Miniseries · BBC One
The Serpent
What does it take to catch a killer?
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Tahar Rahim
Charles Sobhraj
8 eps
Jenna Coleman
Marie-Andrée Leclerc
8 eps
Billy Howle
Herman Knippenberg
8 eps
Ellie Bamber
Angela Knippenberg
8 eps
Mathilde Warnier
Nadine Gires
8 eps
Grégoire Isvarine
Rémi Gires
8 eps
Tim McInnerny
Paul Siemons
8 eps
Alice Englert
Teresa Knowlton
3 eps
Ellie de Lange
Helena Dekker
3 eps
Armand Rosbak
Willem Bloem
3 eps
Sahajak Boonthanakit
Major General Janthasin
3 eps
Kenneth Won
Yotin
4 eps
Amesh Edireweera
Ajay Chowdhury
7 eps
İlker Kaleli
Vitali Hakim
4 eps
Fabien Frankel
Dominique Renelleau
4 eps
Stuart Bowman
Graeme Stanton
2 eps
Nicole Beutler
Dagmar Boeder
2 eps
Chicha Amatayakul
Suda Romyen
4 eps
Adam Rothenberg
Gilbert Redland
4 eps
Damon Herriman
Laver
3 eps
Apasiri Kulthanan
Lawana
7 eps
Stacy Martin
Juliette Voclain
4 eps
William Brand
Ambassador van Dongen
7 eps
Ruby Ashbourne Serkis
Celia Wilson
1 eps
James Gerard
Jules Dupont
1 eps
Ryan O'Donnell
Greg Raynott
1 eps
Raphael Roger Levy
Count Michel-Andre Jurion
2 eps
Gigi Velicitat
Monsieur Renelleau
1 eps
Tim McMullan
Douglas Cartwright
2 eps
Darshan Jariwala
Laxman
1 eps
Charlie Ruedpokanon
Captain Chupong
1 eps
Colin Stinton
Bastien
1 eps
Ezra Faroque Khan
Priest
1 eps
Gabrielle Lazure
Mme Parry
1 eps
Alma Jodorowsky
Stéphane Parry
2 eps
Alyy Khan
Deputy Superintendent Naranda Nath Tuli
2 eps
Cathy Min Jung
Phung Chabanol
2 eps
Johan van Assche
Otto Boeder
2 eps
Geoffrey Breton
Luc Salomon
1 eps
Saana Koivisto
Linnea
1 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How The Serpent actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
The Serpent reads strongest on Serialized, Character Depth and Bingeability.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
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.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E08
Episode 8
The net begins to close around Charles and Marie-Andrée in India, but the final chapter of Herman’s pursuit of Sobhraj stretches long into the future.
- Directed by Hans Herbots
- Written by Richard Warlow
S01E05
Episode 5
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.
- Directed by Hans Herbots
- Written by Toby Finlay
S01E06
Episode 6
The fallout from Gautier’s escape threatens Herman’s diplomatic career. Charles attempts to set up business in France, a place that holds powerful memories for him.
- Directed by Hans Herbots
- Written by Toby Finlay
S01E07
Episode 7
Charles and Marie-Andrée arrive in Paris and attempt to set up a new life. Meanwhile, Herman makes a dangerous gamble in his investigation which finally brings a breakthrough.
- Directed by Hans Herbots
- Written by Richard Warlow, Toby Finlay
S01E03
Episode 3
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.
- Directed by Tom Shankland
- Written by Richard Warlow
S01E04
Episode 4
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.
- Directed by Tom Shankland
- Written by Richard Warlow
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S01E07
Episode 7
- Directed by Hans Herbots
- Written by Richard Warlow, Toby Finlay
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Tom ShanklandExecutive Producer
- Stephen SmallwoodProducer
Writing
- Richard WarlowWriter
- Toby FinlayWriter
Direction
- Tom ShanklandDirector
- Hans HerbotsDirector
Cinematography
- Anton MertensDirector of Photography
- Seppe Van GriekenDirector of Photography
- Si BellDirector of Photography
Music
- Dominik ScherrerOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- NetflixStreaming
- Netflix Standard with AdsStreaming
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