A wealthy American’s fear of death leads him to fund strange experiments in the perpetuation of life, with unforeseen consequences.
The hugely successful and ageing American millionaire Jo Stoyte (Stubby Kaye) lives in a gothic Californian castle, consumed by a terror of his own mortality. He employs Dr. Obispo (Zia Mohyeddin) to conduct scientific research into extending the human lifespan. Stoyte’s attention, however, is divided by his young mistress, Virginia (Judith Arthy). Dr. Obispo soon finds his own scientific curiosity distracted by Virginia, leading to a clash of professional duty and personal desire that threatens to derail his employer’s eccentric quest. Other members of the household include the English scholar Jeremy Pordage (Frank Williams) and the earnest handyman Pete Boone (Burnell Tucker).
Aldous Huxley’s satirical novel about the foolish pursuit of immortality was a challenging choice for television adaptation. Presented as a two-part play, the production translates the book’s philosophical arguments and cynical humour into a compact drama. It is a story about the grotesque consequences of vanity, where the desperate search for eternal youth clashes with more immediate human desires. The direction by Douglas Camfield treats the Californian setting and its eccentric inhabitants with a sharp, critical eye, preserving the cold, intellectual core of Huxley’s work.
Broadcast: BBC 2, 2 Episodes, 14 October – 21 October 1967
Adapted by: Rex Tucker
From the novel by: Aldous Huxley
Director: Douglas Camfield
Producer: David Conroy
Designer: Roy Oxley
Main Cast: Stubby Kaye (Jo Stoyte), Judith Arthy (Virginia), Zia Mohyeddin (Doctor Obispo), Frank Williams (Jeremy Pordage), Burnell Tucker (Pete Boone), Patrick Whyte (Bill Propter), Robert Henderson (Mr Stoyte’s Castle)
