Take one classic work of fiction, throw in the imagination and humour of one of Britain’s best loved but ultimately zany authors, and sprinkle with a generous helping of unmistakable 1930s Hollywood glamour. There, you have the recipe for ITV’s brand new 10-part action-adventure drama series, Jekyll and Hyde.
Inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novel, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Charlie Higson – the writer behind the Young Bond novels – has created a world of mystery, fantasy, horror and sci-fi on a par with any (classic or contemporary) superhero story. It’s a two-sided world where morality is threatened by danger, but where nothing is as it seems.
At the heart of the drama is Robert Jekyll, the grandson of the original Dr Jekyll, who has been brought up, far away from London, in a foster family but who sets out on a quest to discover his real identity and the true nature of his “curse”.
As Jekyll, he is sensitive, well-meaning yet repressed, but when he gets stressed or angry or anyone’s lives are under threat, he turns into Hyde. His powerful alter ego is dark, self-destructive and lives life on the edge.
The action follows Jekyll as he struggles to navigate a world where two forces (the MIO, a secret government organisation against monsters; and Tenebrae, the monsters themselves) are battling for his soul.
Episode one invites viewers into the lush, picturesque oasis of sunny Ceylon in 1935, where, a world away from the dark, seedy streets of London, the grandson of the original Dr Jekyll, Robert, has been brought up in a caring and protective foster family. He has a younger foster brother, Ravi, and has recently trained as a doctor. All through his life he has taken medication for a mysterious “condition”, details of which have always been kept from him. Until he is summoned to England, that is.
In the City of London, meanwhile, all is not quite so tranquil. MIO (Military Intelligence Other) run by the eccentric, obsessive Bulstrode, work day and night to keep the streets free from Tenebrae, an elaborate organisation of monsters. Paying homage to the golden era of Hollywood monster movies, and each with their own terrifying yet somehow rather entertaining personality, these demons won’t be silenced easily. And neither will their leader, Captain Dance (Bulstrode’s nemesis).
