Sky Atlantic HD has quickly established itself as being a platform for outstanding TV.
The channel is the home of cult TV shows Game Of Thrones, Mad Men  and most recently shows such as The Following and True Detective. Its latest offering is Penny Dreadful – a collaboration with US network Showtime – a gruesome show starring Josh Hartnett, Eva Green and Billie Piper.
EF was at the UK premiere, which took place Monday night at the stunning St Pancras Renaissance Hotel. The stars of the show Josh Hartnett, Billie Piper, Timothy Dalton and Harry Treadaway were also present. Following the screening of the first episode and a sneak peek of the second episode the stars took the time to answer a Q&A which revealed that they enjoyed working with each other and found great complicity on the set. After the Q&A we were treated to some nibbles and a free tarot reading. Rest assured we asked what would become of Game Of Thrones and it looks pretty grim…
Creator John Logan had a vision and in his wildest dreams he probably didn’t picture the star cast he managed to assemble! The first episode of the show set the mood for what’s to come and if you haven’t seen it online or in the US then here is what you can expect:
1. First of all expect to be confused! We mean you’ll be very confused. The show kicks off with a few random scenes, gory scenes at that, but none of it seems to really make sense at first. Even by the end of episode one you’re left in the dark. It took us at least 15 minutes into the show before we had the faintest idea of what was going on, this should all change in the coming weeks.
2. Expect lots of gore! There’s a fair amount of blood and guts about in the first episode of Penny Dreadful. Hopefully it carries on that way as we loved the dark shots and bloody scenes the best.
3. You’ll want to compare it to American Horror Story, but what’s wrong with that? American Horror Story has brought horror back onto the small screen and we are grateful for that. There are similarities between the two as they are both horror type shows and the opening sequence is very similar but don’t be fooled Penny Dreadful is very different. From the way it’s filmed down to the script this show is not AHS.
4. Say hello to Josh Hartnett’s bum! Yes the American heartthrob is playing a bit of a player on the show and damn we would bite those tasty cheeks (you’ll think about it too). We’ve been Hartnett closet fans for years and this role seems to be perfectly suited for the rebel actor that hates to conform. If you’ve ever wondered what Josh Hartnett’s rosy cheeks look like then tune in next week as you’ll have the opportunity to find out for yourself (and we really hope it wasn’t a stunt double’s derrière) . If Hartnett’s cheeks aren’t enough then feast your eyes on the full frontal scenes…there are a few!
5. There’s humour here. One of the things that American Horror Story lacks (but doesn’t need) is humour and Penny Dreadful has it! We absolutely loved the sarcasm on PD and the way it was cleverly scripted. This is a psychological show filled with poetry and humour that will make you think.
6. Penny Dreadful is set in London! Yep, the show is set in 19th century London but was actually filmed in Dublin, Ireland. You won’t recognize much (not even the accents) but there’s a sense of familiarity that doesn’t go amiss!
7. There are plenty of secrets! From Eva Green’s character Vanessa Ives’ dark past to Frankenstein’s homoerotic creations there are some questions that we definitely do want answers to. Green’s character seems to be the most alert to the dark world but also the most mysterious. Hartnett’s character Ethan Chandler also has some deep dark secrets and Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway) well he’s just plain naughty! Without giving away too much we can say that Penny Dreadful episode one is a drop in the story’s ocean!
If any of the above tinkle with your TV taste buds then you should definitely tune into Sky Atlantic HD at 10pm on 20th May when Penny Dreadful makes its UK debut. Check out the trailer for the show:
