''Chimera'' is a British

science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...

horror drama made by

Zenith Productions Zenith Productions (later Zenith Entertainment) was a British independent film and television production company. Zenith created content for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky and UKTV, including a number of series such as ''Inspector Morse'' for ITV ...

and Anglia Films for

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

in 1991. It is based on the 1982 novel of the same name about

genetic engineering Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including t ...

Stephen Gallagher Stephen Gallagher (born 13 October 1954) is an English screenwriter and novelist. Gallagher was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. Career Gallagher has written novels and television scripts, including for the BBC television series ''Doctor Wh ...

. Gallagher had previously adapted the novel as a 90 minute dramatised audio drama for BBC Radio 4 in 1985. The theme music of the TV mini-series was " Roisin Dubh" by

Nigel Hess Nigel John Hess (born 22 July 1953) is a British composer, best known for his television, theatre and film soundtracks, including the theme tunes to ''Campion (1989 TV series), Campion'', ''Maigret (1992 TV series), Maigret'', ''Wycliffe (TV se ...

and

Chameleon Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 202 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, bein ...

. Although set in rural Cumbria, filming took place in

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

with the village of

Kettlewell Kettlewell is a village in Upper Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies north of Grassington, at the point where Wharfedale is joined by a minor road (Cam Gill Road) which leads north ...

providing the outdoor scenes. The setting for ''The Jenner Clinic'' was the nearby Malham Tarn Field Studies Centre, a Grade II listed Georgian country house owned by the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

. Studio filming took place at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused w ...

in Surrey. The series was later re-edited for release in the United States, and retitled ''Monkey Boy''.

Plot

The story focuses upon Chad, a young half-boy, half-chimp, developed by scientists as part of a top secret government operation. However, Chad becomes aggressive, strong and uncontrollable, with the inability to communicate on a human level, escaping from the lab, brutally killing several nurses and scientists in the process. The hunt is on to find and capture Chad before the public encounters this strange and dangerous creation. During Chad's escape, he wrestles with his natural child tendencies after befriending some local children and trying to control his wild primal inner instincts.

Cast

* John Lynch as Peter Carson *

Christine Kavanagh Christine Mary Kavanagh (born 24 March 1957 in Prescot, Lancashire) is an English actress. Career overview Kavanagh was educated in Brussels, and trained as a drama teacher at Bretton Hall College and as an actor at Bristol Old Vic Theatr ...

as Alison Wells *

Kenneth Cranham Kenneth Cranham (born 12 December 1944) is a Scottish film, television, radio and stage actor. Early life Cranham was born in Dunfermline, Fife, the son of Lochgelly-born Margaret McKay Cranham (née Ferguson) and Ronald Cranham, a London-born ...

as Hennessey *

Peter Armitage Peter Armitage may refer to: * Peter Armitage (statistician) (born 1924), British statistician * Peter Armitage (actor) Peter James Armitage (23 October 1939 – 30 November 2018) was an English television and stage actor best known for his r ...

as Sgt. Crichton *Emer Gillespie as Nurse Tracy Pickford *

Sarah Winman Sarah Winman (born 24 December 1964 in Ilford, Essex) is a British author and actress. Biography In 2011, Winman's debut novel, ''When God Was a Rabbit'' (2011), became an international bestseller and won Winman several awards including New ...

as Julia *

George Costigan George J. Costigan (born 8 August 1947) is an English actor who is best known for portraying Bob in the 1987 film ''Rita, Sue and Bob Too'' and for roles in TV series such as '' Happy Valley'' and ''So Haunt Me''. Early life Born in Portsmouth, ...

as Schaffer *

Pip Torrens Philip D'Oyly "Pip" Torrens (born 2 June 1960) is an English actor. Known for playing urbane, authoritative figures, Torrens portrayed courtier Tommy Lascelles in the Netflix drama ''The Crown'', aristocrat Lord Massen in the HBO series ''The ...

as Windeler * David Calder as Dr. Jenner *Douglas Mann as Chad *

Paul O'Grady Paul James O'Grady Order of the British Empire, MBE Deputy Lieutenant, DL (born 14 June 1955) is an English comedian, broadcaster, actor, writer and former drag queen. He achieved notability in the London gay scene during the 1980s with his d ...

as Social Worker * Sebastian Shaw as Dr Liawski *

David Neilson David Neilson (born 13 March 1949) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as cafe owner Roy Cropper in the long running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', which he has played since 1995. Early life Neilson was born in Loughbor ...

Mr Desmond Gaskell. *

Liza Tarbuck Liza Tarbuck ( ; born 21 November 1964) is an English actress, comedian, and television and radio presenter. Early life Liza Tarbuck was born in Liverpool. She is the daughter of comedian Jimmy Tarbuck and his wife Pauline, with an older siste ...

Women on

National Express National Express Group is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Birmingham, England. It operates bus, coach, train and tram services in the United Kingdom, Ireland (National Express operates Eurolines in conjunction ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. * Maggie Lane Hotel Landlady * Dhirendra Cottrell *

Gary Mavers Gary John Mavers (born 1 September 1964), is an English television actor. Mavers graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and is best known for his portrayals of GP Andrew Attwood in ''Peak Practice'' which he worked on for 5 years as a ...

Forester *

Richard Durden Mark Richard Durden-Smith (born 8 February 1944), known as Richard Durden, is an English actor, with a range of television, film and stage credits. Personal life Durden-Smith was educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College and Merton ...

Minister *

Pippa Haywood Philippa Haywood (born 6 May 1961) is a British actress. She won the 2005 Rose d'Or Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for ''Green Wing'' (2004–2006). Her other television credits include ''The Brittas Empire'' (1991–1997), Chimera (19 ...

Diane Rhomer * Vivien Parry Rental manager * Douglas Mann Chad Chimera

Release

The series originally aired in Britain on

in July 1991. In the United States, it aired on

A&E Television Networks A&E Networks (stylized as A+E NETWORKS) is an American multinational broadcasting company that is a 50–50 joint venture between Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company through its General Entertainment Content division. The company o ...

. A heavily edited version of the series was released on VHS, with the title ''Monkey Boy'', by Prism Entertainment. The complete series was released on DVD in the United Kingdom by Revelation Films Ltd in July 2010. The series was run for the first time on

Forces TV The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides radio and television programmes for His Majesty's Armed Forces, and their dependents worldwide. Editorial control is independent of the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces themselve ...

on the 19 and 20 February 2022.

References

External links

*
''Monkey Boy''
on

MSN MSN (meaning Microsoft Network) is a web portal and related collection of Internet services and apps for Windows and mobile devices, provided by Microsoft and launched on August 24, 1995, alongside the release of Windows 95. The Microsoft Net ...

Movies 1991 British television series debuts 1991 British television series endings 1990s British drama television series 1990s British television miniseries 1990s British science fiction television series British horror fiction television series English-language television shows Television series about genetic engineering Television shows based on British novels ITV television dramas Television series by ITV Studios Television shows produced by Anglia Television British fantasy television series {{1990s-sf-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Release

See also

References

External links