The Serpent2021
“What does it take to catch a killer?”
Created by Richard Warlow, Toby Finlay
🏆 Nominated for 2 BAFTA 13 nominations total
The premise
The remarkable story of how murderer Charles Sobhraj was captured. As the chief suspect in unsolved murders of young Western travellers across India, Thailand and Nepal’s ‘Hippie Trail’ in 1975 and 1976, Sobhraj had repeatedly slipped from the grasp of authorities worldwide to become Interpol's most wanted man, with arrest warrants on three different continents.
Horror Vault's take
Based on the true story of one of the most elusive criminals of the 20th century, this BBC drama follows the hunt for Charles Sobhraj — a charismatic and calculating killer who preyed on young Western travellers along the legendary Hippie Trail in the mid-1970s. Spanning Thailand, India, and Nepal, the series weaves between the perspectives of investigators closing in and the charmed, deadly world Sobhraj constructed around himself. Tahar Rahim is magnetic in the lead role, portraying a man who used wit, disguise, and manipulation to evade authorities across three continents. It's a slow-burn cat-and-mouse thriller that is as much a portrait of dangerous charisma as it is a crime story.
Content: Depictions Of Murder, Drug Use, Scenes Of Threat And Violence Against Travellers
Episode Guide
S1.E1 · Episode 1Premiere7.6Jan 1, 2021 · 59 min · Dir: Tom Shankland
Bangkok, 1975. Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg investigates the disappearance of a young couple who were last seen alive at the apartment of gem dealer Charles Sobhraj.
S1.E2 · Episode 27.9Jan 3, 2021 · 59 min · Dir: Tom Shankland
Marie-Andrée Leclerc leaves her life behind for the love of Charles Sobhraj but discovers the chilling cost. Herman vows to investigate the murders of the Dutch couple.
S1.E3 · Episode 38.1Jan 10, 2021 · 58 min
Young Frenchman Dominique Renelleau tries to escape Charles Sobhraj’s terrifying lair. As he listens to Nadine and Remi’s testimony, Herman realises the scale of Charles’s crimes.
S1.E4 · Episode 48.1Jan 17, 2021 · 58 min · Dir: Tom Shankland
Charles embarks on a terrifying trail of destruction in Nepal, while Nadine helps Herman gather the final evidence he needs for the police to act.
S1.E5 · Episode 58.2Jan 24, 2021 · 57 min · Dir: Hans Herbots
Herman and Charles engage in an exhausting battle of wits as Herman continues to pile pressure on the Thai police to prosecute the suspects, while Charles perfects his escape plan.
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