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Beasts
S1.E5
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What Big Eyes

  • Episode aired Nov 13, 1976
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
96
YOUR RATING
Michael Kitchen, Patrick Magee, and Madge Ryan in What Big Eyes (1976)
DramaHorrorMysteryThriller

An RSPCA officer is horrified when he discovers a pet shop owner has been conducting experiments on a wolf, searching for proof of lycanthropy.An RSPCA officer is horrified when he discovers a pet shop owner has been conducting experiments on a wolf, searching for proof of lycanthropy.An RSPCA officer is horrified when he discovers a pet shop owner has been conducting experiments on a wolf, searching for proof of lycanthropy.

  • Director
    • Donald McWhinnie
  • Writer
    • Nigel Kneale
  • Stars
    • Patrick Magee
    • Madge Ryan
    • Michael Kitchen
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.8/10
    96
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Donald McWhinnie
    • Writer
      • Nigel Kneale
    • Stars
      • Patrick Magee
      • Madge Ryan
      • Michael Kitchen
    • 6User reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos4

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    Top cast8

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    Patrick Magee
    Patrick Magee
    • Leo Raymount
    Madge Ryan
    Madge Ryan
    • Florence Raymount
    Michael Kitchen
    Michael Kitchen
    • Bob Curry
    Gerald James
    Gerald James
    • Joe Nash
    Bill Dean
    Bill Dean
    • Duggie Jebb
    Janice Bean
    • Woman Customer
    Patricia Mason
    • 2nd Woman Customer
    David Elmon
    • Boy
    • Director
      • Donald McWhinnie
    • Writer
      • Nigel Kneale
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews6

    6.896
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    Featured reviews

    searchanddestroy-1

    Where - is the - Wolf story...

    I was a bit disappointed by this tale which let me expect something slightly better. Because of the presence of Patrick Magee, I think the producers and directors could have done something different. Of course, this scheme, with those elements, deserves to appear in BEASTS anthology tv show. This is not the best so far - there is only one left for me to see - but better than the third one, with the dolphin ghost. Where is the werewolf, by the way? As in the other episodes, the atmosphere is the main character. Don't expect horror sequences. Mostly a psychological horror yarn. But you still can watch it.
    7Bunuel1976

    BEASTS – Episode 5: WHAT BIG EYES (TV) (Donald McWhinnie, 1976) ***

    This one's easily the best "Beasts" episode: the plot – involving lycanthropy, and putting forth yet another of Nigel Kneale's controversial theories of evolution – is most intriguing; the whole, then, is transfixed by an unforgettable performance from a typically intense Patrick Magee.

    He plays an eccentric and reclusive old scientist (with long scruffy hair and a high-handed attitude to match) who believes that humans evolved from wolves and has been attempting to restore the link in his private laboratory (situated above a pet shop owned by his long-suffering middle-aged daughter, whom he actively resents). His activities arouse the suspicions of a dogged young R.S.P.C.A. man – the latter's initial worries simply concern the safety of the wolves, but he soon realizes that he's bitten off more than he can chew. Magee himself doesn't shy away from expounding on his particular line of work – deliriously 'corroborating' his arguments by frequent references to the Little Red Riding Hood folk-tale (from where the title of the episode itself emanates, incidentally) and in which he states that Grandma wasn't gobbled up as we'd been led to believe but rather she was a werewolf to begin with!

    Eventually, Magee succumbs to "acute blood poisoning" (naturally, he was his own guinea pig) during a critical point in his experiments – his last act, compounded by howls in reply to the caged animal's own calls, takes the form of an impromptu speech to an imaginary gathering of fellow (and previously disapproving) colleagues; incidentally, the man from the R.S.P.C.A. is forced to "put down" the wolf, having been injected with the serum as well. The woman's liberating reaction to her father's death results in the decimation of both the shop and the lab – in fact, everything that reminds her of Magee; about to vent her anger on the scientist's shrouded corpse itself, we then get a subliminal facial metamorphosis
    9Sleepin_Dragon

    Series highlight.

    I thought this would stand head and shoulders above the other episodes in terms of rating and reviews, but it doesn't. What Big Eyes is by far and away the best episode in the series. A great storyline, which combines some genuine folk law with the quirky format of the show. The writing is really good, it's less brash then some of the others, the way the RSPCA Officer finds the pet shop and the way the story develops from there is great. I really liked the performances, Michael Kitchen is great of course, Patrick Magee and Madge Ryan both excellent also.

    Despite being the obvious choice of story, when I picked up the DVD I knew there'd be a lycanthropy story, but despite that it is the best of the lot. Some great moments, including the fantastic conclusion, which features some fantastic, tense moments.

    Really enjoyed it, 9/10

    Related interests

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    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery
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    Thriller

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Madge Ryan plays Patrick Magee's daughter but was in fact three years older than him.
    • Goofs
      Patrick Magee's character is clearly breathing after he dies.

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • November 13, 1976 (United Kingdom)
    • Language
      • English
    • Production company
      • Associated Television (ATV)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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