The Invisible Man (1958 TV series)
A sane invisible scientist aids British intelligence.
The Invisible Man (later known as H.G. Wells' Invisible Man) is a British black-and-white science fiction television series that aired on ITV from September 1958 to July 1959, and on CBS in the United States. The series consists of twenty-six half-hour episodes across two seasons. It is loosely inspired by H. G. Wells' 1897 novel but deviates significantly: the protagonist is Dr. Peter Brady, a sane scientist who becomes permanently invisible through a laboratory accident. No characters from the novel appear, and the series is one of at least four 'Invisible Men' television adaptations.
- type
- Television series
- country
- United Kingdom
- network
- ITV (UK), CBS (US)
- episodes
- 26
- runtime
- 30 minutes per episode
- original_run
- September 1958 – July 1959
- based_on
- The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells
Lore & Background
The series follows Dr. Peter Brady, a scientist experimenting with light and refraction to achieve invisibility. After an experiment with a guinea pig in an ionization chamber goes wrong, Brady becomes permanently invisible. Unable to duplicate the process, he escapes from the laboratory and negotiates with the UK government, represented by Sir Charles Anderson, to return to his lab. His sister Diane (or Jane in the unaired pilot) and her daughter Sally are main characters, often accompanying him on adventures. Brady initially works to regain visibility but later uses his invisibility to help people, solve crimes, and defeat enemy spies.
Reader's Guide
The Invisible Man (1958 TV series) is significant as one of the earliest television adaptations of H. G. Wells' novel, notable for its innovative special effects and its departure from the source material. The series changed plot details between episodes: early episodes state that natural-fiber clothing becomes invisible, while later episodes assert that only Brady's original lab clothing is permanently invisible. The show's production involved hidden stuntmen and puppeteer Jack Whitehead for effects like floating cigarettes. The actor playing the Invisible Man was never credited; Tim Turner provided the voice, using a transatlantic accent to aid US sales. The series influenced later invisible-man media and remains a cult classic.
Did You Know?
- The unaired pilot episode featured Canadian actor Robert Beatty as the voice of Dr. Peter Brady, but his accent was considered too harsh and the pilot was not used.
- In early episodes, Dr. Brady's clothing becomes invisible only if made of natural fiber; synthetic materials remain visible.
- The actor playing the Invisible Man was never credited on-screen; Tim Turner's identity as the voice was revealed in 1965.
- A motorist unknowingly became part of a scene when he saw a car without a driver and his astonished reaction was kept in the finished episode.
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