The Frankenstein Chronicles 1x1 - World without God

London 1827: River Thames at night - a smuggling operation isunderway - suddenly, a river police launch is bearing down onthe smugglers and a fight breaks out, followed by a furiouschase to the shore. John Marlott, a senior river policeofficer and veteran of the Battle of Waterloo, paces theshoreline of the Thames reviewing the aftermath. A sharp policewhistle draws his attention towards a small shape lying at thewaters edge. As he approaches he sees it is the body of achild, a young girl around 10 years of age. Her body iscovered in crude sutures, and is a horrifying sight. Hereaches down to touch the dead hand - but in a moment ofterror, the hand grabs him back! The dreadful corpse isbrought to the urgent attention of the Home Secretary, SirRobert Peel, who summons Marlott, and tells him that he wantshim to undertake a private investigation. The leading surgeonat St Bart's hospital in Smithfield, Sir William Chester,tells Marlott that the corpse was made up of seven or eightbodies stitched together. Marlott is put to work within theoffices of the Bow Street Runners, and recruits an optimisticyoung runner, Nightingale, to assist him. Marlott's attentionis then drawn towards a slum dwelling where criminal BillyOates masterminds his gang of child criminals. There hediscovers a young girl Flora. He also finds a painting on thewall. It is "Little Girl Lost" by the artistWilliam Blake - Marlott resolves to investigate further.