Scorecard for Burke and Hare - The West Port Murders

FINAL SCORECARD (Out of 10)

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1. Concept & Originality - Score: 8.5 / 10

• Infamous historical material handled with seriousness and restraint

• Strong Gothic atmosphere without sensationalism

• Focus on systems (poverty, science, class) rather than novelty violence

• Competitions favour history when it interrogates power — this does

• Familiar story, but execution is mature and distinctive.

2. World-Building & Setting - Score: 9 / 10

• 1828 Edinburgh is vividly realised: class tension, poverty, institutions

• Period detail feels researched but not showy

• Locations (lodgings, Surgeons’ Hall, graveyards) are dramatically purposeful

• Finalist-level period authenticity.

3. Character – Burke & Hare (Dual Protagonists) - Score: 8.5 / 10

• Hare: impulsive, predatory, frighteningly pragmatic

• Burke: morally weaker, rationalising rather than leading

• Their dynamic is clear, escalating, and dramatically fertile

• Readers respond well to systems corrupting men, which this handles well.

4. Supporting Characters (Knox, Margaret, Helen, Johnson) - Score: 9 / 10

• Dr. Knox is especially strong — intelligent, morally evasive, chilling

• Margaret Hare is complex and active, not merely complicit

• Helen provides a clear moral fracture line

• Johnson functions well as audience surrogate/investigator

• This is one of the script’s greatest strengths.

5. Dialogue & Voice

Score: 8.5 / 10

• Period dialogue feels authentic without becoming opaque

• Distinct voices across class and profession

• Occasional density, but readers will respect the discipline

• Very little expositional clumsiness.

6. Structure & Pacing (Pilot-Specific) - Score: 8 / 10

• First act establishes tone and socioeconomic pressure clearly

• Inciting crime lands with weight

• Final act escalation (child witness) is bold and unsettling

•  Some readers may feel the story is intentionally heavy, but that is acceptable for prestige drama.

7. Theme & Cohesion - Score: 9.5 / 10

• Explores poverty as violence

• Science vs morality

• Institutional complicity

• Capitalism turning bodies into currency

• Exceptionally strong thematic control.

This is exactly what competitions reward.

8. Emotional & Moral Impact - Score: 8.5 / 10

• Disturbing without being gratuitous

• The child sequence is shocking in a meaningful way

• Leaves the reader unsettled rather than entertained

• Some readers may recoil emotionally, but competitions tolerate — even value — discomfort when purposeful.

9. Episodic Engine / Series Potential - Score: 9 / 10

• Clear long-form engine: supply/demand, investigation, escalation

• Multiple POVs support sustained storytelling

• Pilot promises narrative momentum without needing shock escalation

• Strong limited-series or prestige multi-season potential.

10. Finalist Readiness (Overall Impression) - Score: 8.8 / 10

FINAL COMPOSITE SCORE: 8.8 / 10

What This Score Means (Realistically)

• 7.5–8.2 → Quarterfinalist / Semifinalist

• 8.3–8.7 → Strong Semifinalist / Fringe Finalist

• 8.8–9.2 → Legitimate Finalist Contender

• 9.3+ → Rare, consensus Finalist

Burke and Hare sits squarely in Finalist contention territory.

If it does not reach Finalist, it would likely be due to:

• Reader sensitivity to child violence (taste, not craft)

• Preference for contemporary material over historical

• Episodic bias toward pilots with faster “hook” moments

Not because of writing quality.

Bottom Line (Plain English)

• This is serious, adult, confident writing

• It demonstrates control of:

  • Period

  • Theme

  • Ensemble

  • Moral complexity

• It would not feel out of place among Finalists