Jekyll and Hyde is a British TV fantasy drama based loosely on Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Set in 1930s London and Ceylon, it follows the character of Dr. Robert Jekyll, a grandson of the Victorian Dr. Henry Jekyll, who has inherited his grandfather's split personality and violent alter-ego.
The series aired on ITV in the United Kingdom from 25 October to 27 December 2015 and it consisted of ten episodes. On 5 January 2016, creator Charlie Higson announced on Twitter that ITV had decided to pass on a second series.[1]
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Tom Bateman as Dr. Robert Jekyll/Hyde, the grandson of the Victorian Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Edward Hyde, the son of Louis, twin brother of Olalla.
- Rupert Cuningham Day as Young Jekyll
- Richard E. Grant as Sir Roger Bulstrode, a British Intelligence officer studying supernatural phenomena.
- Tom Rhys Harries as Sackler, a sniper working for Sir Roger Bulstrode.
- Enzo Cilenti as Captain Dance, senior officer for monster organisation, the Tenebrae.
- Michael Karim as Ravi Najaran, Vishal and Gurinder's son and Robert's foster-brother.
- Ace Bhatti as Dr. Vishal Najaran, Gurinder's husband, Ravi's father and Robert Jekyll's foster-father in Ceylon.
- Lolita Chakrabarti as Gurinder Najaran, Vishal's wife, Ravi's mother and Robert Jekyll's foster-mother in Ceylon.
- Natalie Gumede as Isabella "Bella" Charming, the owner of an East End nightclub the Empire, and love interest of Robert's Hyde persona.
- Stephanie Hyam as Lily Clarke Carew, a former biochemistry student of Cambridge, also, granddaughter of the murdered Sir Danvers Carew.
- Christian McKay as Maxwell Utterson, Robert's estate lawyer whose father, Gabriel Utterson, worked for Dr. Henry Jekyll.
- Ruby Bentall as Hilary "Hils" Barnstaple, Maxwell's assistant.
- Donald Sumpter as Garson, once Henry Jekyll's assistant/footman, now the bartender of the Empire nightclub.
- Sam Swann as Young Garson
- Sinéad Cusack as Maggie Hope. Lover of Victorian Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Edward Hyde, mother of Louis and grandmother of Robert and Olalla.
- Niamh Walsh as Young Maggie
- Wallis Day as Olalla Jekyll/Hyde, granddaughter of the Victorian Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Edward Hyde, daughter of Louis and twin sister of Robert.
- Gretel Monger as Young Olalla
- Amelia Bullmore as Renata Jezequiel, a distant relative of the Jekyll family.
- Natasha O'Keeffe as Fedora, member of Tenebrae and love interest of Dance.
- Tony Way as Cyclops Silas Parnell, member of Tenebrae, minion of Dance and leader of a gang of one-eyed thugs.
- Dee Tails as The Harbinger,[2] a creature.
- Phil McKee as Mr Hannigan, an MIO agent working for Sir Roger Bulstrode.
- Mark Bonnar as Lord Protheroe, head of Daily Truth, harbourer of Fedora and the "killed" Dance.
- David Bark-Jones and Thomas Coombes as Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Edward Hyde, Robert and Olalla's paternal grandfather and the father of Louis.
Recurring Cast[]
- Oliver Gilbert as Mr. Wax
- Amit Shah as Brannigan
- Amy Bowden as Adelie
- Jason La Shard as Cutter
- Tim Woodward as Sir Marion Carew
- Nadika Aluwihare as Herath Banda
- Hubert Burton as Harry
- Ricky Champ as One Eye
- Malachi Kirby as Spring Heeled Jack/Burton
- Edmund Kingsley as Channing
- Robin Hooper as Sir Danvers Carew
- Kirsten Foster as Keres
- Laya Lewis as Cara
- Angus Wright as Gabriel Utterson
- Duran Fulton Brown as Brant Jezequiel
- Tom Davis as Billy Wellington
- Holly Dempsey as Ginnie
- Tim Downie as Willard Neysmith
- Ryan Calais Cameron as Georgie Collings
- Riyonn Farsad as Mayfair
- Jeremy Neumark Jones as Lord George Watts
- Roda Coduri as Amelia
- Elizabeth Johnson as Velala
- Marco Nanetti as the Incubus
- Clive Mantle as Gideon Jezequiel
- Max Rinehart as Louis Hyde
Production[]
The series was based at 3 Mills Studios and also filmed in Kent – Rochester High Street doubles as the exterior of the Empire music hall and The Guildhall Museum features as the hotel where Dr. Jekyll (Tom Bateman) first lodges when arriving in England. The Historic Dockyard Chatham was used as location for the scenes used for Gravesend Docks, Tenebrae offices and factory and various areas of the site feature as London Streets and markets. Elmley Nature Reserve features in episode three as the setting for Maggie's (Niamh Walsh) country house and the Fort Amherst tunnels are used in episodes 9 and 10 where Jekyll finds out about the powers of The Incubus.
Episodes[]
Broadcast[]
Network(s)/Station(s) | Series premiere | Airing dates | Title |
---|---|---|---|
Canada | CBC TV | 11 January 2016 on CBC.[3][4] | Jekyll and Hyde ( ; lit: ) |
Thailand | Channel 3 Family (13) | June 4, 2018 – July 8, 2018 (Monday - Thursday 22:30) | หมอวิปริตจิตหลุดโลก (Jekyll and Hyde; lit: ) |
5HD1 | November 23, 2019 – December 22, 2019 (Every Saturday and Sunday from 20.20 - 21.20) | หมอวิปริตจิตหลุดโลก (Jekyll and Hyde; lit: ) |
Controversies[]
The opening episode attracted 459 complaints to the UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom in regard to the level of violence contained within a programme shown at 6.30pm. Ofcom subsequently announced that it had launched an investigation,[5] which ultimately ruled that the show had breached the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, as children were not "protected from unsuitable material by appropriate scheduling."[6]
After the November 2015 Paris attacks, episode 4 was delayed for a week as it was felt that the subject matter would be upsetting with the fresh memories of the experience.
Cancellation[]
On 5 January 2016, ITV confirmed that it would not be renewing Jekyll and Hyde for a second series. Reasons included poor and decreasing viewing figures,[7] unfavourable comparisons to Doctor Who[8] and public backlash following "hundreds of complaints" regarding the appropriateness of the content for a teatime family show.[9]
Unmade second series[]
On 8 July 2016, Higson explained in a tweets thread what would have happened in Series 2: "We had lots of great stories already written for series 2 of Jekyll & Hyde. Robert was going to find out a lot more about his mother and find his father. He was going to reluctantly work for MIO. Robert & Ravi were going to return to Sri Lanka & uncover some buried secrets. Bella’s family history was going to come into play. There were going to be some shocking deaths and reversals. And we were going to find out a lot more about Lord Trash... Instead, since ITV didn't want to make any more, they’re all dead!"[10]
Gallery[]
Videos[]
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ Higson, Charlie. Sad day today as ITV announce they don't want any more #JekyllandHyde Ah well, I tried. It was a grand adventure while it lasted..
- ↑ Robinson, Dom (25 October 2015). Jekyll and Hyde Episode 1 – The DVDfever Review.
- ↑ "CBC-TV stacks fall and winter lineups with British, Aussie fare", CFTR (AM), 28 May 2015.
- ↑ Jekyll and Hyde, TV revamp of Robert Louis Stevenson classic, debuts on CBC-TV (11 January 2016).
- ↑ "Jekyll and Hyde 'scary' probe launched", BBC, 29 October 2015.
- ↑ Jekyll and Hyde WAS broadcast too early according to Ofcom. Radio Times (25 January 2016).
- ↑ Jackson, Jasper. "ITV axes Jekyll and Hyde following poor ratings figures", The Guardian, 6 January 2016.
- ↑ Jekyll and Hyde and the elusive Doctor Who effect. Radio Times (25 October 2015). Archived from the original on 25 October 2015.
- ↑ "Jekyll and Hyde axed by ITV after one series following hundreds of complaints", Daily Express, 6 January 2016.
- ↑ Charlie Higson Twitter (8 July 2016).