https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2019-08-09/mark-gatiss-dracula-documentary/
Mark Gatiss will “get back to the vampire’s roots” for new Dracula documentary
The Sherlock actor and writer will present a one-off film to accompany his new BBC drama, and tells RadioTimes.com he "can't wait to immerse [himself] in the vast and joyous cinematic legacy of the Count"
If Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat’s upcoming three-part Dracula adaptation wasn’t enough vampire action for you, then you’re in luck – because Gatiss is bringing a new Dracula documentary to BBC1 to sit alongside his Claes Bang-starring fantasy drama.
“As a lifelong horror fan – and of Dracula especially – this was a wonderful chance to get back to the vampire’s roots, examine the strange character of Bram Stoker himself and immerse myself in the vast and joyous cinematic legacy of the Count,” Gatiss exclusively told RadioTimes.com.
“Dracula, to my delight, has once more risen from the grave!”
Beginning at Orava Castle in Slovakia (which appeared in classic vampire movie Nosferatu), In Search of Dracula will follow Gatiss as he tracks down research literature in the London Library and checks out Dracula author Bram Stoker’s original notes and unused ideas in Philadelphia.
He also meets with actors, historians and experts drawn from decades of vampire stories as he traces the Count’s journey from book to screen.
And finally, after exploring the cinematic legacy of onscreen Draculas like Bela Lugosi and Chrostopher Lee, Gatiss will meet with the latest actor to don the fangs – his own leading man Claes Bang – to chat about their own vision for Dracula, as well as why readers and audiences keep coming back to the Count.
Described as uncovering the “Carpathian heights and crepuscular lows” of immortalising the Count, the documentary will be made by Hartswood Films for the BBC and forms the centrepiece of a wider year-long celebration of literature on the BBC.
I really enjoyed this, albeit I'd have like it to be longer. Dracula is such a culturally rich subject that there was no time for most of the international adaptations, the "in name only" movies and shows, the comic books, the ice cream bars etc. It was lovely seeing all the brides again, good to see the 1977 BBC adaptation getting so much attention and interesting to see the more recent BBC adaptation getting ignored completely.