Dracula (2020 TV series)

Lore & Background

Development on Dracula began in June 2017, with Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat reuniting to write the episodes. In October 2018, the series was officially commissioned by the BBC, to air on BBC One and Netflix. Claes Bang was set to star as the eponymous Dracula in November 2018. According to the writers, Dracula in their version is 'the hero of his own story' – the central focus of the narrative and main character, rather than a shadowy villain for more traditional heroes to overcome. As with their TV series Sherlock, they aimed to make their version of Dracula both faithful and faithless at the same time, taking details from the original novel, adding 'a lot of new stuff' and ignoring some passages from it.

Filming began on 4 March 2019 and took place at Orava Castle, Banská Štiavnica and Zuberec in Slovakia and at Bray Studios in Berkshire. Filming was completed on 1 August 2019. Bray Studios was the home of many Hammer Film Productions, famed for its horror films including Dracula. The title sequence, made by Peter Anderson Studio, was nominated for a BAFTA at the British Academy Television Craft Awards in 2021.

Reader's Guide

The series follows Dracula from his origins in Eastern Europe to his battles with Van Helsing's descendants and beyond. Netflix's description reads: 'The Count Dracula legend transforms with new tales that flesh out the vampire's gory crimes – and bring his vulnerability into the light.' The series includes a scene in which it is implied that Dracula and Harker have sex, but Moffat has said that it is not correct to describe their interpretation of Dracula as bisexual: 'He's bi-homicidal, it's not the same thing. He's killing them, not dating them.' He also added: 'He's not actually having sex with anyone. He's drinking their blood.'

The series was met with positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it garnered a 71% approval and an average rating of 7.2/10 from 55 critic reviews. Metacritic assigned the series a score of 75 out of 100, based on 8 reviews. In February 2020, Bang expressed his interest in a second series. Gatiss said 'Apparently if you pour blood onto Dracula's ashes he comes back. Who knows? Dracula tends to come back, that's what vampires do – but we have no idea [if the show will return].'

Did You Know?

• The series was developed by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, who previously collaborated on Sherlock.
• Filming took place at Orava Castle in Slovakia and at Bray Studios in Berkshire, the former home of Hammer Film Productions.
• The title sequence was nominated for a BAFTA at the British Academy Television Craft Awards in 2021.
• Billboards for the series were stabbed with wooden stakes that cast a shadow of the Count after sunset.

Creative Vision and Narrative Philosophy

The series was developed by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, who reunited to write all three episodes. Development kicked off in June 2017, and the BBC officially commissioned the project in October 2018. At the heart of their approach was a deliberate reframing: Dracula would be the hero of his own story, the central consciousness of the narrative rather than a looming villain for conventional protagonists to vanquish. Echoing the methodology they employed on Sherlock, the writers described their adaptation as simultaneously faithful and faithless to Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, weaving in substantial new material while consciously discarding other passages. Moffat also pushed back against a recurring critical misreading. Although the show includes a scene implying an intimate encounter between Dracula and Harker, he insisted it would be wrong to characterize the Count as bisexual. He's bi-homicidal, not the same thing, he clarified. He's killing them, not dating them, underscoring that the character's predatory nature supersedes any romantic framing.

Production Design and Filming Locations

Principal photography ran from 4 March to 1 August 2019, split between two geographically and historically significant bases. Exterior and period scenes were shot at Orava Castle, Banská Štiavnica, and the village of Zuberec in Slovakia, lending the production an authentic Eastern European texture. Interior and studio work took place at Bray Studios in Berkshire, England, a location carrying deep resonance for horror fans: the facility had originally been founded by Hammer Film Productions in the 1950s as their production headquarters, the very studio behind the landmark 1958 Dracula and a string of other genre classics. Three directors guided the episodes: Jonny Campbell, Damon Thomas, and Paul McGuigan. The ensemble cast was assembled in two waves, with John Heffernan, Dolly Wells, Joanna Scanlan, Morfydd Clark, and Lujza Richter confirmed in February 2019, followed by Jonathan Aris, Sacha Dhawan, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Catherine Schell, Youssef Kerkour, and Clive Russell in April. Claes Bang was locked in as the title role in November 2018, and Gatiss himself appeared on screen.

Broadcast Strategy and Marketing Campaign

The three-episode serial aired on BBC One across three consecutive nights beginning 1 January 2020, then became available on Netflix on 4 January. BBC Two paired the broadcast with In Search of Dracula, a documentary in which Gatiss traced the cultural footprint of the vampire legend. Overnight viewership registered 3.60 million, 2.85 million, and 2.70 million across the three episodes. The outdoor marketing campaign, created by BBC Creative and Talon Outdoor, became a talking point in its own right. Billboards erected on Brixton Road in London and Upper Dean Street in Birmingham were pierced with wooden stakes that, after sunset, cast the elongated shadow of the Count. Beneath each panel sat a stake sealed in a glass case bearing the label In case of vampires – break glass. The installation collected multiple honors and secured one hundred thousand pounds in media space at the 2020 Outdoor Media Awards, organized by Clear Channel UK in partnership with Campaign.

Critical Response and Cultural Aftermath

Reviewers greeted the series warmly. Rotten Tomatoes logged a 71 percent approval rating from fifty-five critics, with an average score of 7.2 out of ten. The site's consensus called it a delicious blend of horror and humor that more-or-less balances modern sensibilities with the character's beloved legacy, a frighteningly fun if not always faithful time. Metacritic assigned a score of 75 out of 100 based on eight reviews, signaling generally favorable reception. The title sequence, produced by Peter Anderson Studio, earned a BAFTA nomination in 2021 at the British Academy Television Craft Awards in the Television Craft – Titles and Graphic Identity category. As for what comes next, Claes Bang publicly expressed his desire for a second series in February 2020. Gatiss responded with wry ambiguity, noting that vampires tend to come back, while confirming the writing team had no concrete plans for a continuation.