ETERNAL LAW
PRODUCTION NOTES
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***The information contained herein is strictly embargoed from all press use, non
commercial publication, or syndication until 00.01 on Wednesday 14th December 2012***
ETERNAL LAW
Introduction .................................................................................................................. Page 3
Foreword by Matthew Graham ............................................................................. Pages 4 - 5
Samuel West plays Zak Gist ................................................................................. Pages 6 - 8
Ukweli Roach plays Tom Greening .................................................................... Pages 9 - 11
Orla Brady plays Mrs Sheringham ................................................................... Pages 12 - 13
Hattie Morahan plays Hannah .......................................................................... Pages 14 - 15
Tobias Menzies plays Richard ......................................................................... Pages 16 - 17
Episode synopses............................................................................................. Pages 18 - 19
Cast list ....................................................................................................................... Page 20
Production credits ..................................................................................................... Page 21
Press Contact:
Picture Contact:
Sarah Woonton
Tel: 0207 157 3066
Email: Sarah.Woonton@itv.com
Patrick Smith
Tel: 0207 157 3044
Email: Patrick.Smith@itv.com
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ETERNAL LAW
Eternal Law comes to ITV1 this Winter, created and written by Ashley Pharoah and Matthew
Graham (Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes). Witty, warm and life-affirming, Eternal Law is a highly
original contemporary series with a unique blend of real life grittiness, vibrancy and the magical!
Set in the beautiful city of York, Eternal Law focuses on the two central characters, Zak and
Tom, who are lawyers with a twist – they are angels placed on earth to do good.
Samuel West (Van Helsing, Iris, Any Human Heart) plays Zak Gist, an intelligent yet cynical
angel sent to earth to help a community. Zak’s angel credentials are hidden from public view
and only very occasionally in moments of privacy do we glimpse a dramatic flutter of wings that
will confirm Zak is on earth to help, influence and understand humans as they go about their day
to day lives.
RADA trained Ukweli Roach (Streetdance 3D, Romeo and Juliet) plays Tom Greening, an
eager newcomer who is on earth for the first time. His naivety gets him into scrapes and is a
great source of humour to all around him. Briefed strictly not to become emotionally involved
with humans, but to guide, advise, and comfort, Zak and Tom are both lawyers working for a
local legal firm who deal with gritty, real-life situations as they attempt to prompt humans to
understand the consequences of their actions.
Hattie Morahan (Sense and Sensibility, The Golden Compass, Lark Rise to Candleford) plays
Hannah, the beautiful barrister who tempts Zak to stray from the right path. In the knowledge he
can’t fall in love or he will become mortal and scorned by his own kind, Zak struggles with every
fibre of his being to resist Hannah who truly is the love of his angelic life!
It is a delicious and cruel irony when Zak discovers the woman he yearns for is now in York,
working for old adversary and dark angel Richard Pembroke, played by Tobias Menzies (Rome,
Neverland). Richard is determined to derail Zak and Tom’s challenge of influencing the lives of
humans and will stop at nothing to tempt, taunt and tease at their expense.
Zak and Tom are kept in line on earth by the enigmatic Mrs Sheringham, played by Orla Brady
(Fringe, Mistresses), although we know from the outset that she too has skeletons in her
cupboard. Throughout the series we catch glimpses of ordinary people, who just happen to be
angels going about their day to day work. Apparently, human on the face of it we’re left
wondering how Mrs Sheringham has become caught up in the angelic world!
Eternal Law is a co-production between Kudos and Monastic productions for ITV1. All
episodes are written by Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham who are also Executive
Producers of the drama with Alison Jackson and Jane Featherstone for Kudos Film and
Television. Georgina Lowe produces the drama, and the directors are Adrian Shergold
and Jamie Payne.
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An Introduction to “Eternal Law” By Matthew Graham
If I may, I’d like to tell you a story. This was how it was told to me by my mother.
When I was 2 years old we were both in the garden. Our house was a semi in Rickmansworth,
the gardens in the street running cheek by jowl. Mum was weeding. She heard a voice. It was
calm and clear and urgent but in no way panicky or alarming. In hindsight she realised that she
couldn’t tell if it was male or female.
“Quickly. Look behind you.”
She turned to see little Matty tottering forward, the garden shears open towards his face. Losing
his balance and about to fall! She reached out and prevented me severely injuring or possibly
killing myself. And then naturally she looked to the gardens on either side of us so she could
thank the neighbour who had warned her.
The gardens were empty.
Was that her guardian angel who had whispered urgently in her ear that afternoon? Was it
mine? Was it merely the sixth sense that a mother may have for her child?
We’ll let the theologians, philosophers and Richard Dawkins thrash that one out for now. From
the perspective of a writer, it raises wonderful possibilities and one can not help wondering “what
kind of character would such a guardian be?”
Many, many years later (2008) Ashley Pharoah and myself were discussing “A MATTER OF
LIFE AND DEATH”. A terrific film full to the brim with wonder, romance, imagination and shot
through with a sly and cheeky humour. (“There were some who would think it Heaven to be a
clerk”).
Imaginations suitably ignited, we decamped to the pub – the only sane place to hatch ideas. We
both drank water...that had been thoroughly fermented with hops into beer.
We agreed that a serious, portentous take on guardian angels would draw unfavourable
comparisons to Wim Wenders’ masterpiece “WINGS OF DESIRE”. We wanted something that
tried to emulate the wit and cheek of the Powell and Pressburger picture. That showed us angels
not as luminous, pious beings, disconnected from Human life but as fallible strangers in a
strange land. Baffled by this troubled world yet embracing its treats – the food, the drink, the
crackling hearth. Struggling with big decisions and challenged by unwanted emotions. In other
words, we wanted them to be more like Us.
We wanted it to be a buddy show too. Most good TV dramas are ostensibly buddy shows. So we
created the grumpier, more cynical veteran (Zak Gist) and the wide-eyed ingénue (Tom
Greening) Archetypes to be sure but now archangeltypes...See what I did there?
Suit yourselves.
We took the idea of Heaven as a place of benign rules and laws and based our angelic world on
it. So “God” became “Mr Mountjoy” and our angels became lawyers, moving alongside people
during a harrowing moral crossroads in their lives. Advising, comforting but also prepared to get
though – to admonish and even judge.
And we wanted a love story. Girl meets angel sort of thing. A love story that is forbidden and
comes at an apocalyptic price. All lovers need an obstacle and what bigger obstacle than the
end of the world?
And we wanted an advisor to the advisors – someone to act as a one-person support unit here
in enemy occupied territory. A housekeeper to slap their wrists and stroke their brows.
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And we wanted a villain. Because we love villains. A dark angel with lips that drip honey.
And so a cast of characters was born and we realised that we could let them loose in a
recognisable TV drama format – that of the law show. This would hopefully help the audience
find purchase with a new concept. But “ETERNAL LAW” can not operate as a regular legal
drama. Nor did we want it to. The law stories serve as a mechanism to deliver the characters
and put them into conflict. We needed to dispense with policemen and drawn out courtroom
scenes. This had to be an ANGEL show, not a law show.
US TV series “BOSTON LEGAL” proved helpful in this respect. Ash and I loved the way writer
David Kelley cut to the chase. Client walks in with a problem and BANG we’re in court a scene
later. He knew where the meat of the action was going to lie. Realistic? Nope, not remotely.
Exciting? Yes, very much so. And for those who know it, “BOSTON LEGAL” ends each week
with the two main characters sitting on a balcony – cigars and brandies in hand. And yes we
borrowed that wonderful epilogue. Yes we did. Guilty as charged m’lud.
Except that being angels, Zak and Tom find themselves perched on the top of the York Minster
tower, feet dangling fearlessly over the edge as they marvel and fret at a world in terrible danger
yet still sparkling with love and joy.
“ETERNAL LAW” is pure fancy. It wears its heart on its sleeve. It’s hopefully a steaming mug of
cocoa on a dark winter’s night. But it’s also a love letter from us to a screwed up messy world full
of wonderful things and troubled, maddening, flawed and wonderful people.
As Zak Gist points out, who couldn’t love a world with cheese and biscuits?
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Samuel West
plays Zak Gist
With a career spanning over 20 years, Samuel West has established himself as a respected
stage, film, and television actor, and theatre director. His television and film credits range from
playing King Caspian in the BBC’s The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and the Voyage of
the Dawn Treader in 1989, to more recently, starring in Any Human Heart, Poirot, and Law &
Order:UK. He is also in the upcoming feature film Hyde Park on Hudson, directed by Roger
Michell, playing King George VI.
In Eternal Law Samuel plays veteran angel Zak Gist. Here Samuel explains how he took on the
challenge of playing a guardian angel, Zak’s emotional struggle against his love for Hannah and
what it was like working with newcomer Ukweli Roach.
What drew you to Eternal Law?
Ashley and Matt have an extraordinary track record. I was very excited by Life on Mars and I
thought anything they were writing, even though it sounded like a high concept drama, was likely
to be deep as well as exciting.
How would you describe Eternal Law?
Angels who are also lawyers, it sounds like two different series crashing head on, but it doesn’t
feel like that. If you say that there are angels on earth and they all do lots of other jobs – there
are angel taxi drivers, angel lawyers and angel doctors - then it makes more sense.
I think the structure works in two ways, it allows you to say very interesting things about another
species, a species that is sort of human but not quite, but most importantly it allows you say
important things about humanity and to have big arguments about things that matter, like love
and hate, death and war, and right and wrong. Whether you believe angels exist and they’re
keeping an eye on you, or whether you think they’ve been invented to remind us of the best
things of ourselves, there is a reason why they run through the literature for hundreds, in fact
thousands of years. It’s pretty exciting I think.
Zak is a guardian angel. How did you approach playing this role?
I’m an atheist and I don’t mind who knows it. I think of it more in terms as a different species –
I’m a very keen bird watcher and when I meet a new species of bird I look at it and think, ‘your
behaviour is a bit like another species I know well but it’s not it’s your own’. So playing an angel
- even one in human form – I’m really tapping into something which is quite alien. It’s meant to
put you in touch with feelings, abilities, qualities of wisdom and long service and goodness.
I went back to Christmas carols as they’re full of references to angels. In The Little Town of
Bethlehem there is a verse, ‘while mortals sleep the angels keep their watch of wondering love’.
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‘Wondering love’ is a brilliant way to describe how the angels are depicted in this series, and
through history in terms of their attitude towards humanity; they are loving, a sort of all loving.
The extraordinary thing that angels learn when they look at humans, is that having been born the
only thing we know is that we’re going to die; yet we continue to want to love and reproduce and
make the best of our time and every time we get knocked down we get back up again. When
you put that into a series it teaches us about our best qualities as a race. The way we love, that
desperate fast way we love. The angels look at humans and say, ‘wow – they’re incredible and I
want this, I know I only get a few years of it but I want it because it’s just so incredible’. There’s
something about playing an angel and admiring this race that’s really quite inspiring.
How would you describe Zak?
He’s a grumpy angel. He is meant to have access to reserves of calmness, wisdom, bravery and
hold a balanced view, and he also cares deeply about making a success of things. He’s a bit like
a tough uncompromising cop who isn’t afraid to break the rules; and it would be no fun having an
angel who was just a goody goody.
Tom is a very wet behind the ears angel who has literally just come out of the choir and as
Richard says “they’re sending me altos”. Although Tom turns out to be a wonderful angel and
somebody we learn a lot from. But Zak is not like that.
How does he view Tom?
Absolutely as a nuisance to start with! Tom is a complete rookie, he’s useless, he doesn’t even
know how to eat a banana! He’s read all the books but book learning is no substitute for
experience of the world and in some cases he’s absolutely dangerous, he’s always charging off
into battle and titling at windmills, doing things for the right reasons at the wrong time. But
despite all these misgivings I think Zak turns out to be very fond of him.
Did you enjoy working with Ukweli Roach and the other cast?
Although Ukweli is only just out of drama school he’s enormously experienced for his age and he
went to a fine school, he’s really top. I knew Hattie and Tobias previously from the theatre. It’s a
really fine cast, and the supporting cast is without exception incredible.
Can you describe Zak’s relationship with Hannah, played by Hattie Morahan?
Zak’s feelings for Hannah run through everything, his whole being. We learn that he knew
Hannah in the past. He was in love with her to the extent that he was almost prepared to give up
his wings and become mortal until Mr. Mountjoy persuaded him otherwise. Because there is a
sense, although it’s only an undertone, that the world is reaching a bit of a breaking point and
that the number of angels has reached a dangerously low point. Zak has to think of the bigger
picture, humanity en mass. So Mr. Mountjoy persuades him that in order to love Hannah best he
has to go back to the earth and make it beautiful for her and save it. When he arrives he meets
Hannah immediately and thinks Mr. Mountjoy is testing him.
The great thing about playing an angel is that you’re sort of a spy, you’re undercover. If anybody
knows you exist you’ve failed. Hannah doesn’t know who Zak is. Their relationship is not like a
classical love story in that you think, ‘If only she knew that he was really the same person then it
would all be alright’, because of course it wouldn’t. It would completely mess her mind up, blow
Zak’s cover and jeopardise the safety of the whole project and ultimately the whole earth. So
you’re playing a love scene and you think, ‘what’s at stake?’ Ultimately the whole planet – no
pressure!
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Did you enjoy filming in York?
Filming in York was such a pleasure. York is an incredibly welcoming city. It can be very
disruptive to do a major series in the middle of a city that small, but we felt very welcome and it
was beautiful in every sense. The city is a major character in the drama.
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Ukweli Roach
plays Tom Greening
Rising star Ukweli Roach trained at RADA before finding fame through Streetdance 3D and
appearing in Shakespeare’s Globe: Romeo and Juliet as Tybalt. He also stars in feature film,
One Day with Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. Ukweli is currently filming Starlings for Sky
One, written by Matt King and Steve Edge and produced by Baby Cow.
In Eternal Law Ukweli takes on the role of Tom Greening, an eager newcomer on earth for the
first time, working with fellow angel Zak Gist (Samuel West) as lawyers for a local legal firm.
Here Ukweli explains why he’s nothing like his character, what it was like wearing wings and his
encounter with a possible guardian angel when he was a boy.
How would you describe Eternal Law?
Eternal Law is an exciting blend between the legal and the supernatural, action and
relationships. It’s about reconciliation and redemption and trying to find the good in every person
in every situation.
Tell us about your character, Tom?
Tom is a rookie. It’s his first time on Earth; he’s never been sent on a mission and he’s never
been in a position of this kind of responsibility or power. So there’s a lot for him to still discover
when he comes to this planet. He’s very pure, he’s very innocent and he’s very good-hearted
and good-natured. But at the same time he’s got a lot to learn about himself and about human
beings.
Do you share any similarities with him, or are you quite different?
We don’t share many similarities, which is one reason why it was so fun for me to play. Although
Tom is quite a lot different from me as a person it was really nice to play someone that innocent.
I like his openness, the fact he jumps into everything head first because he’s so inexperienced,
whereas a more experienced person would have a more cautious nature, or be more wary. Tom
has no barriers, which can often get him into trouble, but it’s a real rare quality that you don’t see
a lot other than in children.
What attracted you to the drama?
When I read the script I thought it was a really interesting premise and an interesting story. I
wanted to know what happened next to the characters, especially Tom. His innocence, his
openness and his potential interested me. He’s a bit of a bumbling buffoon at the beginning,
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making mistakes in a very sweet-natured way, but his potential and talent suddenly appear out
of nowhere. I think that makes him much more of a three dimensional character.
What is Tom’s relationship with Zak and Mrs Sheringham?
Tom looks up to Zak immensely. To him, Zak is the cool, hardened, grizzled veteran who knows
everything. Tom sees Zak as his dictionary on the world. We know that Zak may not be the best
person to get advice from all the time but to Tom, he is.
Mrs Sheringham is very much a mother figure to Tom. Tom has a very childlike quality and
obviously being an angel and not having a mother, Mrs Sheringham fills the void. When things
aren’t going so well with Zak, or if both are misbehaving, Mrs Sheringham is there to put her foot
down. Plus, she also has an insight into their world. Mrs Sheringham is there for guidance and to
be the bridge between the heavenly imperial world and the human world.
What was it like wearing the wings for filming?
When I first saw them I was so excited. I think they will look incredible on screen. Putting them
on made it easy to feel majestic and grand. They are not as heavy as you would think, for the
size of them they are actually quite light. After a while if you’re doing a lot of movement, such as
in one scene when I had to run through a field wearing them, they start to get uncomfortable, but
that’s to be expected.
Do you believe in guardian angels and have you ever had an experience?
An angel is a messenger, someone who tells you something. I do believe in angels, if we can
call them that, but as to whether they come in that form, with fluffy wings, who knows?
I don’t know if I can say I’ve ever had an experience with angels but there have been times
where things have happened I can’t explain. Once when I was a child I was lost at the Notting
Hill Carnival and it was very late. I didn’t know what to do until a man appeared from nowhere
from the crowd. There was no way he could have known I was lost and didn’t have a way to get
home, but he asked if I needed a Travelcard. It was the exact Travelcard I needed. It’s one of
those things that could have been an extreme coincidence but he approached me in a crowded
place when he couldn’t have known I was lost and had to get home. It was very strange..!
We learn Tom is a chorister, do you sing in the drama? Or use your dancing talents?
I didn’t have to do any real singing but there are a few moments where I hum and sing to myself,
nothing that demanded any technical training! I do a little bit of dancing in the drama, which they
thought would be fun to throw in.
Did you consider a career in law before you began acting?
It’s a strange coincidence but just after I finished my A Levels I applied to study law at Queen
Mary’s University. I didn’t do it because I decided I wanted to be an actor and moved on.
Part of the reason I wanted to be an actor was because I could never decide what I wanted to
be. I’ve wanted to be everything at some point. As an actor I’m able to become, for a short while,
each of those things and experience them.
I always enjoyed acting at school but it was only when I was 17 that I decided I wanted to be an
actor. When I was 18 I applied to RADA and got in. My parents fully support me with my acting.
My dad is a preacher and he also tutors, and my mum is a social worker.
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What was it like filming in York?
York is a perfect depiction of the drama. It’s a very modern city but is very rich in history and
culture with its cobbled streets, old buildings, and cathedral. Gradually over the three months we
shot almost everywhere. When we weren’t filming we got to explore. I walked around the city
walls and went on a boat ride down the river, the York Dungeons and the Jorvik Viking Centre.
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Orla Brady
plays Mrs Sheringham
Irish born actress Orla Brady is well known for her role as Siobhan Dillon in the BBC’s
Mistresses. She has also starred alongside Kenneth Branagh in the critically acclaimed
Wallander, Sky 1’s Strike Back, and in the US drama Fringe. Orla is currently filming Sinbad for
Sky 1 directed by Colin Teague.
In Eternal Law Orla takes to the screen as former angel, Mrs Sheringham. Here she admits why
she was attracted to this new role, and why she is in love with the city of York.
What makes Eternal Law unique?
Eternal Law plays with the idea that if we could look past most people's behaviour, the
aggressive, the ungenerous, the surly, we would see the insecurity and fear that causes it. We
would see the essential goodness in people.
Who is Mrs Sheringham?
Mrs Sheringham works with Zak and Tom. As a former angel her perspective on the world is
quite a bit more understanding than most. She does not let bad behaviour ruffle her, but rather
tries to understand why someone is behaving that way. Equally though, she will not let bad
manners go without comment. She is strict but fair..!
What’s her relationship like with Zak and Tom?
She is somewhat maternal with Tom, as he is young and she can see he is a little lost and lonely
on his first outing to earth. She and Zak are more like very old friends; they are comfortable
together, companionable, tolerant and kind. But she also finds him frustrating at times with his
occasional cynicism and frequent rule-bending.
What attracted you to the role of Mrs Sheringham?
I was attracted by the idea of playing a character who doesn't have a clearly defined place in the
world and who is trying to carve one out, trying to have a useful life, feel some sense of
achievement. I liked that Mrs Sheringham is without husband or children and that her sense of
fulfilment lies elsewhere.
Do you believe in guardian angels?
A belief in guardian angels was standard stuff for a Catholic seven year old; the comforting
notion that you have your own personal heavenly being who will look out for you. My belief didn’t
last long after this age, although I know there are people who continue to believe they exist. I
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now believe that we only have ourselves and we can be 'angels' or 'devils' depending on how we
treat each other.
What was it like filming in York?
We worked in a beautiful old hospital, which was yards from the front of York Minster. Our
dressing rooms looked out at the Minster and we could hear the bells pealing all day. We could
walk to set which was frequently a busy street in York. Unlike any public place I have worked
before, the people who live and work there were very welcoming and accommodating in spite of
the obvious disruption that filming causes. It was ....heavenly(!)
Did you enjoy exploring the city?
I loved being in York. I lived in a sweet little cottage behind York Minster and cycled to work in
the mornings listening to the wonderful bells ringing out. It truly felt like stepping back in time. I
shopped at the outdoor markets, cycled out along the river on days off, lit a fire in the evenings
and sat down to read. Plus there are cake shops. Oh the cakes shops! The original being
Betty's, which again is a welcome step back to a time when no-one asks you to queue up for an
overpriced coffee in a paper cup. Rather they elegantly sit you down, welcome you....and that's
before we even talk about the cream cakes.
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Hattie Morahan
plays Hannah
Daughter of theatre and TV director Christopher Morahan, Hattie Morahan’s acting career has
seen her on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company and in productions such as Stoppard's
The Real Thing and David Hare's 2011 play Plenty. In television she starred as Elinor in Andrew
Davies's BBC adaptation of Sense and Sensibility in 2008, Agatha Christie’s Marple, Lewis, and
sitcom Outnumbered.
In Eternal Law Hattie plays Hannah, a barrister who has come to York for work, but whose
presence has a deep emotional effect on Zak. Here Hattie reveals a little more about Hannah
and Zak’s relationship, her personal experience in a court room and why she thinks York is the
sixth character in Eternal Law.
How would you describe Eternal Law?
It’s about big ideas, human versus the divine. I think it calls into question how we live our lives as
human beings and the choices we make - following one’s heart, what’s important, duty versus
heart and trying to be a good human being. I hope audiences find it entertaining and that people
engage with the characters and the dilemmas they face.
What drew you to the drama?
I thought the script was so unusual, I just loved Matt and Ashley’s take on it and the cocktail of
having this lovely supernatural element with the legal. They were not afraid to think big. The
stories are funny, they made me laugh, but they are also very touching. I was thrilled when I got
offered the part and Hannah was lovely to play.
How are we introduced to Hannah and what is her relationship with Zak?
Hannah has a back history to the plot as it happens, and this history is with Zak, one of the
angels. The delicious twist is that there is a love story in the past, and both of their hearts were
broken because she fell in love with an angel, he fell in love with her, and that’s not supposed to
happen. She didn’t know he was an angel and as far as she was concerned he vanished several
years ago, without a trace. She’s been trying to get over that, and when we meet her she’s at a
new starting point in her life. When she meets Zak again she doesn’t know it’s her lost love
because he looks different. She’s in the dark.
As a barrister Hannah is ambitious and determined. She’s put her working life to one side for
three years because of what happened in her personal life and she’s now determined to really
make a go of it.
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What is Hannah’s relationship with Richard?
She doesn’t have any friends in York and she’s trying to make sense of these new people and
trying to work out who are her allies and who she can trust. She ends up working for Richard,
who we realise is not quite as he seems. She reads his attitude as being a pretty ruthless cutthroat barrister. She’s the sort of person who tries to see the good in people, even Richard, and
they get on, so she’s open to who he is and tries to see the good in him regardless.
Can you relate to her in any way?
To have made it as a barrister Hannah is probably more ambitious and determined than I am.
She has to be competitive in that world, and very bold to stand up in court and think on her feet.
That was quite a leap for me and really lovely and exciting to play. In terms of the human
relationship, I can relate to her because she’s someone who tries to find the good in people, and
I think that’s something I try to do.
Have you ever considered a career in Law?
I have to say nothing would want to make me be a lawyer, just the workload is astonishing! I’m
full of admiration for people who do it and I find it a really interesting world. But I don’t think I
have what it takes.
I had to do Jury service once on an assault case and I was absolutely engrossed in the whole
process. I was fascinated by the interplay of the two advocates and the judge and the status
games that they played. Being on a jury, I was interested, but also rather shocked and
depressed, at how much people’s impressions or decisions were drawn from the heart rather
than the head, or by making visual judgements or, just like in life, being swayed by body
language, or by how people present themselves. I think that is why barristers are so influential. If
you can persuade by the force of your personality, or your reason, the jury is susceptible to that.
It’s so arbitrary what group of twelve you’re going to have. You realise as a system it’s innately
floored because it’s human, but equally I can’t think of a better one because at least it feels that
there is a system and the case is going to be debated and discussed.
It’s really interesting being involved in this series and understanding how it works and the
machinations that the lawyers have to go through. You realise it’s just story-telling, it’s taking
information and presenting it in a way to make people think.
Do you believe in guardian angels, or anything similar?
Personally not at all, but it’s a lovely idea. The only spiritual feeling I have is that, if somebody
has had a great influence on one’s life but they are no longer around, just the memory of that
person, imagining them watching you or guiding you, is absolutely valid and a huge part of what
it means to be human and what it means to be loved.
What was it like filming in York?
York is a lovely city. I didn’t know it at all before filming started but I’d heard it was very beautiful.
We felt very lucky especially over the summer, the people are incredibly friendly we did a lot of
scenes filming outdoors and the people were patient and helpful, curious and interested.
York is the sixth character in Eternal Law. It’s steeped in history, which helps in terms of the
timelessness of the main angelic characters who have been coming to Earth for thousands of
years. It’s also a very magical place full of real gems and special places to eat and visit. I visited
a couple of galleries and walked around the city walls. One day we all went to Whitby Bay and
had fish and chips by the sea. Yorkshire is absolutely stunning.
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Tobias Menzies
plays Richard Pembroke
International film and TV actor Tobias Menzies achieved acclaim for his role as Marcus Junius
Brutus in the television series Rome. His film credits include Casino Royale, Atonement and
Forget Me Not. More recently he’s featured in television dramas The Deep, Any Human Heart
and The Shadow Line.
Tobias plays dark angel Richard Pembroke in Eternal Law, an old adversary of Zak’s who is
determined to obstruct Zak and Tom in their ultimate quest of influencing the lives of humans.
Here Tobias talks of his character’s delight in taunting, teasing and causing mayhem and
working with writer’s Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah.
What is Eternal Law?
Eternal Law is about angels and devils, and cheese and biscuits; essentially it’s about the
supernatural and the domestic; it’s angels (good and bad) meddling in peoples lives while
masquerading as lawyers. It’s about love and English-ness and a god called Mr. Mountjoy.
Eternal Law is an unusual beast, and I hope audiences enjoy it. If it gets them thinking about
right and wrong so much the better.
Did you enjoy working on a drama written by Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah?
Matthew and Ashley's writing has real imagination and flare, and they create characters who you
can really run with, be bold with. I enjoyed working with them very much.
How would you describe Richard and do you share any similarities?
Richard is a fallen angel and he delights in putting a spanner in the works. He has known Zak
forever and a day (literally as they are immortal), and they are old friends and bitter enemies. As
for whether I share any similarities with an amoral, ruthless, charming, psychopathic, alcoholic,
womanizing servant of beelzebub, well, let's just say...yes.
How do you feel about playing an evil character?
Well they say the devil has the best songs, and he certainly had the best lines. Playing an evil
character is fun, you get to say and do things that are tricky to get away with in real life.
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Can you explain Richard’s relationship with Zak and Tom?
We are all lawyers, and we're all angels. But we are on opposite sides of the fight. Zak is an old
friend and rival, we've grown up together, Zak has just always been there being over-earnest
and pompous, but that's Zak. If he wasn't there you'd have to invent him. As for Tom, Richard
sees himself in Tom's precocious talents and in his questioning spirit.
And Hannah?
On one level they're colleagues, he's her boss, but Richard also uses Hannah as a pawn in his
on going battle with Zak and Mr. Mountjoy.
Do you believe in guardian angels?
I don't believe in guardian angels, sadly, I have a horribly literal and mechanistic view of the
world. But I like the idea of them, it would be nice to have someone looking out for you, someone
like Richard Attenborough, just keeping a weather eye.
Have you ever considered a career in law?
I’ve never considered a career in law. But my brother did, he works in banking law, doing the
legal side of financial deals and is a solicitor as opposed to a barrister like Richard. I think I
would make a very poor lawyer!
Have you ever worked with any of the cast before?
I knew Samuel, I once did a play at The Crucible in Sheffield when he was artistic director there.
Weirdly I was actually at school with Hattie, though a few years ahead of her. Orla is a friend and
it was delightful to work with her again. As for Ukweli, I didn't know him before the job, but once I
got to know him I wanted to BE him, that kid is cool...
What was it like filming in York?
I loved filming in York, I walked to work everyday through its cobbled streets and the production
offices were in the shadow of the glorious Minster, which I never tired of watching change colour
as the light and clouds shifted. We also had the great privilege to shoot inside York Minster, and
I hope we do it justice. I'm a walker and whenever I had time I made it out to the moors which
are breathtaking.
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Synopses
Eternal Law Episode One
Zak and Tom arrive on earth, they are angels with a mission – to put things right and help the
community. They do this in the guise of lawyers, making sure justice is done.
Tom is young, naive and enthusiastic as he’s never been on this planet before, but Zak is older
and more cynical having visited numerous times over billions of years.
Mr Mountjoy ‘God’ expects certain things from his angels, one of them being commitment to their
task and any relationship with a human which could interfere with this is strictly forbidden.
It seems a cruel coincidence that the first woman Zak lays eyes on is Hannah, the woman he
couldn’t help but fall in love with last time he was on earth. Mr Mountjoy tore them apart and
now it seems Zak’s commitment is being tested.
Zak and Tom arrive in York and are greeted at their new home, The Belfrey, by Mrs
Sheringham. Her role is to assist the angels and keep them in check.
The three of them head out to the market and Zak spots Hannah again. Now he refuses to
believe this is a coincidence – he’s being tried.
Zak’s attention is diverted from Hannah when suddenly there is a shooting. The victim is a
groom, David, on his wedding day, and his wife, Lucy, is distraught. Seconds later another
bullet is fired, this time Hannah is shot and Zak rushes to her aid. As Hannah, close to death,
looks into his eyes there is a hint of recognition.
Midway through the commotion, Sean, who had previously been standing watching the wedding,
is found up on a rooftop with a gun. Zak and Tom know this will be their first case and Tom is
looking forward to sending Sean down. However, Tom is alarmed when Mrs Sheringham
informs him that he and Zak are to be defence council for Sean.
Later on, Zak goes to visit Hannah in hospital and asks what she was doing in York. She tells
him she was on her way to an interview to be a junior tenant at Jerusalem Chambers, which is
where Zak works. Knowing he can’t be around her, Zak lies that the position has been filled,
leaving Hannah devastated and, unbeknownst to her, Zak even sorrier.
Back at The Belfry, Mrs Sheringham, Zak and Tom research the case and discover Sean is a
single father who was released from prison a week ago after a two year prison sentence – he
caused death by dangerous driving. At the time of the incident his partner was Lucy, today’s
bride, and she was ultimately responsible for putting him behind bars, as she gave evidence
stating he was drunk behind the wheel. Was the shot aimed at Lucy? Or was David the
planned target?
Zak and Tom go for a drink and meet Zak’s nemesis, Richard, who will be prosecuting the
council. Richard is a bad angel on the opposing team in every way. Tom is horrified by the evil
Richard possesses.
The following day the court case commences, but will good win over bad…?
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Eternal Law Episode Two
Zak and Tom are approached in court by six year old Hal Fenwright who asks them to help his
dad. His parents are fighting for custody and Dave Fenwright is distraught at the prospect of
losing his son.
Dave is separated from wife Jenny. The couple discovered they couldn’t have children and
adopted Hal, but Jenny struggled to cope, had a breakdown and left the family home. Now that
Jenny is recovered she’s back to claim custody of Hal and wants to fight to the bitter end.
Unable to say no to Hal, Zak takes on the case. He and Tom arrive at court eager for action but
trouble begins when Zak discovers Jenny Fenwright is being represented by Hannah, who is
now working for Richard at Pembroke Chambers.
Zak freezes, he hoped Hannah had left York, but now she’s working for his enemy. Richard is
delighted by Zak’s reaction and takes pleasure in telling Zak he can no more resist Hannah than
a moth a flame.
Later Mrs Sheringham warns Zak to get a grip; they need to win this case. Zak tells Tom to
research character witnesses, and Tom goes in search of Anna Atkinson, the woman who
granted Hal’s adoption to Dave and Jenny years earlier.
As court looms, Hannah tries to get Jenny and Dave to talk reasonably. But the exchange
becomes hostile and Jenny and Dave have to be restrained. Hannah is puzzled and intrigued by
Zak’s unorthodox methods of dealing with clients.
Later, when Dave is busy cooking Hal accidentally burns himself on the iron in the next room.
Dave rushes Hal to hospital and his relieved to learn the burn isn’t serious. In the court hearing
the calculating and devious Richard, advises the judge that Hal is taken into foster care for the
remainder of the trial because of his injury.
Meanwhile, Mrs Sheringham accompanies Tom to visit Anna Atkinson. She tells Anna that Hal
needs her help. However, Anna becomes upset and refuses to help. She retired from the
adoption agency because she was overwhelmed by other people’s misery.
As Zak starts to feel defeated, Hal reminds him that he promised to help. Zak asks him why his
dad cried when his mum left and Hal reveals, “because he loves her.”
In sudden desperation Zak asks the judge for an adjournment saying Hannah requested it.
Hannah’s furious but Zak tries to reason with her that it’s love, not hate that’s the answer to this
case. Zak must find a way to appeal to Jenny and Dave in a bid to keep the family together. But
with the case almost at a close and Richard keen for him to fail, will Zak manage it in time?
Meanwhile, Zak finds it hard in the presence of Hannah and admits to Mrs Sheringham he thinks
he has to be with her, no matter the costs.
And an unexpected delivery arrives at the Belfry from Mr Mountjoy. On closer inspection Zak,
Mrs Sheringham and Tom discover the strange green box is the doomsday clock from the
Cuban Missile Crisis that once sat in the Kremlin and ticked down to Armageddon. By why would
Mr Mountjoy have sent it to them?
***For further episode synopses please contact the ITV Press Office***
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Cast Credits
Zak Gist .............................................................................................................. SAMUEL WEST
Tom .................................................................................................................. UKWELI ROACH
Mrs Sheringham ..................................................................................................... ORLA BRADY
Richard ........................................................................................................... TOBIAS MENZIES
Hannah ......................................................................................................... HATTIE MORAHAN
Episode One
Sean ............................................................................................................... PAUL WOODSON
Harry ................................................................................................................. SIMON HARVEY
Ruby ......................................................................................................... LAUREN SHERISTON
Lucy Orchard ............................................................................................ SOPHIA DI MARTINO
David.................................................................................................................... OSCAR FINCH
Judge ..................................................................................................... TOM LLOYD-ROBERTS
Episode Two
Dave Fenwright ............................................................................................ SEAN GALLAGHER
Jenny Fenwright ...................................................................................... JENNIFER HENNESSY
Hal Fenwright ....................................................................................... FREDDIE BUTTERFIELD
Judge Clacy ......................................................................................................... NICK BRIMBLE
Anna Atkinson ...............................................................................................ROSALIND MARCH
Foster Mother................................................................................................. ANGELA MURRAY
Doctor ................................................................................................................. MAXINE FINCH
Dave’s Lawyer ...................................................................................................... SARAH HOPE
***For casting of episodes 3 – 6 please contact the ITV Press Office***
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Production Credits
Executive Producer ................................................................................ JANE FEATHERSTONE
Executive Producer ........................................................................................ ALISON JACKSON
Creator, Executive Producer & Writer........................................................... ASHLEY PHAROAH
Creator, Executive Producer & Writer......................................................... MATTHEW GRAHAM
Producer ........................................................................................................ GEORGINA LOWE
Director (eps 1, 2, 5 & 6) ............................................................................ ADRIAN SHERGOLD
Director (eps 3 & 4) ............................................................................................... JAMIE PAYNE
Line Producer..................................................................................................... BRETT WILSON
Production Designer................................................................................................SUZIE DAVIS
Director Of Photography.............................................................................. TONY SLATER-LING
Costume Designer .................................................................................................SARAH RYAN
Make-Up Designer ................................................................................................. NIC COLLINS
Location Manager ............................................................................................... LUC WEBSTER
Sound Recordist ........................................................................................................ REG MILLS
Casting Director .......................................................................................... MARILYN JOHNSON
Editor (eps 1, 2, 5 & 6) ......................................................................................... TANIA REDDIN
Editor (eps 3 & 4) .................................................................................................... DAVID REES
Stunt Co-Ordinator .................................................................................... ANDREAS PETRIDES
Special Effects Supervisor ................................................................................. BEN ASHMORE
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