Spotlight: Neverwhere

Dealing in “What if's” is something of a specialty of author Neil Gaiman's. In his 1996 television miniseries “Neverwhere” he took it to new depths, questioning just what might live in the corner of our eye when we're occupied with everyday boring life.

Richard Mayhew, a caring if somewhat boring chap, is faced with a decision. Does he help a poor injured girl or not? And in that one decision his entire life is changed forever. He is thrown into the dangerous world of London Below and given a quest for which is he ill prepared. He must now deal with angels, rat eating psychopaths, a pompous marquis, a group of enigmatic monks, and a single minded hunter, just to name of few. All because he would not leave a girl named Door to lie bleeding on the streets of London.

Gaiman does his usual fine job of weaving an intricate and engrossing story around characters you really want to read more about as well as those you only want to peak at from under the covers. If the story telling falters in comparison to his written work, I'd say it's from the medium of television and not his ability. (The BBC has come far in the realm of special effects, but 1996 was still not that up to snuff) At times the story can feel a bit rushed, and others, stilted. But again, I feel that is the translation to the visual and not the story in an of itself, which is thoroughly enjoyable.

Having both seen the mini series and read the novelization I'm hard pressed to say which I enjoyed more. Each has its merits. The novelization feels more like the Gaiman I know and love, but the mini series gives us the pleasure of watching some truly great British actors ply their trade. (Peter Capaldi as the Angel Islington is especially worth watching.)

As with most of Gaiman's works, although not strictly Steampunk, there is a general Victorian aesthetic wound throughout the costuming and set design. The series is a visual treat coming out of the late 90's on the BBC, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good fantastical story.

Neverwhere

BBC

1996