''The Nightmare Worlds of H. G. Wells'' is a 2016 horror-fantasy television miniseries, based on
short stories
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...
Sky Arts
Sky Arts (originally launched as Artsworld) is a British free-to-air television channel offering 24 hours a day of programmes dedicated to highbrow arts, including theatrical performances, movies, documentaries and music (such as opera perfor ...
.
Plot
Every episode opens (and closes) with Wells, who introduces a topic and narrated a story about it.
Episode 1: The Late Mr. Elvesham
Young and penniless medical student Edward Eden is approached by old and wealthy Egbert Elvesham, who doesn't have an heir and is looking for somebody to inherits his fortune, provided they take his name. However, Elvesham tricks Eden into drinking a potion which makes them exchange their bodies during the night. While Elvesham enjoys the joys of the young body, Eden is trapped in the old body (and in the identity of its previous owner), and looks for his revenge.
Episode 2: The Devotee of Art
Mediocre artist Alec Harringay is trying to depict St. Catherine for a submission to the Royal Academy but he is never satisfied with his work. His painting becomes suddenly alive and lures him into a dreadful pact: being able to paint a masterpiece in exchange of his soul. This event radically transforms Harringay, who eventually kills his wife Isabel and suffer the consequences.
Episode 3: The Moth
Entomologists Prof. Pawkins and Dr. Hapley take pleasure in discrediting each other's work. When Pawkins dies, Hapley loses interest in his research, and shortly after he is haunted by a moth with the face of his old enemy. He becomes obsessed that the moth is actually a reincarnated Hapley taking revenge, but he is not believed and is deemed crazy.
Episode 4: The Purple Pileus
Shopkeeper James Coombes constantly argues with his wife Eveline and her friends Jennie and Clarence. When things become too tense, he wanders outside, first meditating how to kill her, then choosing to kill himself, by eating what he believes are poisonous purple mushrooms. However, they are revealed to be hallucinogenic: after an overdose, he starts consuming a calibrated amount to improve his humour in daily life. Eventually, Eveline eats all the mushrooms by mistake, overdosing herself with dreadful consequences.
Cast
Ray Winstone
Raymond Andrew Winstone (; born 19 February 1957) is an English television, stage and film actor with a career spanning five decades. Having worked with many prominent directors, including Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, Winstone is perha ...
Camilla Beeput
Camilla Marie Beeput (born 9 September 1981) is an English stage, television and film actress and singer.
Winner of the Next Generation, Voice of a Women Award (2015), Beeput was first discovered on ''Fame Academy'' in 2002 and has gone on to r ...
Luke Treadaway
Luke Antony Newman Treadaway''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916-2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 10 September 1984) is a British actor and singer. He won an Olivier Award for Best Leading Actor for his performance as Christ ...
- Edward Eden
Episode 2
Brid Brennan
Brigid ( , ; meaning 'exalted one' from Old Irish),Campbell, MikBehind the Name.See also Xavier Delamarre, ''brigantion / brigant-'', in ''Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise'' (Éditions Errance, 2003) pp. 87–88: "Le nom de la sainte irlandais ...
- Nurse
Leticia Dolera
Leticia Dolera (born 23 October 1981) is a Spanish actress. She was born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. She is best known for her roles as Clara in the Spanish horror film '' REC 3: Genesis'', Teresa in the 2003 film ''Imagining Argentina'', an ...
Antonia Thomas
Antonia Laura Thomas (born 3 November 1986) is a British actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Alisha Daniels in the E4 comedy-drama series ''Misfits'', Evie in the Channel 4/Netflix comedy series '' Lovesick'' and Dr. Claire ...
- Isabel Harringay
Episode 3
Amelda Brown
Amelda Brown is a British actress of stage, film, and television. She trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1980, and became known for her work in fringe theatre.
She played leading roles in the premieres of Caryl Church ...
- Hapley's Housekeeper
Tom Goodman-Hill
Tom Goodman-Hill is an English actor of film, television, theatre and radio.
Early life
Brought up near Newcastle upon Tyne, he qualified as a teacher before turning to acting. During his time in Newcastle, he regularly acted in amateur perform ...
- Father Morton
Rupert Graves
Rupert Simeon Graves (born 30 June 1963) is an English film, television, and theatre actor. He is known for his roles in ''A Room with a View'', '' Maurice'', '' The Madness of King George'' and '' The Forsyte Saga''. From 2010 to 2017 he star ...
- Dr. Hapley
James Wilby
James Jonathon Wilby (born 20 February 1958) is an English actor.
Early life and education
Wilby was born in Rangoon, Burma to a corporate executive father. He was educated at Terrington Hall School, North Yorkshire and Sedbergh School in Cu ...
- Professor Pawkins
Episode 4
Leanne Best
Leanne Best (born 15 June 1979) is an English actress. She is the niece of former Beatle, Pete Best. She trained at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and presently lives in South West (London sub region), southwest London.
She is kno ...
- Eveline Coombes
Mercedes Grower - Jennie
Shaun Parkes
Shaun Parkes (born 9 February 1973) is an English actor.
Biography
At 16, Parkes enrolled at Seltec College to study drama. Two years later, he was accepted into RADA. Having acted in both theatre and television support roles, Parkes made his ...
Wells wrote the script of an abandoned film version of ''Mr Elvesham'' (as ''The New Faust'') for
Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)West London Film Studios
West London Film Studios ("WLFS") is a British film studio and television studio complex located in Hayes, Middlesex.
The studios cater to small and large productions; for films, television shows, TV adverts and photo shoots.
History
Frank ...
. Writer and executive producer Graham Duff also appeared in the first episode.
Episodes
See also
* ''
The Infinite Worlds of H. G. Wells
''The Infinite Worlds of H. G. Wells'' is a four-hour television miniseries conceived by Nick Willing and released in 2001 by the Hallmark Channel. It is based on a number of short stories by H. G. Wells, and in some territories was titled ''Th ...
FilmAffinity
FilmAffinity is a movie recommendations website created in 2002 in Madrid, Spain by the film critic Pablo Kurt Verdú Schumann and the programmer Daniel Nicolás. As of 2016, the site listed 125,000 movies and series and had 556,000 reviews wr ...