Summary
Dark deeds are perpetrated in a 16th-century English monastery in a four-part thriller adapted by screenwriter Stephen Butchard from the first book in CJ Sansom's series of novels. Idealistic lawyer Matthew Shardlake (Arthur Hughes) works for Thomas Cromwell (Sean Bean) and is dedicated to serving justice and the Crown. He is flanked by cocky assistant Jack Barak (Anthony Boyle), who could be a spy for Cromwell. Shardlake is living with scoliosis and is rudely dismissed as a 'crookback' by Tudor society as he carries out his duties. Weathering the verbal abuse, Shardlake and Barak travel to the remote town of Scarnsea to investigate the murder of a commissioner, who was gathering evidence for Cromwell to close the local monastery. The duo are met with hostility and suspicion as they seek answers from Abbot Fabian (Babou Ceesay) and a secretive brotherhood including Edwig (David Pearse), Gabriel (Miles Barrow), Guy (Irfan Shamji), Jerome (Paul Kaye) and Mortimus (Brian Vernel)
