Jack Barak isnt in the first Shardlake novel - heres why he was drafted in.
In the TV adaptation, written byThe Last KingdomandBaghdad CentralsStephen Butchard, there is no Mark Poer.
He effectively worked for him.
If youre looking for drama, Mark wasnt the place to go.
It felt the correct thing to do from a dramatic point of view.
Hes a very honest man and doesnt like corruption.
Speaking toThe Guardianin 2010, he explained that he soon realised Mark wasnt going to be a successful character.
He was a bit wet, really; I had to get rid of him.
And I enjoyed creating Barak, whom I like enormously.
He stands up to Shardlake; theyre very different but they get on despite their quarrels.
The differences between Barak and Shardlake are a key driver in the TV series, says Butchard.
Hes got the thing with the codpiece and all that.
The Matthew/Jack pairing reminds Butchard of a key duo in his previous historical TV adaptation.
Its similar here when Im describing Barak and Shardlake.
Shardlake is streaming now exclusively on Disney+ in the UK, and onHuluin the US.
