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Scarlett. · 18-11-2008, 08:00 PM

Philip Glenister (Life On Mars, Ashes To Ashes) returns to ITV1 in a fantastical new drama series that puts a contemporary spin on the legacy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, set on and beneath the streets of modern-day London.

Glenister plays Rupert Galvin, a larger-than-life American with a tragic past and a zero-tolerance policy to the rabble of mythical entities all around us. When Galvin bursts into the life of his teenage godson, Luke (Christian Cooke – Echo Beach, Robin Hood), whose father died in mysterious circumstances 15-years before, little does Luke know what will be thrust upon him. It is Luke’s destiny, as the last descendent of the Van Helsing line, to smite the half-lives that stalk our streets.
While trying to juggle an ordinary life of exams, parties and driving lessons – not to mention keeping it all from his mum – Luke is catapulted into a world of vampires, demons and zombies, along with his best friend Ruby (Holliday Grainger – The Bad Mother’s Handbook, Waterloo Road). But he remains cool – it’s in his blood after all.

Helping Galvin to train Luke in his mission is the beautiful but icy Mina Harker (Zoe Tapper – Affinity, A Harlot’s Progress), a blind concert pianist and the foremost authority on the entities preying on humanity. The mouldering Father Simeon (Richard Wilson – One Foot In The Grave, Merlin) is Luke’s other source on the lore and myths behind the creatures he faces.
But before Luke has time to prepare, he is faced with a daunting opponent in the form of the villainous Gladiolus Thrip (Mackenzie Crook – The Office, Pirates Of The Caribbean), a sinister vampire with a burning hatred for the Van Helsing line. Throughout the series, Luke faces an array of terrifying adversaries – including half-man half-rat Mr Tibbs (Kevin McNally – Pirates Of The Caribbean), who bears a deep and personal grudge.