# Neverwhere (1996)

> A mild-mannered Londoner falls into a hidden world beneath the city after helping an injured girl, and must help her uncover the truth behind her family's murder.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/12519

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: fantasy, drama
- Created by: Neil Gaiman, Lenny Henry
- Network: BBC Two
- Cast: Gary Bakewell, Laura Fraser, Hywel Bennett, Clive Russell, Paterson Joseph, Richard Leaf, Trevor Peacock, Tanya Moodie
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115288/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: whimsical, menacing, wry, adventurous, eerie

## What critics say

Audiences broadly regard this BBC fantasy miniseries as a positive, imaginative adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel.

## Synopsis

Neverwhere (1996) is a British fantasy miniseries created by Neil Gaiman and Lenny Henry for BBC Two. Gary Bakewell plays Richard Mayhew, an ordinary London office worker whose orderly life collapses after he stops to help an injured girl named Door (Laura Fraser). Pulled into London Below, a hidden city of forgotten people and strange nobility, Richard finds himself hunted by the relentless assassins Mr. Croup (Hywel Bennett) and Mr. Vandemar (Clive Russell), while Paterson Joseph's Marquis de Carabas offers a flamboyant and unpredictable guide. The engine of the six half-hour episodes is a quest: Door and Richard search for the Angel Islington, who holds the key to the murder of Door's family and perhaps a way for Richard to return home. Each episode moves briskly through odd locales and encounters with eccentric characters. Adapted from Gaiman's novel, it is a single-season limited series with a whimsical yet menacing register, blending dark humor, wonder and dread. Fans of Doctor Who, Labyrinth and The Borrowers will find resonance in its mix of British eccentricity and fairy-tale peril.

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