# The Living and the Dead (2016)

> A Victorian psychologist and his young wife confront a string of unsettling events on his Somerset family estate, asking whether they are coincidence or something supernatural.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/57865

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, fantasy, mystery
- Created by: Ashley Pharoah, Matthew Graham
- Network: BBC One, BBC America
- Cast: Colin Morgan, Charlotte Spencer, David Oakes, Chloe Pirrie, Pooky Quesnel, Robert Emms, Joel Gillman, Sarah Counsell
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4928166/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: eerie, melancholic, claustrophobic, slow burn

## What critics say

Audiences rated this period supernatural miniseries positively, praising its atmosphere and gothic mystery while it remains a modest, under-discussed production.

## Synopsis

The Living and the Dead (2016) is a British gothic period miniseries created by Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham for BBC One. Colin Morgan plays Nathan Appleby, a pioneering Victorian psychologist who brings his vivacious young wife Charlotte (Charlotte Spencer) to live on his family's estate at Shepzoy in Somerset. Set in 1894, the six-episode limited series follows a steady run of disturbing cases that Nathan tries to explain through reason, while his wife and the household grow increasingly unsettled. David Oakes, Chloe Pirrie and Pooky Quesnel fill out the cast of the estate. Each episode is built around a new unsettling incident that tests the couple's marriage and the rational frame Nathan relies on, so the central question of coincidence versus the supernatural keeps tightening. The mood is eerie, melancholic and claustrophobic, with grief and lingering loss hanging over the house. Its atmosphere and slow-burn unease will appeal to viewers who enjoy The Haunting of Hill House, Penny Dreadful and The Little Stranger, with the period-drama texture of a Victorian ghost story.

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