Death and Nightingales (TV series)

Death and Nightingales (also written Death & Nightingales) is a 2018 television historical drama miniseries, based on the 1992 novel of the same name by author Eugene McCabe. The series stars Ann Skelly, Jamie Dornan and Matthew Rhys. It started broadcast on RTÉ One in Republic of Ireland on 26 November 2018, and two days later in the UK on BBC Two.[1][2]

Death and Nightingales
Title card
Genre	Historical period drama
Created by	Allan Cubitt
Based on	Death and Nightingales by Eugene McCabe
Written by	Allan Cubitt
Directed by	Allan Cubitt
Starring	Ann Skelly Matthew Rhys Jamie Dornan
Composer(s)	Gerry Diver David Holmes
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	3
Production
Executive producer(s)	James Mitchell Tommy Bulfin
Producer(s)	Jonathan Cavendish
Cinematography	Stephen Murphy
Editor(s)	Steve Singleton
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	58 minutes
Production company(s)	Imaginarium Productions Soho Moon BBC Two Films
Distributor	Red Arrow Studios
Release
Original network	RTÉ One, BBC Two
Picture format	2K
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	26 November (2018-11-26) – 12 December 2018 (2018-12-12)

Plot

Set in the countryside of Ireland in 1883, the story follows a young woman, Beth Winters (Ann Skelly), and her struggle to control her own destiny. On her 23rd birthday she decides to escape her limited life and difficult relationship with her landowner stepfather, Billy (Matthew Rhys), with the aid of the charming Liam Ward (Jamie Dornan).

Cast

• Ann Skelly as Beth Winters, stepdaughter to Billy Winters
• Matthew Rhys as Billy Winters, Beth's stepfather and owner of Clonuala
• Jamie Dornan as Liam Ward
• Charlene McKenna as Mercy Boyle, a maid at Clonuala
• Seán McGinley as Jimmy Donnelly, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Clogher
• Martin McCann as Frank Blessing, a friend of Liam
• Michael Smiley as Dummy McGonnell, a mute
• Francis Magee as Mickey Dolphin, a farmhand at Clonuala
• Valene Kane as Catherine Winters, Beth's mother

Production

Jamie Dornan and writer Allan Cubitt, the writer of the series, had previously collaborated on The Fall.[3] The show was filmed in Fermanagh[4] and at Springhill House, near Moneymore in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland [5] Cubbit revealed that the series was a "Brexit warning", saying "we can't afford to go back" to how things were before the Northern Irish peace process.[6]

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by [3]	Written by [3]	Original air date [7]	U.K. viewers (millions)
1	"Episode 1"	Allan Cubitt	Allan Cubitt	28 November 2018 (2018-11-28)	2.73[8][9]
2	"Episode 2"	Allan Cubitt	Allan Cubitt	5 December 2018 (2018-12-05)	1.90[8][9]
3	"Episode 3"	Allan Cubitt	Allan Cubitt	12 December 2018 (2018-12-12)	N/A

Release

Red Arrow Studios distributed the series, and the first episode premiered on BBC Two on 28 November 2018.[2]

Critical reception

The series was met with lukewarm reviews from critics. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 73% approval rating with an average rating of 6.0 out of 10 based on 11 reviews.[10] Gerard O'Donovan of The Daily Telegraph gave show four stars out of five, calling it "the rarest of dramatic gems - one that pushes and challenges understanding - and it's impossible not to be drawn in."[11] The Times' Carol Midgley was slightly more critical, deeming it "a heavy drama with lean dialogue and precious little mirth, but I'm being seduced."[12] Ed Cumming, writing for The Independent, gave the show three stars out of five, writing "The desired tone, I think, is a kind of Ulster version of Deadwood, a creation parable for the problems of the 20th century, but there is a fine line between powerful and self-parodic."[13]

References

1. "Matthew Rhys, Jamie Dornan to Star in BBC Drama 'Death and Nightingales'". Variety. May 29, 2018.
2. "Matthew Rhys, Jamie Dornan To Star In 'Death And Nightingales' For BBC Two". Deadline. May 29, 2018.
3. "Matthew Rhys, Jamie Dornan and Ann Skelly to star in Allan Cubitt's Death And Nightingales for BBC Two". BBC. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
4. Hanna, Aoife. "Here's Why Jamie Dornan's New BBC Drama Will Have You On The Next Plane To Ireland". Bustle. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
5. "Death and Nightingales on BBC2 - What's it about, who's in the cast and when's it on TV?". Radio Times. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
6. Smith, Neil (27 November 2018). "Jamie Dornan drama 'offers Brexit warning'". BBC News. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
7. "Death And Nightingales Episodes Guide and Summaries". Next Episode. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
8. "Four-screen dashboard BARB".
9. "Death and Nightingales opens with 1.9m". Broadcast.
10. "Death and Nightingales - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
11. O'Donovan, Gerard (November 28, 2018). "Death and Nightingales, episode 1 review: Jamie Dornan reunites with The Fall's Allan Cubitt for this haunting new drama". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
12. Midgely, Carol (November 29, 2018). "TV review: Death and Nightingales; Vic & Bob's Big Night Out". The Times. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
13. Cumming, Ed (November 28, 2018). "Death and Nightingales review: Jamie Dornan's cheekbones are more expressive than his expressions". The Independent. Retrieved December 23, 2018.

External links

• Death and Nightingales on IMDb