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Left the channel on after the rugby
wtf were they thinking of here
wtf were they thinking of here
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I thought it was brilliant. Very surprised not on after watershed.
lol yeah
first thing i saw was when this bald bloke was shouting and i looked up to see and he had the body of a dog
first thing i saw was when this bald bloke was shouting and i looked up to see and he had the body of a dog
Fantasy drama at its best. Will appeal to all ages.
ITV hopes for a monster hit with Jekyll and Hyde
ITV’s new teatime drama series Jekyll and Hyde, which pops up between the rugby and The X Factor on Sunday night, represents a big bet on the growing popularity of fantasy drama to attract viewers young and old.
Using the lure of a famous phrase and Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella as a jumping-off point – with echoes of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock – it is exploring the theme “man is not truly one, but truly two”, through a doctor with a split personality.
But the drama, created by Charlie Higson of The Fast Show, the Young James Bond novels and a slew of zombie horror tales, is a lavish, dark, action-packed caper with outbreaks of superhuman violence and comedy.
His Jekyll is a young man, grandson of the original conflicted middle-aged doctor, lured from Sri Lanka to 1930s London, a world filled with macabre half-humans, spooks and grotesques (including a person with an upside-down face), alongside the inevitable strong women and love interests.
It feels a lot more grown-up than the BBC’s recent teatime fantasy offerings Merlin and Atlantis, but is squarely aimed at families and won’t put off younger viewers, Higson contends.
“Kids will be happy with it, they love all that stuff,” he says. “You never want to dumb it down. There’s enough fantasy element to it. We don’t do squirting blood, torn-off limbs. [But] kids know what they can deal with. I’ve always maintained it is good to scare children.”
Higson is being pitted against the likes of BBC showrunners Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies, with the show in competition for the Doctor Who fanbase, and for families who settle down together to view favourites such as Harry Potter or Indiana Jones.
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But it is also part of a new wave of big-budget family action dramas (including the forthcoming Beowulf), which are being produced by ITV Studios for a dual purpose: to attract young viewers to drama at Sunday teatime when BBC1 is pleasing the middle-aged with Countryfile, while going on (it is hoped) to reap global sales.
“Often scary, sometimes unsettling, but always highly entertaining. He [Higson] has brought to life an extraordinary world”, says ITV drama director Steve November. “It is a long time since ITV [ventured into] a genre so synonymous with the BBC. But we are back. It took a long time to find the right show that wasn’t Atlantis or Merlin. We wanted innovation, not imitation. We hope to establish ITV’s equivalent. We settled on Sundays, not wanting to be directly competitive to Doctor Who. We did not set out to make kids’ shows, we wanted something pre-watershed but sophisticated enough to appeal to the broad family audience, who watch The X Factor together.”
Francis Hopkinson, ITV Studios’ drama director, who alighted on Higson and his suggestion of Jekyll and Hyde, says: “It is an experiment, we have no idea about audience numbers.” He adds it is important to have an epic brand, for international appeal, and to tap into a deep mythology. “Jekyll and Hyde is also one of those recognisable phrases, everyone uses it. It has a classic ring, to intrigue people” – as Frankenstein, Dracula and Sherlock arguably do too.
When its 10-part run is over Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands, a swords and dragons epic with a warrior hero, will take over the baton for 13 episodes in January. Jekyll and Hyde and Beowulf are among the most expensive dramas ITV has ever committed to, costing £14m and £17m respectively.
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“Middling drama won’t work, you are competing with films,” says Hopkinson. Jekyll and Hyde does not scrimp: the first episode (“eye-catching, money on screen”, he notes) has an elephant centre-stage.
Beowulf, created by Strike Back’s James Dormer, with lashings of computer-generated monsters, is loosely based on the Anglo-Saxon saga. Tim Haines, ITV drama creative director and Beowulf executive producer, co-created the last ITV teatime drama, Primeval, which ran from 2007-11 and featured ancient monsters breaking through into modern life.
He says until recently British television has avoided anything from the Dark Ages as unpleasantly dark. But Game of Thrones showed “something which was a fantasy could work”. Beowulf was premiered at industry showcase Mipcom this month to packed audiences.
Like Jekyll and Hyde, it expands the range of ITV drama beyond detective shows and costume realism, in a move backed by ITV Studios Global Entertainment, the smaller ITV equivalent of BBC Worldwide tasked with selling shows abroad.
It’s all part of the strategy pursued by ITV chief executive Adam Crozier to diversify away from advertising by increasing programme sales from the beefed-up production arm ITV Studios. Mr Selfridge has shown the way. ITV can use its channel to showcase its wares but for them to sell, they need to be ambitious. That means putting in more money per hour than it can earn from advertising in the UK, as well as longer runs than the usual six parts plus a commitment to three series.
ITVSGE saw in Jekyll and Hyde and Beowulf the potential for lucrative global franchises. Managing director Maria Kyriacou says they are “big productions. The deficit on every drama is getting bigger, as they become more global in their scale and ambition. Higher end dramas can’t rely on local success.” In terms of financial returns, she says: “You have to think 10, 15, 20 years out. We have always been known for very strong drama, Prime Suspect, Cracker.” And she brushes away the suggestions that ITV is late to the party, and that there is a potential drama glut. “I have no crystal ball. There are more outlets than ever before, you cannot judge on the basis of the past.”
ITV’s new teatime drama series Jekyll and Hyde, which pops up between the rugby and The X Factor on Sunday night, represents a big bet on the growing popularity of fantasy drama to attract viewers young and old.
Using the lure of a famous phrase and Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella as a jumping-off point – with echoes of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock – it is exploring the theme “man is not truly one, but truly two”, through a doctor with a split personality.
But the drama, created by Charlie Higson of The Fast Show, the Young James Bond novels and a slew of zombie horror tales, is a lavish, dark, action-packed caper with outbreaks of superhuman violence and comedy.
His Jekyll is a young man, grandson of the original conflicted middle-aged doctor, lured from Sri Lanka to 1930s London, a world filled with macabre half-humans, spooks and grotesques (including a person with an upside-down face), alongside the inevitable strong women and love interests.
It feels a lot more grown-up than the BBC’s recent teatime fantasy offerings Merlin and Atlantis, but is squarely aimed at families and won’t put off younger viewers, Higson contends.
“Kids will be happy with it, they love all that stuff,” he says. “You never want to dumb it down. There’s enough fantasy element to it. We don’t do squirting blood, torn-off limbs. [But] kids know what they can deal with. I’ve always maintained it is good to scare children.”
Higson is being pitted against the likes of BBC showrunners Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies, with the show in competition for the Doctor Who fanbase, and for families who settle down together to view favourites such as Harry Potter or Indiana Jones.
Advertisement
But it is also part of a new wave of big-budget family action dramas (including the forthcoming Beowulf), which are being produced by ITV Studios for a dual purpose: to attract young viewers to drama at Sunday teatime when BBC1 is pleasing the middle-aged with Countryfile, while going on (it is hoped) to reap global sales.
“Often scary, sometimes unsettling, but always highly entertaining. He [Higson] has brought to life an extraordinary world”, says ITV drama director Steve November. “It is a long time since ITV [ventured into] a genre so synonymous with the BBC. But we are back. It took a long time to find the right show that wasn’t Atlantis or Merlin. We wanted innovation, not imitation. We hope to establish ITV’s equivalent. We settled on Sundays, not wanting to be directly competitive to Doctor Who. We did not set out to make kids’ shows, we wanted something pre-watershed but sophisticated enough to appeal to the broad family audience, who watch The X Factor together.”
Francis Hopkinson, ITV Studios’ drama director, who alighted on Higson and his suggestion of Jekyll and Hyde, says: “It is an experiment, we have no idea about audience numbers.” He adds it is important to have an epic brand, for international appeal, and to tap into a deep mythology. “Jekyll and Hyde is also one of those recognisable phrases, everyone uses it. It has a classic ring, to intrigue people” – as Frankenstein, Dracula and Sherlock arguably do too.
When its 10-part run is over Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands, a swords and dragons epic with a warrior hero, will take over the baton for 13 episodes in January. Jekyll and Hyde and Beowulf are among the most expensive dramas ITV has ever committed to, costing £14m and £17m respectively.
Advertisement
“Middling drama won’t work, you are competing with films,” says Hopkinson. Jekyll and Hyde does not scrimp: the first episode (“eye-catching, money on screen”, he notes) has an elephant centre-stage.
Beowulf, created by Strike Back’s James Dormer, with lashings of computer-generated monsters, is loosely based on the Anglo-Saxon saga. Tim Haines, ITV drama creative director and Beowulf executive producer, co-created the last ITV teatime drama, Primeval, which ran from 2007-11 and featured ancient monsters breaking through into modern life.
He says until recently British television has avoided anything from the Dark Ages as unpleasantly dark. But Game of Thrones showed “something which was a fantasy could work”. Beowulf was premiered at industry showcase Mipcom this month to packed audiences.
Like Jekyll and Hyde, it expands the range of ITV drama beyond detective shows and costume realism, in a move backed by ITV Studios Global Entertainment, the smaller ITV equivalent of BBC Worldwide tasked with selling shows abroad.
It’s all part of the strategy pursued by ITV chief executive Adam Crozier to diversify away from advertising by increasing programme sales from the beefed-up production arm ITV Studios. Mr Selfridge has shown the way. ITV can use its channel to showcase its wares but for them to sell, they need to be ambitious. That means putting in more money per hour than it can earn from advertising in the UK, as well as longer runs than the usual six parts plus a commitment to three series.
ITVSGE saw in Jekyll and Hyde and Beowulf the potential for lucrative global franchises. Managing director Maria Kyriacou says they are “big productions. The deficit on every drama is getting bigger, as they become more global in their scale and ambition. Higher end dramas can’t rely on local success.” In terms of financial returns, she says: “You have to think 10, 15, 20 years out. We have always been known for very strong drama, Prime Suspect, Cracker.” And she brushes away the suggestions that ITV is late to the party, and that there is a potential drama glut. “I have no crystal ball. There are more outlets than ever before, you cannot judge on the basis of the past.”
Do you work for the ITV PR department kenny ? You couldn't have given it a bigger plug if you tried.
OFCOM received hundreds of complaints about this being on before the watershed.
Kids having nightmares apparently.
Kids having nightmares apparently.
I have just watched the furst episide of this. I didn't think I would like it but it was brilliant!
I'm not surprised they had hundreds of complaints about it being on so early
Far too scary for younger children who would still be up at that time.
I'm not surprised they had hundreds of complaints about it being on so early
Far too scary for younger children who would still be up at that time.
Goodness, I have just seen it is on for 10 weeks!
Not sure I will last the duration.
Not sure I will last the duration.
Brilliant series, well acted, superb photograhy, great story and just a bit scary for this time of day.
Episode 3 showing now,
Episode 3 showing now,
Bit like Dr Who meets James Bond...totally unbelievable garbage..stay away
Of course it's unbelievable, salsa', that's what makes it so good.
I need belief to enjoy..probably why iv never been a fan of Star Wars Dr Who and James Bond films..still..each to his own kenny lad.
wELL i'M NOT A BIG FANTASY FAN, BUT THIS IS EXCEPTIONAL.
oops caps.
oops caps.
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