TOUCHED BY EVIL

A supernatural serial killer is loose on the streets of Victorian London in Sky Atlantic’s fantasy drama

- Elaine Reilly

NEW FANTASY DRAMA

The Nevers Monday, Sky Atlantic HD, 10.10 pm

Victorian values and supernatural forces collide to thrilling effect in Sky Atlantic’s action-packed new fantasy drama starring Happy Valley’s James Norton and Outlander’s Laura Donnelly.

As the story begins, an otherworldly event in London in 1896 has caused some of the city’s population – mainly women – to develop mysterious powers, ranging from superhuman strength to an ability to control fire.

Almost overnight, the women are branded dangerous and unnatural. Dubbed the ‘Touched’, they find themselves excluded from Victorian society, maligned by the Government, feared by loved ones and a target for sinister organisations.

The series – which consists of 12 episodes, split into two six-episode parts – follows Touched widow Amalia True (Donnelly), who sees glimpses of the future and who runs St Romaulda’s Orphanage, a haven for the Touched, most of whom have been rejected by their families.

Amalia’s ability to see what lies ahead drives her belief that the women must band together and use their gifts to fight encroaching malicious forces. Together with Touched inventor Penance Adair (Ann Skelly), who can see electricity and manipulate its currents, she travels across London rescuing the Touched and bringing them back to the orphanage.