‘The Serpent’ review: Confessions of a charming psychopath

The limited series produced jointly by BBC One and Netflix, tells the story of Charles Sobhraj, who preyed on western tourists on the hippie trail in the 70s

Watching The Serpent is to relive the trusting times of travel in the ‘70s. The limited series produced jointly by BBC One and Netflix, tells the story of Charles Sobhraj (Tahar Rahim), who preyed on western tourists on the hippie trail in the 70s. He was called the Serpent for his slippery, slithery ways. While the back and forth in time is annoying, The Serpent is super-thrilling. One can binge watch as Sobhraj cuts a swathe of destruction, while a Dutch diplomat, Herman Knippenberg (Billy Howle) doggedly follows his trail.