Spain 1680 and the populous are under the vice like grip of Holy Mother Church and the Inquisition. Who would have expected that?

Against this backdrop, tales emerge of a young man who is reported to have been healing the sick and making the blind see. When the mysterious healer appears to have brought a young girl back to life while she was lying in her coffin, he is arrested and brought before the Grand Inquistor, not William G. Stewart or even Anne Robinson, but an imposing figure portrayed with some gravitas by Derek Jacobi.

The Inquisitor’s assistant Martin, in a typically mesmerising performance from Alun Armstrong, is in awe of his master and so fearful of the power of the church that he dare not admit that he too witnessed the so-called miracle, as those giving testimony to that effect can be put to the stake for either heresy or false witness.

As rumours abound that the healer could be the second coming of the messiah, the Inquisitor’s tactic is to adopt the stance that he believes his prisoner to be who he “claims??? to be and question him accordingly. That, according to him is the best way to unmask an impostor.

As the healer decides to remain silent throughout his torture, of which we see thankfully little, and subsequent interrogation, what we get is effectively a monologue on the power of the church and how and why it has turned away from the teachings of Jesus. At first it is unclear whether some of the shocking and dreadful admissions made by the Inquisitor are merely a device to garner some sort of response.

However, midway through, Martin is banished from the chamber and the Inquistor is free to reveal the true heart of darkness and ambition of the church and things take on an altogether darker turn.

I won’t spoil the ending for you here but there is a sense of redemption even in this dark tale. The theme that the structure of organised religion is seen by those in “power??? to be more important than it’s teachings remains resonant today and this is a powerful and thought provoking piece.

Jacobi and Armstrong are as good if not better than you would expect while Stephen Billington does an excellent job with the non-speaking role of the healer.

This is an odd piece that certainly won’t appeal to everyone, so hats off to five for giving it such a prominent airing. With challenging television drama drowning in sea of soaps, we need more of this.

Rating 8 out of 10

Inquisition airs on five on Sunday 22nd December at 9.00pm