The Nightmare Worlds of H.G. Wells

- Season 1

(2016)

Impoverished young medical student Edward Eden is visited by the wealthy, elderly philosopher Egbert Elvesham with an offer to make the boy his heir - on condition he changes his name to that of his older benefactor. Mr Elvesham wines and dines Edward, who waked up next morning to find he has undergone a sinister transformation - which he will need to reverse in order to regain his youth and sanity.

Moderately talented young painter Alec Harringay feels his portrait of St Catherine is not good enough for submission to the Royal Academy however hard he works and his wife Isabel bemoans his obsession with perfecting it as household bills mount. Then one night the portrait comes to life, offering to give Alec the power to paint a masterpiece - in exchange for his soul. Foolishly he agrees and his work suddenly improves - but there is a terrible price to pay.

Entymologist Paul Hapley delights in discrediting the findings of his rival Professor Pawkins and when Pawkins dies, after Hapley has rubbished his paper on the Death's Head moth, Hapley finds that, with no adversary, his work has deteriorated. Then he discovers a unique moth, which only he can see, but it has Pawkins' face and Hapley fears that his old rival has returned from the dead to punish him - and he is right.

Timid shopkeeper James Coombes fantasizes about killing his selfish, greedy wife Eveline. Then whilst walking in the woods he discovers the purple pileus, a toadstool with hallucinogenic qualities, and, when he eats it, it makes him unusually masterful and happy again. He decides to carry on using it but unfortunately Eveline innocently eats some as well, with disastrous results.