Afterlife (TV series)

Lore & Background

The programme was created by experienced television scriptwriter Stephen Volk, much of whose previous work had involved the paranormal, most famously the 1992 Screen One play Ghostwatch for BBC One. Volk also wrote five of the six episodes of the first series, the exception being the fifth episode which was scripted by Charlie Fletcher. The producer was Murray Ferguson, and the directors were Maurice Phillips (episodes 1 & 2), Charles Beeson (episodes 3 & 6) and Martyn Friend (episodes 4 & 5). The second series was directed by Charles Beeson, Martyn Friend and Ashley Pearce. The episodes were written by Stephen Volk, Mark Greig, Guy Burt and Mike Cullen. The music for both series was composed by Edmund Butt.

Volk had originally conceived the series during the mid-1990s according to SFX magazine, when 'ITV was fleetingly interested in producing a homegrown supernatural series because of The X-Files' success [in the UK].' The series remained unmade until Clerkenwell Films became interested, as did Lesley Sharp, the actress being very keen to star in the series. 'She absolutely loved it and actually pestered ITV relentlessly, asking "When are you gonna commission this series?" Eventually they did,' Volk told SFX. Following the success of the first series, a second run was commissioned, beginning on 16 September 2006 on ITV in the UK.

Reader's Guide

Afterlife received positive critical reception. Previewing the first episode, television critic Alison Graham praised it as '[A] highly-promising mystery series... a taut and snappy spine-tingler.' Reviewing the same episode for The Guardian, critic Rupert Smith wrote: 'At last I can put my hand on my heart and give an unqualified cheer to a new primetime British drama series.' The series was also a success in terms of viewing figures, with the first episode gathering an overnight average rating of 5.7 million, winning its timeslot. Despite continued critical acclaim, a drop in ratings led ITV to pass on recommissioning the show for a third series. In April 2007 Afterlife received three nominations for the Monte Carlo Television Festival 2007: Lesley Sharp as best actress, Andrew Lincoln as best actor, and Murray Ferguson as best producer. The series has been broadcast internationally in Australia, Canada, Latin America, New Zealand, Spain, the United States, Sweden, Iceland, Poland, Hungary, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, France, and Belgium.

Did You Know?

• The series was created by Stephen Volk, who also wrote the 1992 BBC One play Ghostwatch.
• Lesley Sharp actively pestered ITV to commission the series after becoming attached to the project.
• The first series was released on DVD in the UK with audio commentaries from the cast and crew.
• Afterlife received three nominations at the Monte Carlo Television Festival 2007.

The Story of Grief and the Supernatural

Afterlife constructs its narrative around the collision between rationality and the unexplainable. Set in Bristol, the series pairs Robert Bridge, a university lecturer whose skepticism toward the paranormal draws him into the orbit of medium Alison Mundy, with her, a woman who has been channeling spirits since childhood. The format is episodic yet deeply serialized: each of the six one-hour episodes per season centers on a returning spirit and the reason it haunts the living, while a longer emotional throughline tracks Robert's inability to accept the death of his young son. Alison can see the boy's ghost; Robert cannot, and her persistent attempts to help him grieve become the show's moral engine. The first season also reveals that Alison survived a devastating train crash, an event whose other survivors later converge on her life. By the second season, the stakes turn inward: Robert is diagnosed with cancer, and his final arc becomes one of helping Alison confront the lingering presence of her deceased mother and mend her fractured relationship with her father. His death in the series finale closes the circle of loss that has driven both characters since the very first episode.

Creative Origins and the Making of the Series

The idea for Afterlife germinated in the mid-1990s, when ITV briefly considered producing a homegrown supernatural drama inspired by the UK success of The X-Files. The project sat dormant for nearly a decade until Clerkenwell Films expressed interest and Lesley Sharp, who would go on to play Alison Mundy, became personally invested in bringing it to screen. According to creator Stephen Volk, Sharp repeatedly pressed ITV for a commission, and her persistence ultimately paid off. Volk, already well known for paranormal storytelling—most notably the 1992 BBC One production Ghostwatch—wrote five of the six first-season scripts himself, with Charlie Fletcher penning the fifth. Murray Ferguson served as producer, while directing duties were split among Maurice Phillips, Charles Beeson, and Martyn Friend. The second season expanded the writing team to include Mark Greig, Guy Burt, and Mike Cullen, with Beeson, Friend, and Ashley Pearce at the helm. Edmund Butt composed the musical score for both runs, lending a consistent sonic identity to the series.

Critical Acclaim and Audience Response

From its very first broadcast, Afterlife drew enthusiastic critical attention. Radio Times critic Alison Graham flagged the pilot as a taut, spine-tingling mystery, while The Guardian's Rupert Smith went further, hailing Lesley Sharp as television's beloved Everywoman and praising the show for being genuinely frightening without tipping into gratuitous horror. Smith noted that the series managed to narrate what he termed pure, old-fashioned hokum with a completely straight face, and compared its appeal favorably to The X-Files, Jonathan Creek, and Most Haunted. That early enthusiasm carried through the entire run: every subsequent episode earned a spot in the Radio Times' 'Today's Choices' column, and Graham ultimately described the completed first series as a reliably high-caliber supernatural drama. On the ratings front, the show dominated its timeslot. The pilot attracted 5.7 million viewers (a 25 percent share), the second episode climbed to 6.2 million (29 percent), and the season finale closed with 5.8 million and a 28 percent share—each time outperforming its nearest competitor by roughly two million viewers. In April 2007, the series earned three nominations at the Monte Carlo Television Festival, recognizing Sharp, Lincoln, and producer Ferguson.

After the Final Episode: Legacy and Distribution

Despite the strong critical reception and solid viewing figures, Afterlife's commercial trajectory proved uneven enough that ITV declined to commission a third season. The two completed runs—twelve one-hour episodes in total—remained the full extent of the series, spanning from 24 September 2005 to 11 November 2006. Following its original broadcast, the first season was issued on DVD in the United Kingdom, accompanied by audio commentaries from cast and crew members. A repeat run began on ITV's main channel in July 2006 but was quickly pulled from the Sunday 9pm slot and shifted to the digital channel ITV3. Beyond the UK, the series found audiences in Australia and Canada, where it aired on the BBC Canada cable network, and also reached viewers through People+Arts, a cable television channel. The show's relatively brief but well-regarded run left it as a notable entry in British supernatural drama, a series that critics praised for balancing old-fashioned ghost-story thrills with genuinely moving character work, even as its network moved on to other projects.