Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is set during the Napoleonic Wars in an England where magic once existed and is about to return. So begins a dangerous battle between two great men.

1806. England is beleaguered by the long war with Napoleon and centuries have passed since practical magicians faded into the nation's past. However, scholars of this glorious history discover that one remains — the reclusive and skillful Mr. Norrell. His displays of magic soon thrill the nation. In London, he raises the beautiful Lady Pole from the dead and summons an army of ghostly ships to terrify the French.

Soon the cautious and fussy Norrell is challenged by the emergence of another magician: the brilliant novice Jonathan Strange. While trying to secure his beloved Arabella's hand in marriage, he meets a vagabond, the magician of Threadneedle Street, Vinculus, who tells him he is destined to be a great magician. Young, handsome and daring, Strange is the very antithesis of Norrell. A dangerous battle ensues between the two great men. Their obsessions and secret dabblings with the dark arts will cause more trouble than they can imagine.

Series details

• Title: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
• Format: Scripted
• Language: English
• Genres: Drama, Fantasy
• Premiere date: 2015-05-17
• Final broadcast date listed: 2015-06-28
• Status in TVmaze: Ended
• Network listed by TVmaze: BBC One
• Network country: United Kingdom
• Typical episode runtime: 60 minutes
• TVmaze community rating: 8/10
• TVMaze ID: 2327

Cast and credited roles

• Bertie Carvel — Jonathan Strange
• Eddie Marsan — Gilbert Norrell
• Marc Warren — The Gentleman
• Charlotte Riley — Arabella Strange
• Alice Englert — Lady Emma Pole
• Samuel West — Sir Walter Pole
• Enzo Cilenti — John Childermass
• Edward Hogg — John Segundus
• Ariyon Bakare — Stephen Black
• John Heffernan — Henry Lascelles
• Brian Pettifer — Honeyfoot
• Vincent Franklin — Christopher Drawlight

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 2015-05-17; final listed air date 2015-06-28; episode order: 7.

Source and licence

Adapted from Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.