Monster in our midst

Tom Hiddleston and Claire Danes star in a period drama about the hunt for a sinister sea creature

- CAREN CLARK

Will Ransome

Tom Hiddleston

Aldwinter's vicar wrestles with faith, superstition and temptation as he and Cora look into rumours of a strange serpent.

Cora Seaborne

Claire Danes

The widow is entranced by the scientific world, but rumours of a sea monster in Aldwinter, Essex, draw her into a disturbing conflict.

NEW DRAMA

The Essex Serpent

From Friday 13 May, Apple TV+

Sarah Perry's bestselling 2016 novel The Essex Serpent captivated readers and won huge acclaim with its thought-provoking look at the intense clashes between science and faith in late-Victorian Britain. Now, Apple TV+'s adaptation brings the fascinating story to life.

Set in the 1890s, the six-parter - launching with two episodes on 13 May, followed by a new instalment weekly - centres on the village of Aldwinter in the Essex marshes, where sightings of a bizarre sea creature have allegedly been made.

Cora and will have much in common

REAWAKENING

Keen amateur naturalist and fossil hunter Cora Seaborne (Claire Danes), who has recently been widowed following a difficult marriage, decides to investigate the reports and leaves her London home with her young son and loyal companion Martha to find out more.

Cora is a stranger to herself - she hasn't had an opportunity to realise who she is because she was held captive by this abusive relationship, says Danes, 43, as TV&Satellite Week chats to her via video. But now she shoots to the surface and is a little overwhelmed by this new level of life and engagement?