James Norton is one of HELLO!'s favourite actors, and the star has fronted several series, including Grantchester, The Trial of Christine Keeler and King & Conqueror. However, one of his projects that didn't quite reach the same levels of acclaim was his 2021 period drama, The Nevers.
In the show, which originally aired in the UK on Sky Atlantic, James played Hugo Swan, an aristocrat who owns a private club and is known for extortion.
The synopsis for the 12-part period drama reads: "In the final years of Queen Victoria's reign, London is rocked to its foundations by a supernatural event which gives certain people – mostly women – abnormal abilities, from the wondrous to the disturbing. But no matter their particular 'turns,' all who belong to this new underclass are in grave danger.
"It falls to mysterious, quick-fisted widow Amalia True (Laura Donnelly) and brilliant young inventor Penance Adair (Ann Skelly) to protect and shelter these gifted 'orphans'. To do so, they will have to face the brutal forces determined to annihilate their kind."
Critical response
Fans enjoyed the period drama, which garnered an 83% approval rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. One enthused: "This is a superb supernatural drama. Well acted, great characters and superbly produced. Well worth a watch, so you can make up your own minds."
A second added: "This isn't a lazy show – there is so much work put into the scenes, characters and acting and it shows in the finished product. So much better then reviews gave it. The episodes are so dense that to catch everything I've found myself rewatching every show. It's a wonderful, escapist, smart show. Can't wait to see where it takes me."
© Alamy Stock PhotoA third commented: "It's fresh, it's fun, and better in every category than 95% of the modern super-hero / sci-fi genre," while a fourth penned: "Like a Victorian X-Men meets Penny Dreadful. I absolutely love it. Can't wait to see how this plays out."
However, the drama didn't massively perform with critics, with The Guardian's Adrian Horton calling it "messy" before writing: "Whether or not The Nevers cares to favour its characters over immensity in its later episodes remain to be seen, but I imagine viewers' patience with the Whedon-verse, and The Nevers' bloat, will be thin."
Who stars in The Nevers?
Alongside James, the cast is led by Laura Donnelly (Outlander), Ann Skelly (House of Guinness), Olivia Williams (The Crown), Tom Riley (Down Cemetery Road), Pip Torrens (Star Wars), Denis O'Hare (American Horror Story) and Rochelle Neil (Harry Potter).
They're joined by the likes of Amy Manson (Once Upon a Time), Zackary Momoh (Harriet), Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark), Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), Elizabeth Berrington (Sanditon), Viola Prettejohn (Wolf Hall), Anna Devlin (Hanna), Kiran Sonia Sarwar (Slow Horses), Ben Chaplin (Snowden) and Ella Smith (Call the Midwife).
© Alamy Stock PhotoThe cast is rounded out by Martyn Ford (The Sandman), Pui Fan Lee (Teletubbies), Mark Benton (Waterloo Road), Rupert Vansittart (Game of Thrones), Andrew Havill (Downton Abbey), Timothy Bentinck (The Archers) and Nicholas Farrell (Silent Witness).
The Nevers will be added to ITVX on 1 February.
