Electric Dreams: The Hood Maker
RICHARD MADDEN kicks off an electrifying anthology series based on Philip K. Dick’s short stories
SCI-FI Channel 4 HD, 9pm/ Channel 4+1, 10pm New sci-fi drama based on a Philip K. Dick story.
THE BRILLIANTLY mind-bending,
dystopian stories of US sci-fi author Philip K. Dick have long inspired filmmakers – from classic movies such as Blade Runner,
Total Recall and Minority Report, to Amazon’s hit series The Man
in the High Castle.
Now, 35 years after Dick’s death in 1982, various British and American writers – including The Night Manager’s David Farr and This Is England’s Jack Thorne
– are bringing a selection of his enduringly absorbing short stories to Channel 4 in an electrifying 10-part anthology series.
Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston is among the executive producers and also in the impressive cast, which includes Steve Buscemi, Timothy Spall, Anna Paquin,
Julia Davis and Greg Kinnear.
This week’s first stand-alone episode, The Hood Maker, adapted by Life on Mars writer Matthew Graham, is set in a futuristic world without advanced technology, where mutant telepaths, aka teeps, are being used by the government to read the minds of an angry public who are desperate to protect their inner thoughts.
Former Game of Thrones star Richard Madden takes the lead as hotshot government detective Agent Ross, who is sent to investigate when people begin receiving special hoods that can block the teeps’ powers and immobilise their network.
INVASION OF PRIVACY
‘It’s a strange and intriguing world, like a parallel universe,’ explains Madden, 31. ‘A meteor shower has rendered all electronics useless and the effect of radiation on humans means some are born with telepathic abilities.
‘In Dick’s original story, people are more accepting of teeps and there’s the idea that if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn’t care if your mind is read. But in our drama, the majority of people are against teeps because they value their privacy.’
The stakes are much higher, too, he adds. ‘The government has just passed legislation that allows teeps to force-read people without permission, so the public are at breaking point and the hoods become very relevant, very quickly.’
Riots soon erupt on the streets and an anti-teep movement is on the rise, which puts one particular telepath, the mysterious Honor (Holliday Grainger), in the firing line when she’s assigned to help Ross in his investigation.
‘Ross and Honor are thrust together at the beginning of the drama,’ says Madden, who’s also starred alongside Grainger in
Cinderella and Lady Chatterley’s
Lover. ‘And while Ross is aware of the teeps’ usefulness in society and likes it, he’s also dubious.’
Despite their uses, the teeps live in ghettos and are treated like second-class citizens. There’s no hiding from the world, either. ‘You can spot them just by looking at them,’ explains Madden.
‘They have a sort of birthmark across their face, which looks a bit like Ziggy Stardust.
‘This is a world that’s about to explode, and it’s quite scary and tense. Your heart will be pumping throughout.’
The original story was published in 1955 but, as is often the case with Dick’s work, its themes still resonate today.
‘It deals with universal issues, such as trust, privacy and honesty,’ says Madden. ‘Nowadays we want access to everyone else’s information, whether it’s photos, leaked emails or people’s salaries, but we don’t want to share our own.’
Science-fiction fan Madden is thrilled to be kicking off this muchanticipated anthology, which is shown in two runs, with the first six episodes airing this year and the following four in early 2018.
‘I love Dick’s work because it’s always touched with an element of “this could happen”. These short stories are hard to get hold of, but I’ve been ploughing through them, and I can’t wait to see the other episodes.’
DITCHING THE ARMOUR
After Game of Thrones, Madden says he kept ‘ending up in period pieces’ – Medici: Masters of
Florence, Klondike and a West
End production of Romeo and
Juliet – so Electric Dreams has been a welcome change.
‘I’d just like to not be in armour and leggings for a while,’ he laughs.‘i also try to go for characters that aren’t too similar to the last one I played.’
But even though Thrones’ Robb Stark was killed off from the series four years ago, Madden retains a loyal following of die-hard fans.
‘People still stop me in the street, but I think they’re always a bit disappointed,’ he laughs. ‘I think they’re surprised I’m not taller, and more handsome and muscly!’ He still regularly sees his
Thrones castmates and enjoys watching the show as a ‘civilian’ now, but avoiding storyline spoilers can be quite a problem.
‘A few of the cast have turned into really close friends, including Kit Harington [Jon Snow]. I’m enjoying Thrones so much more as a viewer now because I don’t know what’s going to happen.
‘The trouble is, I do know people with inside information and have to shout at them to not tell me what they’ve been filming.’
‘It deals with universal issues, such as trust, privacy and
honesty’
richard madden