Beasts (TV series)

Beasts
GenreHorror Anthology
Created byNigel Kneale
StarringAnthony Bate
Martin Shaw
Pauline Quirke
Michael Kitchen
Patrick Magee
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
ProducerNicholas Palmer
Running timec. 50 minutes
Original release
NetworkITV
Release16 October (1976-10-16) –
20 November 1976 (1976-11-20)

Beasts is a 1976 British television series. Written by Nigel Kneale, it is an anthology of six self-contained episodes that feature the recurring theme of bestial horror.[1][2] The series was made by ATV for the ITV Network.[3]

Format

Each episode was based around some form of bestial horror while avoiding typical monster horror clichès, more so focusing on psychological and supernatural themes. For example, "The Dummy" and "What Big Eyes" are psychological horrors focusing on men who think they are the creatures they obsess over, and "Buddy Boy", "Special Offer" and "Baby" have supernatural elements. "During Barty's Party" is the only episode to have actual 'beasts' as the main threat, them being large rats.

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal air date
1"Special Offer"[4]16 October 1976 (1976-10-16)
Pauline Quirke stars as a shop assistant whose unrequited love for her manager prompts a paranormal revenge.
2"During Barty's Party"[5]23 October 1976 (1976-10-23)
Starring Anthony Bate, a middle-class couple's life becomes overturned by rats.
3"Buddyboy"[6]30 October 1976 (1976-10-30)
Featuring Martin Shaw and a disused aquarium haunted by the spirit of a dolphin.
4"Baby"[7]6 November 1976 (1976-11-06)
Starring Simon MacCorkindale as a newlywed whose wife's pregnancy falls foul of ancient witchcraft.
5"What Big Eyes"[8]13 November 1976 (1976-11-13)
Features Michael Kitchen as an RSPCA inspector investigating a man (Patrick Magee) who is trying to turn himself into a wolf.
6"The Dummy"[9]20 November 1976 (1976-11-20)
Shows the psychological effect on an actor (Bernard Horsfall) who regularly plays a monster in horror films.

DVD release

The series was released on DVD by Network in 2006.[10] This set also included a similarly themed TV play called Murrain that Kneale had written for ITV's Against the Crowd series in 1975.[11]

References

  1. ^ "10 classics of British TV horror". British Film Institute.
  2. ^ Marcus, Laurence. "Beasts". Television Heaven.
  3. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Beasts (1976)". screenonline.org.uk.
  4. ^ "Special Offer (1976)". BFI. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018.
  5. ^ "During Barty's Party (1976)". BFI. Archived from the original on 29 December 2018.
  6. ^ "Buddyboy (1976)". BFI. Archived from the original on 28 August 2016.
  7. ^ "Baby (1976)". BFI. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018.
  8. ^ "What Big Eyes (1976)". BFI. Archived from the original on 29 December 2018.
  9. ^ "The Dummy (1976)". BFI. Archived from the original on 29 December 2018.
  10. ^ "Beasts: The Complete Series". Network on Air.
  11. ^ "Murrain (1975)". BFI. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018.