And the dream comes true for one young, idealistic podcast host. After months of campaigning, Dan finally gets a chance to bring Steven Moffat’s (DOCTOR WHO) BBC series, JEKYLL, to the table for an extended discussion. Listen in as CFQ editor Steve Biodrowski and theofantastique.com’s John W. Morehead join Dan Persons in a spirited and detailed appraisal of this updated sequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novella, and learn whether this radical reenvisioning — featuring standout performances by James Nesbitt (BLOODY SUNDAY) and Gina Bellman (COUPLING), plus corporate conspiracies, weird science and, oh yes, lesbian private detectives — is worth your time.

The program can be downloaded or listened to at this link. You can also listen to the Cinefantastique Roundtable Podcast 2:4 where we discuss various fantastic items in the news, weigh in on Disney’s Little Mermaid vs. Beauty and the Beast, amazement over PBS’s treatment of The Twilight Zone on Pioneers of Television, and I give a spirited defense of Looney Tunes’s Hyde & Hare. The program can be found here.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a novella written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1886. The story is told from the point of view of a London lawyer, John Utterson, who investigates the increasingly odd behavior of his old friend, the brilliant scientist Dr. Henry Jekyll. After relating a disturbing tale of an angry fiend assaulting a small girl, Utterson uncovers a horrific and terrifying truth.

The book was an immediate success and one of Stevenson’s best-selling works. Stage adaptations began in Boston and London within a few months, and it has gone on to inspire scores of major film and stage performances and countless references in popular culture. The phrase “Jekyll and Hyde” has become shorthand to mean wild, controversial and polar behavior, or schizophrenia.

In more than 100 film versions, Jekyll has been played by such stars as John Barrymore in a 1920 silent version; Frederic March, who won an Academy Award for his deft portrayal in 1931; Spencer Tracy (1941); Jack Palance (1968); David Hemmings (1981); Anthony Perkins (1989); Laura Dern and Anthony Andrews in the dual role (1989); Michael Caine (1990), and John Malkovich in Mary Reilly (1996).

The BBC program does not represent another retelling of the Victorian story, but instead offers a fresh interpretation set in contemporary times.

Jekyll, described by writer Steven Moffat (Coupling, Doctor Who), as “somewhere between a modern horror story and The Odd Couple,” is set in the present day and stars James Nesbitt in the title role. Dr. Jekyll is a contemporary man with an ancient curse of Mr. Hyde. But he’s done a deal with his own devil – a body share – and keeps his dark side in check with the very latest surveillance hardware. Just barely keeping one step ahead of his alter-ego, Jekyll has managed to keep his wife and two kids a secret from the vicious Hyde. But what neither of them knows is that an organization with limitless wealth and power is monitoring their every move.

Creator Steven Moffat explains how he updated the classic tale: “There’s potential to go in so many different directions with the tale – it’s such a rich and strong idea – so here we go again! Another Jekyll and Hyde! The doctor and his dark side are back!

“What’s new this time? Everything! Literally, actually new. For the first time the setting is modern day – no fog, no cobblestones, we’re in London 2007. Dr. Tom Jackman is a new man with an old problem. If this story speaks to everyone with a dark side (everyone), why set it back then? Why not make it here and now? Why not make it a modern man in modern London? Why not have a helicopter in episode four?

“The story of Jekyll and Hyde was a shocking idea when it came out in 1886, and it wasn’t a period piece. It was set in the modern day and was shocking in that this respectable man had this terrible dark side. Instead of a tale of naughty Victorian hypocrisy in London of long ago, why not make it about all the horrors slinking around the dark side of your mind right now?”

I had never heard of this program prior to my invitation to be a part of the podcast. I am glad to have been made aware of it as it provides an opportunity to reflect anew on this important horror story, and what it tells us about human nature, particularly our dark side. Unfortunately, there was only one season of this program, even though the final episode set the stage for a second. The six episodes comprising the season can be downloaded through Amazon.com’s Video on Demand. After the podcast is uploaded and available for listening I will update this post and include a link.

Related post:

“Skillet: ‘Monster’ as Rock ‘n’ Roll Jekyll and Hyde”

The figure of the monster surfaces in many ways in popular culture to serve us for good or ill. At its worst it becomes a way of conceiving of the “other” which provides us with justification for their eradication. At its best it helps us to look inside ourselves to see that many times the monster is not “out there,” but rather within, lurking just below the surface and ready to unleash its violence upon others.

One recent use of the monster figure in the latter sense comes in the form of a new song by the rock group Skillet. It is appropriately titled “Monster,” from their recent album Awake.  Every time I hear this song I think of it as a rock music version of the classic story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This effort by Skillet is reminiscent of a similar use of the monstrous by the group Three Days Grace with their song “Animal I Have Become,” set to the images of horror films in this video clip.

The lyrics are reproduced below and the music video can be seen here.

“MONSTER”

The secret side of me, I never let you see/I keep it caged but I can’t control it/So stay away from me, the beast is ugly/I feel the rage and I just can’t hold it

It’s scratching on the walls, in the closet, in the halls/It comes awake and I can’t control it/Hiding under the bed, in my body, in my head/Why won’t somebody come and save me from this, make it end?

I feel it deep within, it’s just beneath the skin
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I hate what I’ve become, the nightmare’s just begun
I must confess that I feel like a monster

I, I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster

My secret side I keep hid under lock and key/I keep it caged but I can’t control it/’Cause if I let him out he’ll tear me up, break me down/Why won’t somebody come and save me from this, make it end?

I feel it deep within, it’s just beneath the skin/I must confess that I feel like a monster/I hate what I’ve become, the nightmare’s just begun/I must confess that I feel like a monster

I feel it deep within, it’s just beneath the skin
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster

It’s hiding in the dark, it’s teeth are razor sharp/There’s no escape for me, it wants my soul, it wants my heart/No one can hear me scream, maybe it’s just a dream/Maybe it’s inside of me, stop this monster

I feel it deep within, it’s just beneath the skin
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I hate what I’ve become, the nightmare’s just begun
I must confess that I feel like a monster

I feel it deep within, it’s just beneath the skin
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I’ve gotta lose control, he something radical
I must confess that I feel like a monster

I, I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster
I, I feel like a monster

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