GHOSTS OF ALBION
Information about the characters and cast:
Tamara Swift - Jasmine Hyde (Casualty, Restoration)
Feisty, smart and not afraid to voice her opinions, nineteen year-old Tamara Swift is way ahead of her time.
Sister to William, Tamara is an actively manages the family's estate and business, but she has also developed a secret second career.
Under a pseudonym, she is the author of very early penny dreadfuls - lurid tales of mystery and horror distributed as pamphlets.
Though she loves her brother, there has always been a certain amount of sibling rivalry between them, partially due to her chafing beneath the gender disparity of the era. As is the custom of her time and station, Tamara cannot leave the Swift estate without a male chaperone, while William is free to do as he pleases.
The favourite of her grandfather Ludlow, she shares his love of life and playful nature. Though she is terrified of the horrifying truths revealed by her grandfather and chilled by the burden of responsibility that her inheritance has placed upon her, she will not ignore her legacy.
Tamara has the courage, fortitude and intellect to take on the very great role she has inherited. Sir Ludlow had faith in her, and by nature, Tamara Swift has faith in herself.
William Swift - Rory Kinnear (Second Coming, Judge John Deed)
The twenty-one year old scion of a wealthy London banking family, William is apprentice to one of the most reputable architects in England.
Though he has no need to worry about money, he has no interest in simply managing the accounts of centuries of accumulated Swift wealth, nor in overseeing the operations of the bank the family controls. William wants to create things, to build, to make his mark on the world.
William is the more sceptical of the siblings, and has difficulty accepting his legacy, even when faced with incontrovertible physical and visual evidence. Despite whatever bickering he might engage in with her, he loves his sister dearly and is quietly proud of her independence and her accomplishments.
Though older and the man, William realises early on that Tamara is the more capable magician, and more painfully, better able to deal with the terrible changes wrought upon their lives by their inheritance.
In the aftermath of his grandfather's death, William grieves in his own way, attempting to keep a perspective upon the chaos in their lives. He holds firmly to the tether leading back to normalcy, to their lives before they discovered their destiny, and wants nothing more than to return to that state.
William is cynical and sarcastic, but this is balanced by a keen, self-deprecating sense of humour. He has a tendency to act before he thinks, and so finds himself grateful for the presence of his more even-natured sister.
Nigel Townsend - Patterson Joseph (Neverwhere, Green Wing)
Sir Ludlow's greatest friend, the almost amusingly pessimistic Nigel loves the night life.
He's quite the gentleman dandy, always on the town. Yet Nigel lives alone because he has his share of secrets. In a past is shrouded in mystery, he has travelled the world and had great many adventures.
What little William and Tamara know of him amounts to this: once upon a time he was apprenticed to their grandfather, learning the skills of the magician. Now they realize that it was real magic Nigel was learning. Was Sir Ludlow teaching Nigel simple spells and enchantments, or training him to inherit the power of the Protector of Albion? The young Swifts do not know and Nigel will not say. All that is known is that some wedge was driven between the two men, and Nigel abandoned his apprenticeship.
In the wake of Sir Ludlow's death, the ghosts suggest that they might find safe haven with Nigel, and possibly a teacher as well. Nigel's period of training with Ludlow might help them master extraordinary power have been imbued with.
Despite their falling out, Nigel was always deeply fond of Ludlow. He mourns the old magician's death and reluctantly agrees to offer what help he may.
But Nigel's secrets may be even more dangerous than anything lurking in the shadows.
Lord Nelson - Anthony Daniels (C-3P0 in the Star Wars trilogy)
Born in 1758, the son of the rector of Burnham Thorpe in Norfolk, Horatio Nelson was a sickly youth.
Sent to sea at the age of twelve, he discovered a passion for sailing, but never truly discovered his sea legs, and suffered from seasickness all of his life.
Despite his ill health and short stature - 5ft 4in - Nelson moved swiftly up the ranks due to the fact he was an amazing tactician, a skill ably demonstrated in the battle of the Nile in 1798.
Although he married Frances Nisbet in 1784, his great love was Emma, Lady Hamilton who he met in Naples in 1793. He later abandoned his wife to be with her.
Nelson lost the sight of his right eye at the battle of Calvi in Corsica, and his right arm at Santa Cruz in Tenerife.
Two years after war broke out with France in 1803, Nelson, commanding HMS Victory, fought the battle of Trafalgar off the southern coast of Spain. Before the battle, Nelson sent his famous signal to the Fleet: "England expects that every man will do his duty". It was at the height of the battle that Nelson was shot and killed. His body was sent back to England, preserved in a barrel of brandy.
He was buried in the crypt of St. Paul's Cathedral, but if the legends of the Ghosts of Albion are to be believed, his battles were far from over.
Henry Swift - Roy Skelton (Rainbow's Zippy and George, Doctor Who)
Father to William and Tamara, Henry was just too much of a bore to be the legacy-bearer of Ludlow's gift.
The head of the family and propagator of the Swift family fortune, Henry handles the lion's share of the family banking business. He is a typical banker - wealthy, pompous and unaccommodating.
He's also prone to hypochondria, is extremely sensitive to noise as he has "poor nerves" and is constantly getting headaches. Still, he loves his children and is proud of their individuality.
Poor Henry Swift never had any interest in his father's magic, and Ludlow never intended to involve him. But fate has other plans for Henry, and they are not at all pleasant.
Sophia Winchell - India Fisher (Dead Ringers, Doctor Who)
Sophia Winchell is the beautiful daughter of the influential Lord Simon Winchell.
On the surface she seems at times severe and aloof and at others quite the coquette, yet there is far more to this young woman than surface.
The loss of her mother still seems to affect her deeply.
Though she has many suitors, at present she welcomes the attentions of William Swift.
Lord Simon Winchell - Trevor Littledale (The Tomorrow People)
Lord Simon Winchell is a man of wealth and power, an influential Member of Parliament, as well as a member of the mysterious Algernon Club.
Though he is celebrating his fiftieth birthday with what London society may well call the party of the year, he still mourns the death of his late wife. He is the father of Sophia Winchell.
Lord Horatio Nelson
Born in 1758, the son of the rector of Burnham Thorpe in Norfolk, Horatio Nelson was a sickly youth.
Sent to sea at the age of twelve, he discovered a passion for sailing, but never truly discovered his sea legs, and suffered from seasickness all of his life.
Despite his ill health and short stature - 5ft 4in - Nelson moved swiftly up the ranks due to the fact he was an amazing tactician, a skill ably demonstrated in the battle of the Nile in 1798.
Although he married Frances Nisbet in 1784, his great love was Emma, Lady Hamilton who he met in Naples in 1793. He later abandoned his wife to be with her.
Nelson lost the sight of his right eye at the battle of Calvi in Corsica, and his right arm at Santa Cruz in Tenerife.
Two years after war broke out with France in 1803, Nelson, commanding HMS Victory, fought the battle of Trafalgar off the southern coast of Spain. Before the battle, Nelson sent his famous signal to the Fleet: "England expects that every man will do his duty". It was at the height of the battle that Nelson was shot and killed. His body was sent back to England, preserved in a barrel of brandy.
He was buried in the crypt of St. Paul's Cathedral, but if the legends of the Ghosts of Albion are to be believed, his battles were far from over.
Lord Byron
Born in London on 22nd January 1788, the poet Lord Byron, or George Gordon Lord Byron - Sixth Baron Byron of Rochdale, was the archetypal Regency buck.
Byron's poems delivered a message of liberation, and were inspired by his own loves and griefs. He wrote of 'the gorgeous east', the wonders of Italy and Greece, where he spent much of his life.
His works Childe Harold, Lara, and Manfred and Don Juan demonstrate the work of poet whose ego knew no bounds.
His romantic nature and passion for politics saw him set sail to Greece to aid the Greeks against the Ottoman overlords, but before he could see any serious conflict, he died of a fever on 19th April 1824.
Byron lives on not only in his poetry, but also in his creation of the 'Byronic hero' - the persona of a brooding melancholy young man, forever pondering a dark mysterious past. How much of this brooding personality was down to the darker forces Byron no doubt knew existed is debatable, but in death he still fights for liberation of a greater kind, as one of the defenders of Albion.
Bodicea - Emma Samms (Dynasty)
Born in the 1st Century AD, Bodicea, also known as Boadicea and Boudicca, ruled the Iceni tribe of East Anglia under Roman authority.
Outraged by the suffering caused to her people by the heavy taxes, conscription and other indignities imposed by the Roman Emperor Nero, Bodicea finally rebelled against her rulers following the death of her husband - and the subsequent plundering and brutal annexing of her dominions.
Although it's claimed that all of South East England rose up to support Bodicea's fight against oppression, there were many that remained loyal to the Romans, and so were not spared her wrath.
Bodicea and her army fought hard against the forces of the Roman Governor, General Seutonius Paulinus - a battle that the Romans ultimately won at the cost of a great loss of human life.
Finally, faced with defeat, the proud warrior Queen and her two daughters took their own lives. There are many legends surrounding the great lady's demise. According to some reports she took her own life by drinking from a poisoned chalice, but given her involvement with the supernatural defence of Albion and her use of magic to combat demonic forces who were working in concert with the invading Romans, it's likely she met a more brutal end.
There is also myths surrounding where she lies now, including being buried under Platform 10 at London's King's Cross Station. Whether Bodicea fought her battle in the nude is another question, though we prefer to believe this is a fact!
Farris
The Swifts' trusty servant in the fight against evil. Once footman to Sir Ludlow Swift, the gentle giant now serves William and Tamara.
Whether it's driving a coach and horses to deliver them into their next adventure or battling killer zombies, Farris is always at the side of William and Tamara, lending his unwavering support in the battle against the forces of darkness.
Farris is constantly bemused by wood sprite Serena, who has developed something of a crush on him since they first met in the sinister village of Blackbriar.
Serena
Feisty wood sprite captured by Bodicea so that she might reveal the rumours of the woods to William and Tamara.
First encountered in the Swifts' visit to Blackbriar village, Serena proved to be a valuable resource, revealing the secret location of the missing babies in an ancient tree, hidden deep in the forest.
Since that particular adventure, Serena has decided to remain with the Protectors of Albion, partly because she wants to help in the fight against evil, but mainly because she fancies genial footman Farris.
Doctor Hillman
Kindly and rotund, the elderly Dr. Hillman has been the physician to the Swift family for many years.
When Sir Ludlow falls ill, it is only natural that Dr. Hillman be called to see the patient at his home.
Unfortunately, after announcing that Sir Ludlow is going to recover, the doctor lingers just a bit too long at the Swift estate, and so is drawn into the supernatural conflict over the future of Albion in a most gruesome fashion.
Sir Ludlow Swift
William and Tamara's grandfather, and patriarch to the Swift family, Sir Ludlow was once a famed stage magician, an early precursor to the Thurstons and Blackstones to come.
He was an oddity in a grimly serious and studiously boring family. As such, he has always bonded with his eccentric grandchildren. There is a great deal more to Sir Ludlow Swift than meets the eye. His magic is not all parlour tricks and sleight of hand.
In truth, he is the mystical protector of Albion, a sorcerer of skill and great power. A hero in his campaign to protect his homeland, Ludlow has been involved with numerous battles against evil, and has so far managed to win. This has left him somewhat arrogant of his mortality.
But when his arrogance exceeds reality, Ludlow is caught off-guard. He chose his grandchildren to receive the legacy of his power and his duty, but did not prepare them for this destiny.
Fortunately, the loyal ghosts of Albion shall not forget his valour and strength and in his memory they shall aid the younger Swifts as best they can.