The Nightmare Worlds of H.G. Wells
2016 · Sky Arts · 30 min · 1 season
S01E04 · The Purple Pileus
Fri, 5 Feb, 8:30 am
Shopkeeper Mr Coombes has had enough of life. But when he stumbles across some curious hallucinogenic toadstools, things take a dramatic turn.
About
The Nightmare Worlds of H.G. Wells is an anthology of four spooky tales.
Ray Winstone is heading a cast of acclaimed actors including Harry Potter star Michael Gambon in four HG Wells stories adapted especially for Sky Arts.
The anthology of twisted tales includes The Late Mr Elvesham, The Purple Pileus, The Moth and Devotee of Art, and will form the series The Nightmare World of HG Wells, which is set to air on Sky Arts in January 2016. The broadcast will coincide with the 150th anniversary of Wells' birth.
The set-based dramas will feature a mix of well-known faces and rising stars of British theatre and screen including Michael Gambon (Fortitude), Antonia Thomas (Misfits), Luke Treadaway (Unbroken), Shaun Parkes (Notes on a Scandal), Rupert Graves (Sherlock) Brid Brennan (Brooklyn) and Tom Goodman-Hill (Mr Selfridge).
They join Winstone, who stars as the enigmatic author.
In each of the shorts, Winstone's Wells acts as narrator, guiding the viewer through his nightmare stories, commenting on his characters and overseeing their twisted fates.
Episodes
- E01
The Late Mr. Elvesham
Fri, 29 Jan· 30 minThe Late Mr. Elvesham is a gothic horror in which a bright but poor student, Edward Eden, unwittingly exchanges his youth for riches.
- E02
The Devotee of Art
Fri, 29 Jan· 30 minThe Devotee of Art casts actor and folk singer Johnny Flynn as a passionate artist obsessed with his work. Misfits star Antonia Thomas (who also worked alongside Flynn in Channel 4 comedy Scrotal Recall) takes on the role of his neglected wife.
- E03
The Moth
Fri, 5 Feb· 30 minHG Wells presents a sinister tale of two entomologists, whose bitter rivalry drives one of them to insanity.
- E04
The Purple Pileus
Fri, 5 Feb· 30 minShopkeeper Mr Coombes has had enough of life. But when he stumbles across some curious hallucinogenic toadstools, things take a dramatic turn.
Cast
Ray Winstone
H.G. Wells