20 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About Hannibal

Bryan Fuller's plans with Hannibal were always to begin before Thomas Harris's novels, to fill in the bits that happened before them – Dr Lecter's early years, how he and Will Graham tangoed previously, all that. And that's clear from the off, because the series premiere of Hannibal told a story only hinted at in the source material.

“Apéritif” sees Will Graham being called in by FBI Behavioral Science unit leader Jack Crawford to help them catch a serial killer, who has so far killed eight women. It turns out the perp is one Garrett Jacob Hobbs, who has not only been murdering but partially devouring his victims. Hence Dr Lecter's interest in the case, obviously.

In fact Garrett Jacob Hobbs is a character mentioned as part of Will Graham's back story in the Red Dragon novel, a murderer he caught two years before Hannibal Lecter was locked up as well. So it fits the timeline (just about) and fleshes out what was just a throwaway line in the novels – as well as introducing Hobbs's cannibalistic tendencies.