''The Invisible Man'' is a six-part television serial based on the
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 unive ...
/
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
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in the UK throughout September and October 1984. It was produced as part of the
BBC 1
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
Classic Serial strand, which incorporated numerous television adaptations of classic novels screened in serial form on Sunday afternoons. Out of all the numerous film and TV versions of H. G. Wells' 1897 book, this remains to date the most faithful to the original text. The series was adapted by
James Andrew Hall
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguati ...
and directed by Brian Lighthill.
Plot
Starring
Pip Donaghy
Philip Donaghy (born 1944) is a British actor who in a four-decade career has appeared in television, film and on stage. Donaghy who is best known by his stage name of Pip Donaghy trained at the London Drama Centre. He is a former member of the ...
in the title role, the series follows the same plot as the original book, of a deranged scientist who discovers a formula by which to make himself
invisible
Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be ''invisible'' (literally, "not visible"). The phenomenon is studied by physics and perceptual psychology.
Since objects can be seen by light in ...
, but is driven to
insanity
Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to ...
by his inability to reverse the formula and is evoked to use his invisibility to terrorize those around him.
Cast
*
Pip Donaghy
Philip Donaghy (born 1944) is a British actor who in a four-decade career has appeared in television, film and on stage. Donaghy who is best known by his stage name of Pip Donaghy trained at the London Drama Centre. He is a former member of the ...
as Griffin – The Invisible Man
*
David Gwillim
David Gwillim (born 15 December 1948) is an English actor, known for playing Prince Hal in the ''BBC Television Shakespeare'' adaptations of ''Henry IV, Part I'' and '' Henry IV, Part II'' and the title role in ''Henry V'' which were broadcast i ...
as Dr. Samuel Kemp
*
Lila Kaye
Lila Kaye (7 November 1929 – 10 January 2012) was an English actress. She spent a number of years working in the United States, on Broadway and in television, before returning to England.
Born in Middlesbrough, North Riding of Yorkshire, sh ...
as Mrs. Jenny Hall
*
Ron Pember
Ronald Henry Pember (11 April 1934 – 8 March 2022) was an English actor, stage director and dramatist. In a career stretching over thirty years, he was a character actor in British television productions in the 1970s – 1980s, usually in bi ...
Michael Sheard
Michael Sheard (18 June 1938 – 31 August 2005) was a Scottish character actor who featured in many films and television programmes, and was known for playing villains. His most prominent television role was as strict deputy headmaster Mauric ...
as Reverend Edward Bunting
*
Frank Middlemass
Francis George Middlemass (28 May 1919 – 8 September 2006) was an English actor, who even in his early career played older roles. He is best remembered for his television roles as Rocky Hardcastle in '' As Time Goes By'', Algy Herries in ''To S ...
Roy Holder
Roy Trevor Holder (15 June 1946 – 9 November 2021) was an English film and television actor who appeared in various programmes including '' Ace of Wands'', ''Z-Cars'', '' Spearhead'', the ''Doctor Who'' serial ''The Caves of Androzani''. His f ...
as Sandy Wadgers
*
John Quarmby
John Quarmby (18 June 1929 – 5 April 2019) was an English character actor.
Biography
Quarmby was born in Liverpool and after two years' national service in the RAF joined RADA in 1949. Repertory work dominated the first twenty years of his ...
Although originally intended to be screened on Sunday afternoons like the BBC's other classic serials, it was instead shown in a Tuesday evening slot after the BBC's Head of Drama declared the serial was ''"too frightening for a Sunday afternoon... far too horrific"''. The public reception to the serial was less than enthusiastic, with viewing figures averaging 7.4 million with an overall
Appreciation Index
The Audience Appreciation Index (AI) is an indicator measured from 0 to 100 of the public's appreciation for a television or radio programme, or broadcast service, in the United Kingdom.
Until 2002, the AI of a programme was calculated by the B ...
of only 49. Viewing figures declined steadily as the series progressed, with many complaining that the storyline's pacing was too slow, the episodes were too short, and that the novel was not well-suited to this form of serialization, many arguing that its faithfulness was its main weakness. A Television Audience Broadcasting Report from BARB data stated that ''"The series was often considered slow and boring... and unredeemed by the quality of the acting or the production"''. Pip Donaghy's performance, nevertheless, was described as ''"well-received"''. Despite not being particularly successful at home, the serial achieved surprising success abroad, particularly in the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
where it was reported to have attracted over 64 million viewers. The serial was never repeated by the BBC, and remained almost forgotten until a
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...