Shaun Dooley, is possessed. At first, Jacob thinks Liam’s hatred of religion is just popular atheism but as the evidence mounts, and he begins to fear for Donna’s safety, Jacob has to find a way to persuade this militant atheist to consent to an exorcism.
However, while Donna takes up Jacob’s time and attention, satanic forces are in play in Jacob’s seminary and their target is Jacob’s protégé and trainee priest Vimal. Played by Elyes Gabel, Vimal is taunted by a person who appears to be a homeless man, Michael, but Michael is not what he seems to be; he is possessed by a demon and he taunts Vimal constantly.
In 1997, Vimal was miraculously cured of leprosy after he prayed to Mother Teresa, which is how he first met Jacob. But now, Michael tells him that his miraculous recovery and “new skin” was Satan’s miracle, not God’s. And Michael warns that unless Vimal agrees to use Satan’s gift as he directs, it will be taken back.
Michael warns a frightened and deeply troubled Vimal that if he tries to help Jacob in his exorcism of Donna’s father, the demons will reveal Vimal’s secret, which is that he is homosexual.
In the meantime, Jacob confronts Liam after Donna goes to him at the church bearing bruises from where her father – while influenced by his demons – hit her when he found her reading the bible.
It seems at first that he’s persuaded the man to accept exorcism but when Jacob begins the process, the demons possessing Liam make themselves known and tell the Priest that they will claim as their own his trainee Vimal and little Donna unless he stops his interference. Refusing to be cowed by the demons, Father Jacob continues the ritual of exorcism so Liam throws him across the room, leaving him unconscious.
Intent then on carrying out the demonic threats, Liam leaves the house and goes to the seminary where Donna is being watched over by Vimal and the rather skeptical Sister Anne.
Anne does not believe in demonic possession and so when Liam arrives at the gates, Sister Anne ignores Vimal’s pleas not to and goes outside to tell Liam that he cannot see his daughter because he’d hit her and Anne would not allow him to have her back while she’s in danger.
After fruitlessly arguing his point with the Sister, Liam calls the police to report that the Priest abducted his daughter, but not before he shocks Anne to the core by revealing that he knows she beat her brother as a child for urinating in the bath. The shocked Sister is then confronted with the demons possessing Liam as he makes a snarling attempt to attack her through the bars of the gate.
The police arrive and hand over Donna to her mother who is angry that the Priest is giving credence to Donna’s story about her father being possessed. The police urge Donna’s mother not to let her out of her sight but still, she’s unwilling to give any credibility to Father Jacob and Sister Anne who warn her to ensure Liam cannot get near Donna.
After they’ve gone, Vimal explains to Father Jacob that when Mother Teresa was dying, she was attacked by demons and as the boy prayed for Mother Teresa as she passed away, once the demons realised they were thwarted in their attempt to possess her, they instead entered him. He believes that is why he is homosexual and it is why he feels unready to accept ordination into the church.
Jacob patiently explains that his sexuality isn’t the work of demons and that his miraculous recovery from leprosy wasn’t their work either. As Jacob and Vimal pray together, Cardinal Bukovak arrives to tell Jacob that his status as an exorcist is revoked following the incident involving Donna.
He is angered that Jacob insists that Liam is possessed when the Cardinal believes it is a simple case of child abuse, and insists that it is none of the church’s business.
He also tells Vimal that because the church is now aware of his homosexuality, he cannot continue to train for the priesthood. The Cardinal also orders that Jacob’s contact with Monsignor Vincenzo must cease however the Priest will not agree.
Vimal then leaves the seminary, despite Jacob’s pleading with him to fight the decision, and makes his way to a gay bar which he sees as a way to confront, and make peace with, his demons. As he’s sitting at the bar, Michael arrives and continues to taunt the young man and tells him that the church don’t want him, Father Jacob doesn’t want him and he should embrace his demons and stop fighting them.
Meanwhile, Monsignor Vincenzo arrives from Rome to tell Jacob that he must become Chief Exorcist because the demons will be victorious if he does not. At the same time, Donna’s mother is outside hanging washing when the phone rings. Donna answers it and is delighted to hear it’s her father. He convinces her that the exorcism worked and tells her he wants her to meet him so they can pray together but warns that she must not tell her mother he’s called or that they intend to meet, so Donna slips out of the house unseen to meet with Liam.
We next see Father Jacob and Monsignor Vincenzo arrive at Donna’s home as her mother is frantically searching for her. Once inside, Jacob manages to establish that Donna was conceived more or less the moment that Mother Teresa died, which, the Priest tells her, was love-making to celebrate the death of one of the holiest of women. He asks where Donna was conceived and realises that Liam’s demons have made him lure the child there in order to possess her soul too.
Back with Vimal, he’s visiting a gay sauna and is rejected by the first likely partner because of his deformed hand. Vimal has two fingers missing as a result of the leprosy but the next person he encounters is not concerned with his deformity…
In Kensington Gardens, Liam tells Donna that this is where she was conceived. As Liam talks to her, it becomes clear his demons have the better of him and Donna’s fear increases. Just as it seems Liam is going to ‘defile’ the girl, Father Jacob arrives and calls Donna to him before sending her running to her mother. Jacob and Vincenzo then begin an exorcism, with Liam trapped between them and unable to escape. The demons possessing him tell Jacob that they will make Vimal suffer and as they are forced to leave Liam’s body, the man who entered the sauna begins to do exactly that.
Vimal recognizes the man as Michael, the embodiment of the demons who have haunted him for so long, but as Vimal begs him to tell him what he wants from him, it becomes apparent that the demons have come to reclaim the skin they gave the young man.
Michael then literally skins Vimal and leaves his steaming and flayed corpse on the floor of the sauna, just as Liam recovers from the exorcism to realise the demons have left him.
Jacob smiles down at Liam and says, “It’s over” however, as Jacob is soon to learn, it’s anything but over…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have to say, I had expected that the whole concept of this series might have been a bit hard to swallow, given that we are expected to believe that modern day Catholicism and the Priesthood in general are even entertaining the notion of demonic possession, but the fact is, the matter-of-fact portrayal of Jacob by Martin Shaw negated all that.
The acting was first class, the characters rounded and convincing and the special effects, spectacular. The scene where Vimal is skinned alive in the sauna was both nauseating and fascinating and a triumph of special effects.
The premise for the story rapidly becomes very easy to believe thanks to the portrayal of the key characters of Liam, Jacob, Vimal and Michael. Within about ten minutes of the programme starting last night, I lost all my reservations about thinking it was too fantastical to be believed and wholeheartedly bought into the plot.
It was riveting, thrilling and utterly convincing and I can’t wait for next week’s episode. It’s just a pity it’s a whole week away!
Next week, Jacob finds that his exorcism of Liam has been avenged with the butchery of his friend Vimal.
Michael confesses to the crime but Jacob knows that this homeless man was not responsible; it was the satanic forces who possess him who carried out the hideous murder.
However, Jacob realises that the police will never accept possession as a defence and that an innocent man will be put away as a psychopathic murderer while the demon will be free to kill again.
Jacob is intent on finding Michael before the police do, but Michael must himself try to survive the demons who possess him. Satan wants to teach Jacob about the horrors of hell and wants to convert the Priest to Satanism. If however Jacob refuses to listen, his friends will suffer.
Meanwhile, Detective Rachel sees Jacob as an obstacle to her investigation – a priest who thinks psychopaths should be exorcised instead of locked up and Jacob’s boss, Cardinal Bukovak, encourages her view of Jacob as a ‘maverick’.
Liam reluctantly agrees to help Jacob in his search for Michael; he knows that Jacob could have brought in the police when he himself was possessed and threatened Donna.
Michael’s demon responds by threatening to return to Liam and continuing to taunt Jacob, this time with a revelation about his best friend and mentor Monsignor Vincenzo, but can Jacob’s faith be broken?
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an unfortunate and disturbing piece of religious propaganda.
a quite blatant attempt to associate atheism and/or homosexuality with the religious mumbo jumbo of ‘demonic possesion’
completely ludicrous show, Martin Shaw once again shows his ego is too high a barrier, for any acting talent he may possess, to surmount.
the script might have been written by the Catholic church PR department.
I completely agree – it was blatant religious propaganda. I’m surprised they didn’t drag in witchcraft and cackling Satanists as well. Maybe they’re saving those for other episodes?
Martin Shaw should be ashamed of himself for appearing in this dreck.
To the above two posters. Grow a pair.
I’m an atheist/agnostic, and I found the show brilliant. It’s fiction. Seriously, if you can’t enjoy a show just because it doesn’t conform to your world view makes you as ignorant and naive as the people that do actually believe in demonic possession. The show was written by a Doctor Who writer, not a fundamentalist nutjob.
I found it refreshing to see drama on the BBC that wasn’t 100% by the book political correctness. Imagine if it’d gone the way of bonekickers, taking every last opportunity to apologise on behalf of the british, the white man in general and religion. It would’ve been the steaming pile of crap that constitutes most of the Beebs lineup.
In summary, enjoy things for what they are and stop being so arrogant and insecure
Anon. Well said!
Funny! I expected maybe some christians/ catholics might be upset, about: mocking the religion, exorcism not longer being part of the nowadays catholic church; making a wrong image of belief, church & priest. But here we have some Don Quichote’s, fighting windmills of supposed discrimination of homosexuals in Apparitions. If you(bob and sophia8) take this show for a fact(?!):1) didn’t you notice with what respect and compassion Father Jacob spoke to Vimal about Vimal’s sexuality, explaning that it is NOT the work of demons. 2) do you believe in demons, satanic possession, excorcism?
Not me; I believe in good and evil in the way people treat each other, regardless one’s sexuality. And yes, -as I know many homosexuals among family and friends-, I know they often still are discriminated.
But NO: not by this part of Apparitions! It is fiction.
And concerning this fiction-serie I fully agree with both Lynn and Anon (Nov 14th): brilliant, first class acting, thrilling in a under-cooled way. (sorry for my English, I am from “the continent”, but like so much to watch British [crime/ detective]-series).
Hi I think that this is a great program and makes a change from the usual cop programs or medical programs. Sometimes I think people analyse programs too much and actually just forget to enjoy them and take them for what they are drama entertainment, it is after all fiction.
brilliant! a little bit deep,but excellent. Was gutted when silent witness had finished but am really impressed with this program.
ooooooooooooh i loved it – and the second one on last night was brilliant – i am a christian and it scared the hell out of me – no pun intended. First thing on TV for ages where i have gasped out loud. I can’t possibly wait another week for part three.
hi, to the people up top. Almost every programme is PR to some degree, so are you telling us that you don’t tv at all? Im agnostic/atheist but i still watch religious stuff like this. i thought the programme was freakin awesome!!!! even though poor Vimal bit the dust, awww!.
to anyone who bitches bout this programme being religious- you dont HAVE to watch it!
Apparitions BBC 1 14/21 November 2008 Hrs 21.00 hrs
What a wonderful piece of psycho-religious-drama full of over the top kitsch
and “meaningful” acting!
I have never been a follower of Martin Shaw but on this occasion I must say
he and his team and to some extend the BBC for allowing the transmission of
what could be construed as too near the knuckle for the religious fanatics
of this country, have come up with a pearl of dark, evil, threatening,
sinister and shadowy terror. And it seems to include repulsion boarding on
delight, revulsion boarding on pleasure and disgust boarding on enchantment.
My only criticism is that the most beautiful of the member of cast is
flagellated in the first episode having suffered from leprosy and the
hypocrisy of the Roman Catholic Church! Poor Vimal played by Elyes Gabel
should have been allowed to keep his skin on!
Episode two seemed to keep up the shock of it all to great effect.
Looking forward to how the rest of the last four episodes pan out. So far
so good!
Marc Sinclair
does anyone know if and when the episodes are repeated? appreciated.
@ Natas Eno
The BBC are not repeated APPARITIONS but you can view passed episodes via the BBC Iplayer and the web site is as follows hope you enjoy the show Marc Sinclair
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer
I loved it, folk need to remember that this is fiction and there for entertainment. Makes a change for drama with a different theme, I get fed up with the usual detective stuff. This needs to be embraced because it is so over the top!
Talk about hide-behind-the-sofa stuff!! I was terrified and mesmorised at the same time. Fantastic!
Our Father, please forgive the non-believers bob and sophie8, for they know not of what they speak, generally because they have their heads placed firmly up the thing you gave us to sit on. Your servant, Father Jacob, has so far shown compassion, understanding and humanity to athiests, rapists, abortionists, homosexuals and murderers – and as I’m at least one of those I am greatly heartened by this. Thank you for also blessing Martin Shaw with large enough acting kahoonas to flesh out a believable and very likeable character when he could easily have seemed pious and aloof, and for giving him a wonderfully intelligent script and gripping storylines. Now let us all pray for a second series. Amen.
Once again, the BBC have delivered an excellent drama, with it’s usual star performances from it’s leading characters. Martin Shaw shows us his understanding that, if there is great good in the world, so too, there must be great evil!! The programme does dig deep into our sub-conscious and makes us think of things, that perhaps we would not have thought of before. The goodness of humanity, hopefully will always overcome the darkness of evil.
Please, please, BBC – make another series….. EXCELENT!!!
Exellent!! Its just what the bbc needs. Gripping and strangely convincing!! More like this please
I’m really enjoying this series. I’ve only seen two episodes, but they were really tense and I was glued to the TV, which is very unlike me.
As a practising Catholic (practising in the hope that I might get better at it…) I’d say that this is to Christian life what The Bill is to police work, in that all the bizarre things which might crop up in one person’s lifetime are compressed into one episode, so it can seem a bit full-on. But that’s entertainment.
I did initially worry that it might just be seen by non-Catholics as RC propoganda. But for me, it makes a wonderful change from the boring anti-Christian cliches which seem to proliferate. I mean, if a priest or minister crops up in a mystery drama, you can almost guarantee that he / she is some sort of pervert. Repeating that old chestnut is not just boring and biggotted, it numbs us to the seriousness of genuine abuses of power because we feel we’ve heard it all before.
Anyway, back off the soap box!
These shows are improving the balance, and they have plots which you can follow but not always see straight through.
I hope we get a second series – and a third…
Get off your high horses,all of you conspiricy theorist.Religeous propaganda this,pr stunt that! Take it for what it is,a great piece of acting and drama.I for left all the lights on when I went to bed.Great stuff.
TV and film portrayal of or involvement with Catholicism, rarely, if ever, it seems, comes with too much research. Perhaps they think people are ignorant of Catholicism, wont’ notice, and so it doesn’t matter. To list a few mistakes in “Apparitions”.
Fr Jacob uses the Apostolic Benediction reserved to the Pope and delegated by him to priests for persons in periculo mortis.
A seminary chapel would have a tabernacle with the Blessed Sacrament reserved with a sanctuary lamp. No sign of this at all. Every single candle in the place is lit. This doesn’t happen in a Catholic church. Candles are only lit for Mass, or Benediction; (note in ep 5 lit Benediction candles on the High Altar) or some other devotion. Votive candles are an exception.
Fr Jacob is approached by another priest for confession, and he tries to thwart him. Wrong. A nun eavesdrops the confessional, perhaps as we are led to believe, to report to the cardinal, thus breaking the seal of the confessional which is a mortal sin (applies to every Catholic; not just priests)
Fr Jacob confesses on a mobile phone. This is invalid, and would in any case threaten the seal.
In episode 5; a priest is shown elevating a fractured host. This never happens in the rite of Mass. The fraction occurs after the consecration and elevation.
Fr Jacob declares in front of a muslim that he believes that there are many paths to God (including, presumably, lslam); rank heresy which no Catholic; let alone a priest; (especially an exorcist!) could admit.
Fr Jacob is seen standing with his hands behind his back. Priests don’t do that. They’re trained not to at seminary. Or at least, the real ones were.
I could go on, but I’m getting tired.
Apparitions is beyond bizarre. Getting into schizofrenic minds can be interesting, but the twist here is that writers had made schizo-hallucinations real, and reasonable arguments are made to sound nasty. Religious porn.
But then, I read this was written by Joe Ahearne (Dr Who). Though a bit of a SF buff, I could never bring myself to watch that nonsense either.
it is brilliant as is martin shaw in this role
Absolutely brilliant series. I stand in agreement with those that have lauded the fact that the series was a refreshing break from the typical formulas we’ve seen recycled over and over. I sincerely hope a second run is planned.
An above poster (Michael) is correct that there were some inconsistancies in regard to practice and conduct. However, some of the things he mentioned were clearly meant (in the context of the program) to be errors on the part of the characters themselves, and not the writers.
Interestingly, other instances, while not in keeping with the practices of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, are found in its Eastern Rites, the Orthodox Church, as well as other parts of Christendom… It could be the case that, if there indeed was any first-hand research, the exorcists interviewed were likely not Roman Catholic themselves.
I’ve really enjoyed the series,unfortunately I missed the last episode,how can I get to see it?
Thank you Thank you BBC for this brilliant series. Absolutely riveting and very scary. Never missed an episode. I did miss the Beeb’s ghost stories of yesteryear – remember the Signalman? Doesnt Martin Shaw improve with age? He’s so attractive now with his utterly believal portrayal of Jacob; sensitive – a bit “cool” – strong in his faith. It’s easily one of the best performances I’ve seen of him. Michael is terrifyingly brilliant as the possessed homeless guy. In fact I’d say the whole thing is a brilliant piece of casting. Cheri Lunghi reminded me of the creepy housekeeper in the Omen.
I note the criticism (above) of the finer details of the catholic ritual – not being catholic I can’t pontificate on those (ha ha) but I did feel very strongly that on no account would a senior member of the church desecrate a chapel and force a priest to risk his immortal soul – for any reason whatsoever – artistic licence I guess.
The episode last night (Thursday 18th Dec) was terrifying, when Michael sored into the air and that infernal nun! Oh my god its a wonder I slept at all!
Bring it on Beeb – loving it.
L
Seldom have I enjoyed a television series so much that I felt compelled to write to the BBC and commend them for commissioning the series. An absolutely gripping series that was thoroughly entertaining and should be viewed for what it was….I’m guessing that it was never intended to be a factual representation of Catholicism, Exorcism or Satanism!! Congratulations and when can we expect the next series? This kept me going following withdrawal from Spooks!!
did anyone record the last episode on a video recorder?
Sean, you can see Apparitions on http://www.bbc.co.uk and go to iPlayer.
Lynn
Brilliant piece of work by BBC.
The series showed that acting without the use of CGI interventions is still able to keep us glued to our sofas.
we have seen enough “green eyed” blair witch project type filming and mad camera shakes. Bring back the real TV. I am a Christian myself, but the film was not about Christianity or doctrine, it was about the universal internal dilemmas of one’s own yin and yangs. I hope that they will be made available on DVD soon!
BRILLIANT BRILLIANT SERIES
I have to admit being a Catholic myself I watched it to see what all the fuss was about having read the previews and the headlines that went with it!
I was hooked from the first scenes and what a riveting Drama it was. I only Hope that the BBC comission a 2nd Series!! Please BBC! It was a great piece of Drama and Martin Shaw pulled off the Role of Fr Jacob perfectly. Plus it was great to see locations in Liverpool!!
I’ve already pre-ordered my DVD from the BBC shop and cannot wait to relive the drama. Especially Those scenes in the final episode
So Can we expect a second series?
Thanks Lynn but I live in France and cannot watch iplayer.Someone must have recorded it! I tried to but my children changed the sat channel!!!
Great show. I hope there will be a follow up series. Watched it all on iPlayer.
I loved this series. I never liked horrors but Martin Shaw is absolutely gorgeous and I am rivited. Father Jacob is a real hero – just what’s been missing from many recent cynical shows. It’s great to have something hopeful on TV. Well done – more please!
Great series – well done the Beeb. I know there were a few theological discrepancies which I thought were very minor. However, I thought a little more focus on law may have facilitated believability. For example, Jacob seemed to incriminate the satanic exorcist (forgot his name) too easily. It became clear to all that Michael was guilty of these crimes, wouldn’t Jacob be in a lot of trouble?
Looking forward to a second series please!
this is wonderful! i watched it through bbc iplayer and it tookk me two days to finish the series.. fantastic. As a chrsitian i believe in exorcism and demon possession. here the devil is very powerful!(which is ok for a drama) in actual seances He is very scared… but well… keep up the good work beeb!
Really enjoyed this drama but massively disappointed to realise I had missed the last episode while away over Xmas. I was reassured I could catch it again on iplayer only to find now I am home that I needed to see it within 7 days of it airing on TV. No information about when it will be repeated. I am sure it was very popular so surely it will be shown again (please Mister BBC?!) There was an excellent level of detail about what is written in the Bible and about the Catholic faith, which made it frighteningly credible.
Yes I missed it too,am still hoping that some very kind person may have recorded it on video and will let me have a copy!!¬!!!
I’m French and I saw the first 6 episodes of the Apparitions.
You are very lucky with the BBC for this series of high quality.
We in France our TV can not do the series as your own.
Apparitions is excellent.
Wonderful show.
Noted they went into a church in Rome in the final episode. It had a white exterior. When they were inside they where in a sandstone church (actually S. John the Baptist Parish Church, Tue Brook, Liverpool, a beautiful listed building designed by Bodley who designed the Lady Chapel at Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral). S. John’s does not have a crypt so a third location was involved in the production of the episode.
More information would be welcome.
Great show, hope for a follow up, I live in Canada and the only way to see it is trough the bit torrent site. So if anybody miss the last show you can always get it on the web…