19 Fantastic British Sci-Fi Series You Can Binge Right Now

Anna Maxwell Martin in “Midwinter of the Spirit”. (Photo: ITV)

Midwinter of the Spirit

This three-part series is based on a popular set of novels by Phil Rickman. It follows the story of a widowed female vicar named Merrily Watkins, (played by the always fabulous Anna Maxwell Martin) who is in training to be “deliverance minister” for the Church of England. “Deliverance minister” basically means exorcist, in case you didn’t know, even though they do more than drive out evil spirits.

Merrily gets called in by the local police to consult on the grisly, ritualistic crucifixion that’s discovered in the woods. This is just the beginning of a series of dark activities going on in her Hertfordshire village, as some rather bad people attempt to take over a church that houses several sacred Christian relics. During the course of this larger investigation, Merrily comes into contact with dark forces, both human and/or possibly demonic. As a result she finds both herself and her daughter in mortal danger.

The story is actually pretty scary, full of ominous portents and obscure Biblical references and pronouncements about the nature of evil. If you’re into that sort of thing in any way, you’ll like this. The best part of Midwinter of the Spirit is the performance by Siobhan Finneran as Angela, one of the creepiest of the creepy agents of darkness. (You probably know Finneran as everyone’s favorite evil maid on Downton Abbey, but this is O’Brien-style evil on sterioids.)

Number of Seasons: 1

Where to Watch: Acorn TV