Houdini & Doyle is a new 10-episode series in which two great men of the 20th century – Harry Houdini (played by Michael Weston, an American) and Arthur Conan Doyle (Stephen Mangan, a Brit) – grudgingly join forces with New Scotland Yard, including fictional character Constable Adelaide Stratton (Rebecca Liddiard, a Canadian), to investigate unsolved and inexplicable crimes with a supernatural slant.
Think Murdoch Mysteries, which takes place at roughly the same time; this show’s events happen in 1901 London, England, and Canada. H&D takes a right turn from Murdoch in that it has themes of science vs. religion interwoven in the personal drama. H&D is not strict and serious despite its historical components, but rather light and sprinkled with humour.
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The turn of the century was an exciting time, with new inventions and discoveries changing the development of humanity; loosely based on the real-life Houdini and Doyle, H&D explores their relationship as they face mounting mystery around them. The show features famous historical figures as well as some of the first forays into forensic science.
Global News spoke to series stars Mangan, Weston and Liddiard about the show, what it was like to bring these characters to life and what TV watchers can expect from the series’ first season.
Bosom buddies
Arthur Conan Doyle believes in the paranormal, or rather he doesn’t believe the paranormal is paranormal at all — it is simply undiscovered science — and having lost loved ones, he’s desperate to find a way of communicating with the departed. Harry Houdini, on the other hand, refuses to believe. He thinks everything unexplained is a trick, a gimmick, or a fraud.
Doyle needs Houdini because he knows he has a certain amount of gullibility. And Houdini needs Doyle because he knows he is stubborn, and after all, it is never the close-minded who conceive of new ideas.
“He has a sharp, analytical mind,” says Mangan of his character, Doyle. “He has the very strong belief that there’s something out there. That sounds like the Victorian X-Files, but there it is. That communication with the dead is possible, that there’s a spirit realm. He was anxious to prove this scientifically.”
Weston, who depicts Houdini, says his character portrayal is more of his own take than reality.
“There is very little actual information on him,” says Weston. “There are a couple old movies and very few vocal recordings, but our series isn’t a biopic. The friendship was real in real life, but it didn’t actually happen until several years later, not at the turn of the century.”
“I knew very little of Houdini, to be honest. I only knew of his magician background,” he continues. “He’s an incredible showman who can tap into the psychology of his audiences. There’s mischief and cockiness, undermined by his own sensitivities. He was an infamous mama’s boy, for example.”
These two divergent characters provide a lot of fodder for this show’s rookie season.
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A woman’s touch
Constable Adelaide Stratton, as the first female cop in Scotland Yard, is up against the mother of all glass ceilings. And although she knows more about the new science of forensics than the rest of Scotland Yard put together, she’s relegated to a desk in the basement.
When she’s assigned as the official police liaison to Houdini and Doyle, she knows it’s really to be their babysitter. But she sees if she can properly wrangle the two men, the three of them could make an unstoppable crime-solving team.
“Adelaide is very open-minded,” says Liddiard. “She kind of falls right in the middle. Houdini and Doyle were brilliant minds and very extreme thinkers, and she represents everybody else in this world, who’s moving toward understanding the sciences but also still very engrossed in superstition and religious values. But again, she’s open to all the possibilities.”
And of course, there must be a romantic element when the main cast features two men and a woman — and the actors hint that yes, there might be some sexual tension between the constable and Houdini.
“There is a bit of flirting that happens,” says Liddiard slyly. “Houdini comes from a world where he’s used to dealing with women in a particular way. As soon as he meets Adelaide, she cuts him down to size pretty fast. That relationship turns into more of a strong friendship, as you’ll see. Nothing too romantic. Yet.”
Doyle and Houdini aren’t inclined to work with Stratton, but over time, they warm to her.
“In the story, we’re two really established, two really well-known men,” says Mangan. “Here is some woman who’s breaking new ground in her early ’20s, a policewoman with the metropolitan police, which is pretty much the most masculine environment you can imagine. Her boss is this monster of a guy, and her co-policemen treat her with contempt. So as we get to understand her situation, we feel proud of her and are very protective of her.”
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Both sides of the pond
Shot on location in the U.K. and Canada, the show has multiple beautiful backdrops. Ordered straight to series for Global in Canada and ITV Encore in the U.K., the show will be simulcast on Fox in the U.S.. It’s one of the first TV shows ever commissioned by three separate broadcasters. Each of the countries has their own styles and audiences, so it’s up in the air how each will react. Still, there’s something for everyone.
“I’m the stiff upper lip Brit from the old world, and he’s the brash American showman from the new world,” says Mangan. “We go from the English countryside to the Canadian lakes to the centre of London.”
While it’s not exactly a buddy comedy, there is definite humour that runs throughout the show. Would you expect any less from a Canadian-British production?
“It’s a buddy comedy with a third wheel,” says Weston, laughing. “Stephen and I didn’t know each other at all at the beginning, but as our friendship on- and off-set matured, it came through on the show. The comedy just flowed. We would crack each other up all the time.”
Famous guests
Every week there’s a different crime to be solved by the trio, and the subject matter features a variety of different creeps, from vampires and ghosts to monsters and poltergeists. The cast insists that each episode is substantially varied from the last, so it’s impossible to get into the larger plot without describing a dozen separate storylines — but rest assured, there is one.
Like any procedural, there’s always a bigger-picture story taking place over the whole season.
“Episode 8 was a gothic horror with Bram Stoker, vampires and Dracula, and Episode 7 was more of a psychological thriller,” says Mangan. “So every week, all 10 episodes, they’re very, very different feeling. I think it’s great, because my worry with crime dramas is they just become Scooby Doo, with the same rehashed stories week after week.”
“The show is a lot of fun, it’s an adventure,” says Weston. “The writing is rich and unique, as is the period. It’s fun to see these characters probably as you’ve never seen them, and I think it’ll spur a lot of interest in who these characters were in their real lives.”
‘Houdini & Doyle’ premieres at 9 p.m. ET on Monday, May 2 on Global TV. Viewers who miss the premiere can catch up on ‘Houdini & Doyle,’ following the broadcast, the next day on GlobalTV.com and Global Go.
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