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Apparitions (TV series)

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Apparitions
Opening titles
GenreSerial
Created byJoe Ahearne
Nick Collins
Developed byLime Pictures
StarringMartin Shaw
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersCarolyn Reynolds
Tony Wood
Running time60 minutes
Original release
NetworkBBC One
BBC HD
Release13 November (2008-11-13) –
18 December 2008 (2008-12-18)

Apparitions is a BBC drama about a priest, played by Martin Shaw, who examines evidence of miracles to be used in canonisation but also performs exorcisms.[1]

The series is written by Joe Ahearne.

Episodes

Episode 1

First Broadcast simultaneously on BBC One and BBC HD, 13 November 2008 at 21:00

The story begins with the retelling of an old story of a real incident, where a priest prayed for Mother Teresa of Calcutta when she was acting strangely, believing that she was under attack by demons at the time of her hospitalization before her death. Here it is the chief Vatican exorcist, Monsignor Vincenzo, praying for her at her deathbed. The story moves forward to the present day and focuses on an English priest, Father Jacob, who is charged with evaluating the veracity of miracles for the Vatican. There is a congregation - a meeting - in Rome - about the reported miracles supporting the canonization of Mother Teresa, in which testimony from a young seminarian regarding a miracle that occurred in his childhood. A homeless man approaches Jacob as he leaves, saying strange things, then disappearing. The story then shifts to a seminary in London, where a young girl has persisted in asking Father Jacob to perform an exorcism on her father, whom she thinks is possessed by a demon. Her father, a divorced atheist, refuses to admit that he is possessed and agrees to a few prayers with Jacob to placate his daughter, only after much coaxing. As Jacob prays, with Vincenzo assisting over the phone, her father becomes increasingly agitated and angry, physically attacking Jacob, who finally flees, the exorcism incomplete. The father is then confronted by Jacob and Vincenzo in the park and they complete the exorcism, while the demon comments that they "take our miracle with us." Meanwhile, the seminary student, Vimal, a student of Jacob, is haunted by a demon, the same vagrant who spoke to Jacob in Rome, who refers to himself as "we" and keeps threatening to take back Vimal's skin, unless he "uses it". Vimal was spontaneously cured of leprosy, when he was a child, while saying the prayer of Mother Teresa just as she died, (a miracle he had offered as proof of he right to sainthood). But he is visited by the apparition of this demon, and comes to realize that it was, in fact, demons who restored his flesh (the miracle attributed to Mother Teresa). The guilt that he feels over his homosexuality preys on him - despite being a virgin. Eventually, Cardinal Bukovak, the top dog in the British Church and the boss of Jacob, discovers this and expels him from the priesthood. Filled with despair, rejecting Jacob's imprecations to remain and study and talk, Vimal goes right down the tubes, first swilling back lots of wine to build up his courage - and to chat with the demon pal who incites him to "use" his skin or have his leprosy restored, - to visit a cliché bath house, where the demon appears and skins him alive in vengeance as the girl's father is freed of his possession by Jacob and Vincenzo at the same spot in Kensington Gardens where the girl had been conceived at the moment of Mother Teresa's death.

Cast (in order of appearance)

Episode 2

First Broadcast simultaneously on BBC One and BBC HD, 20 November 2008 at 21:00

This episode immediately follows the first episode. The father of the girl has been freed from his possession. However, Father Jacob now realizes that people close to him are being deliberately targeted by demons. The homeless man appears repeatedly, challenging Jacob to a kind of exorcism duel - they shall battle each other for supremacy and see who comes out on top, God or Lucifer. There are puzzles and clues that lead to some amalgam of the Holocaust, hell, heaven, the next Vatican exorcist, the usual stuff. This mystery leads Father Jacob into the past of Monsignor Vincenzo. Meanwhile, Cardinal Bukovak begins to prevent Father Jacob from practicing future exorcisms.

Cast (in order of appearance)

  • Father Jacob: Martin Shaw
  • Sister Ruth: Siobhan Finneran
  • Cardinal Bukovak: John Shrapnel
  • Michael/Astaruth: Rick Warden
  • Monsignor Vincenzo: Luigi Diberti
  • Donna: Romy Irving
  • Sister Anne: Michelle Joseph
  • Sarah: Sarah-Jayne Steed
  • Liam: Shaun Dooley
  • DI Rachel: Stephanie Street

Episode 3

First Broadcast simultaneously on BBC One and BBC HD, 27 November 2008 at 21:00

Father Jacob is called in by Father Daniel to investigate reports of demonic possession in a prison. Father Jacob thinks it may be a case of possession by a saint and not a demon; the first in all of recorded church history. Cardinal Bukovak begins to take a more active role in stopping Father Jacob's pursuit of performing exorcisms.

Cast (in order of appearance)

  • Father Jacob: Martin Shaw
  • Cardinal Bukovak: John Shrapnel
  • Sister Ruth: Siobhan Finneran
  • Michael/Astaruth: Rick Warden
  • Father Daniel: David Gyasi
  • Cory Wardell: Stephen Wight
  • Governor Lassiter: Neil Pearson
  • Kim Portman: Elizabeth Berrington
  • Mrs. Wardell: Linda Holmes
  • Fiona: Mia Fernandez
  • Alessandro Serenelli: Federico Natoli

Episode 4

First Broadcast simultaneously on BBC One and BBC HD, 4 December 2008 at 21:00

Father Jacob investigates two mysterious pregnancies at an abortion clinic. One is a seventy year old woman and the other is a young girl that shows signs of demonic possession.

Cast (in order of appearance)

Episode 5

First Broadcast simultaneously on BBC One and BBC HD, 11 December 2008 at 21:00

Father Jacob investigates when a teenager claims to have visions of the Virgin Mary and sweats blood. The boy's family is Muslim and he is convinced that his father is in Hell and only by forcing someone to do a reverse exorcism can his father be freed from Hell. Father Jacob also learns more about Michael's mysterious past. Meanwhile, Cardinal Bukovak arrives to reign in Father Jacob.

Cast (in order of appearance)

  • Father Jacob: Martin Shaw
  • Cardinal Bukovak: John Shrapnel
  • Sister Ruth: Siobhan Finneran
  • Michael/Astaruth: Rick Warden
  • Monsignor Vincenzo: Luigi Diberti
  • Zaid Kopavic: Jamie Blackley
  • Imam Ahmed: Hassani Shapi
  • Misal Kopavic: Patrick Knowles
  • Sana Kopavic: Brana Bajic

Episode 6

First Broadcast simultaneously on BBC One and BBC HD, 18 December 2008 at 21:00

Now possessed himself and unable to pray, and stalked by Michael (in a reflection of Vimal's haunting in episode 1, only Jacob can see or hear him), Jacob is dragged before an atheist psychologist Dr. Elaine Errison, who believes that his religious beliefs (Christianity not just exorcism) are a kind of mental illness, he flees to prevent those close to him from being hurt. While lying low in a hotel, Jacob is informed by a mysterious woman (evidently a Satan worshipper) that if Father Daniel and/or Sister Ruth (or indeed anyone) attempts to exorcise him they will be killed. In response to this Jacob challenges Satan to have him exorcised so that Satan may destroy Jacob's faith rather than merely blocking his prayers (Jacob uses his continuing love of God as proof that Satan has not beaten him). Rising to the challenge, Satan arranges for Vincenzo to escape prison so that the former chief exorcists may attempt and fail to exorcise Jacob thus destroying Jacob's faith in God's power. However, as this goes on Jacob is possessed by Vincenzo's father and proves that he and Vincenzo's mother and sister are in fact in Heaven, rather than in hell like Satan told him. Now as angry at Satan as he is at God, Vincenzo exorcises Jacob and is struck down by Satan for his defiance. Sister Ruth and Father Daniel meanwhile have studied Bukovak's computer and discover a plot to attack a major ceremony with the Pope present, and now believing in the power of exorcism, they study the prayer of Saint Michael (The most powerful prayer of exorcism available). Now free of his demonic possessor Jacob heads to stop Michael’s plan. Having consumed a Bible Michael enters the church unimpeded. The woman who threatened Jacob previously, reappears wearing a white version of a nuns outfit and attacks Ruth in the catacombs under the church. Ruth is saved when Jacob appears and in the struggle the woman is set on fire. Dr Errison meanwhile appears to disrupt Daniel’s attempt to speak the Prayer of St Michael to aid Jacob in his struggle, claiming Jacob is insane and attempting to use knowledge of the sexual vision of the Virgin Mary Daniel had in episode 3 to break his focus. Despite this he rises above it and throws her out of the chapel. As the flaming demon worshipper enters the church and collapses, havoc ensues and Michael levitates above the room, aiming his pistol at the Pope. With Jacob, Daniel and Ruth speaking the prayer, Michael is vanquished, and in his final moments puts a bullet into Cardinal Bukovak (who’s behaviour beforehand suggests he is in on it), who is subsequently promoted for apparently attempting to defend the Pope. As he departs he makes it clear that he will continue to work to destroy the practice of exorcism, and Jacob implies that he is ready for Bukovak’s efforts.

Cast (in order of appearance)

  • Father Jacob: Martin Shaw
  • Cardinal Bukovak: John Shrapnel
  • Sister Ruth: Siobhan Finneran
  • Michael/Astaruth: Rick Warden
  • Father Daniel: David Gyasi
  • Monsignor Vincenzo: Luigi Diberti
  • Dr. Elaine Errison: Claire Price
  • Girl: Antonia Whillans
  • Woman: Cherie Lunghi
  • Soprano: Josephine Amankwah

Ratings

The figures quoted on Digital Spy for the first showing on BBC 1 (who use Attentional for their ratings data) are as below:

  • Episode 1 (Thursday 13 November 2008): 4.62 million (20.6% of audience share for the time slot) [2]
  • Episode 2 (Thursday 20 November 2008): 2.88 million (12.6%) [3]
  • Episode 3 (Thursday 27 November 2008): 2.71 million (11.6%) [4]
  • Episode 4 (Thursday 4 December 2008): 3.12 million (13.2%) [5]
  • Episode 5 (Thursday 11 December 2008): 3.01 million (14.1%) [6]
  • Episode 6 (Thursday 18 December 2008): 3.08 million (14.5%) [7]

Average for all 6: 3.23 million (14.4%) - down around 25% on the average viewing figures for this time slot (for example, the previous week's concluding episode of Silent Witness got 6.1 million viewers in the same time slot)[7]

References

  • "Apparitions - Episodes from 2008". BBC One Programmes. United Kingdom: BBC. Archived from the original on 20 January 2009. Retrieved 31 December 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  1. ^ Martin Shaw has a devil of a job in Apparitions, The Times. November 8, 2008
  2. ^ Digital Spy Nov 14, 2008 - 'Apparitions' opens with 4.62m
  3. ^ Digital Spy Nov 21, 2008 - 'Apparitions' takes a ratings dive
  4. ^ Digital Spy Nov 28, 2008 - BBC's 'Apparitions' still struggling
  5. ^ Digital Spy Dec 06, 2008 - Matthews 'Panorama' special draws 5.6m
  6. ^ Digital Spy Dec 14, 2008 - 'Little Dorrit' ends run with 4.2m
  7. ^ a b Digital Spy Dec 24, 2008 - Oliver's Xmas special cooks up 3.7m
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