The Haunted Library

Victor finally achieves the goal that has consumed him for years, but the moment of success quickly turns to horror. Terrified by what he has brought into the world, he abandons his creation and descends into illness and despair. As his devoted friend Henry Clerval helps him recover, Victor tries to bury the events of that night, but the shadow of his experiment refuses to disappear. 

Brilliant young scientist Victor Frankenstein defies the natural order, piecing together a living creature from stolen body parts. But horror instantly replaces triumph when he looks upon his grotesque creation. A relentless game of cat-and-mouse ensues between the desperate Frankenstein and the monster he abandoned.  

The Haunted Library is open. Come in. Stay awhile.  

Narrated by Colin Morgan  

Written by Mary Shelley 

Sound design by Jon Nicholls  

Produced by Lydia Shamah for BBC Studios  

Associate Producer: Lorna Newman for BBC Studios  

Recording Engineer: Poppy Humphries for ID Audio

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Victor Frankenstein begins his tale. Looking back on an idyllic childhood in Geneva, he recalls the family and friendships that shaped him, as well as the restless curiosity that set him apart. As his fascination with the mysteries of nature deepens into obsession, Victor takes his first steps towards a destiny he cannot yet foresee.

Brilliant young scientist Victor Frankenstein defies the natural order, piecing together a living creature from stolen body parts. But horror instantly replaces triumph when he looks upon his grotesque creation. A relentless game of cat-and-mouse ensues between the desperate Frankenstein and the monster he abandoned.

The Haunted Library is open. Come in. Stay awhile.

Narrated by Colin Morgan  
Written by Mary Shelley
Sound design by Jon Nicholls  
Produced by Lydia Shamah for BBC Studios  
Associate Producer: Lorna Newman for BBC Studios  
Recording Engineer: Poppy Humphries for ID Audio 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The enthusiastic letters of sea captain Robert Walton turn ominous as arctic ice and crushing loneliness close in. The discovery and rescue of a half-frozen stranger puts an end to his despondency, but as the stranger listens to Walton’s burning desire for glory, he promises to recount his own tragic life story to serve as a solemn warning to the young captain. 

Brilliant young scientist Victor Frankenstein defies the natural order, piecing together a living creature from stolen body parts. But horror instantly replaces triumph when he looks upon his grotesque creation. A relentless game of cat-and-mouse ensues between the desperate Frankenstein and the monster he abandoned. 

The Haunted Library is open. Come in. Stay awhile. 

Narrated by Colin Morgan  

Written by Mary Shelley

Sound design by Jon Nicholls  

Produced by Lydia Shamah for BBC Studios  

Associate Producer: Lorna Newman for BBC Studios  

Recording Engineer: Poppy Humphries for ID Audio 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Far from home and consumed by a hunger for discovery, Victor throws himself into his studies with relentless determination. As he probes the boundary of life and death, an extraordinary possibility begins to take shape: the power to animate lifeless matter. Driven by ambition, he pursues a forbidden goal that will alter the course of his life forever. 

Brilliant young scientist Victor Frankenstein defies the natural order, piecing together a living creature from stolen body parts. But horror instantly replaces triumph when he looks upon his grotesque creation. A relentless game of cat-and-mouse ensues between the desperate Frankenstein and the monster he abandoned.  

The Haunted Library is open. Come in. Stay awhile.  

Narrated by Colin Morgan  

Written by Mary Shelley 

Sound design by Jon Nicholls  

Produced by Lydia Shamah for BBC Studios  

Associate Producer: Lorna Newman for BBC Studios  

Recording Engineer: Poppy Humphries for ID Audio  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jekyll's experiment has unleashed consequences he can no longer control. Spiralling towards catastrophe, he races to hold on to his identity before it is lost forever. But some doors, once opened, cannot be closed again. 

Set in the foggy, cobblestone streets of London, lawyer, John Gabriel Utterson investigates the mysterious relationship between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and a sinister man named Edward Hyde. What begins as a troubling mystery surrounding a suspicious will, quickly spirals into a dark exploration of science, morality, and the duality of man.  

The Haunted Library is open. Come in. Stay awhile. 
 
Narrated by Colin Morgan  

Written by Robert Louis Stevenson  

Sound design by Jon Nicholls  

Produced by Lydia Shamah for BBC Studios  

Associate Producer: Lorna Newman for BBC Studios  

Recording Engineer: Poppy Humphries for ID Audio 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At last, Dr Jekyll tells his own story. Driven by a lifelong struggle between respectability and desire, he pursued a dangerous line of inquiry into the nature of the human soul. But what if the boundary between good and evil is more fragile than anyone suspects? 

Set in the foggy, cobblestone streets of London, lawyer, John Gabriel Utterson investigates the mysterious relationship between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and a sinister man named Edward Hyde. What begins as a troubling mystery surrounding a suspicious will, quickly spirals into a dark exploration of science, morality, and the duality of man.  

The Haunted Library is open. Come in. Stay awhile. 
 
Narrated by Colin Morgan  

Written by Robert Louis Stevenson  

Sound design by Jon Nicholls  

Produced by Lydia Shamah for BBC Studios  

Associate Producer: Lorna Newman for BBC Studios  

Recording Engineer: Poppy Humphries for ID Audio 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A locked door is broken open. A body is discovered. And among the papers left behind lies an account that threatens everything Utterson thought he knew. Across London, old certainties begin to crumble as an impossible story emerges from the shadows. 

Set in the foggy, cobblestone streets of London, lawyer, John Gabriel Utterson investigates the mysterious relationship between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and a sinister man named Edward Hyde. What begins as a troubling mystery surrounding a suspicious will, quickly spirals into a dark exploration of science, morality, and the duality of man.  

The Haunted Library is open. Come in. Stay awhile. 

Narrated by Colin Morgan  

Written by Robert Louis Stevenson  

Sound design by Jon Nicholls  

Produced by Lydia Shamah for BBC Studios  

Associate Producer: Lorna Newman for BBC Studios  

Recording Engineer: Poppy Humphries for ID Audio 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a time, Dr Jekyll seems transformed, emerging into society with renewed purpose and warmth. Then, without warning, he retreats once more behind locked doors. Their mutual friend Lanyon has discovered a terrifying truth that he refuses to share, but a letter sent after his death draws Utterson toward a dreadful possibility. What is happening inside Jekyll's laboratory?

Set in the foggy, cobblestone streets of London, lawyer, John Gabriel Utterson investigates the mysterious relationship between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and a sinister man named Edward Hyde. What begins as a troubling mystery surrounding a suspicious will, quickly spirals into a dark exploration of science, morality, and the duality of man. 

The Haunted Library is open. Come in. Stay awhile.

Narrated by Colin Morgan

Written by Robert Louis Stevenson

Sound design by Jon Nicholls

Produced by Lydia Shamah for BBC Studios

Associate Producer: Lorna Newman for BBC Studios

Recording Engineer: Laurence Pearson for ID Audio

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Jekyll insists everything is under control. But when a shocking act of violence rocks London, suspicion falls upon the elusive Mr Hyde. As evidence mounts and questions go unanswered, Utterson begins to wonder whether his old friend is hiding something far darker than anyone imagined.

Set in the foggy, cobblestone streets of London, lawyer, John Gabriel Utterson investigates the mysterious relationship between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and a sinister man named Edward Hyde. What begins as a troubling mystery surrounding a suspicious will, quickly spirals into a dark exploration of science, morality, and the duality of man. 

The Haunted Library is open. Come in. Stay awhile.

Narrated by Colin Morgan
Written by Robert Louis Stevenson
Sound design by Jon Nicholls
Produced by Lydia Shamah for BBC Studios
Associate Producer: Lorna Newman for BBC Studios
Recording Engineer: Laurence Pearson for ID Audio

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lawyer Gabriel Utterson hears a troubling tale about a man named Hyde. When he discovers that Hyde stands to inherit the fortune of his esteemed friend Dr Jekyll, a mystery begins to take shape. Who is this unsettling stranger, and what hold does he have over the doctor?

Set in the foggy, cobblestone streets of London, lawyer, John Gabriel Utterson investigates the mysterious relationship between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and a sinister man named Edward Hyde. What begins as a troubling mystery surrounding a suspicious will, quickly spirals into a dark exploration of science, morality, and the duality of man. 

The Haunted Library is open. Come in. Stay awhile.

Subscribe to The Haunted Library Plus on Apple Podcasts to hear the next chapter ad-free and 7 days earlier than anyone else. 

Narrated by Colin Morgan
Written by Robert Louis Stevenson
Sound design by Jon Nicholls
Produced by Lydia Shamah for BBC Studios
Associate Producer: Lorna Newman for BBC Studios
Recording Engineer: Laurence Pearson for ID Audio

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This library is home to curious things. Strange tales. Unanswered questions. Stories that linger longer than they should.  

Hosted by Colin Morgan (Merlin, Belfast) with guest host Katie Leung (Harry Potter, Bridgerton), The Haunted Library invites you deep into the stacks to hear works of classic horror brought to life, from Gothic novels to pulpy penny dreadfuls.  

The library boasts the most extensive and unnerving of collections. Here you’ll find novels including The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein, The Turn of the Screw, The Picture of Dorian Grey, Carmilla and The Invisible Man, as well as short stories by authors like Edgar Allen Poe, Bram Stoker and M.R. James. 

Some tales begin with a mystery, others with a bargain that should never have been struck, and a few with something stirring in the dark. You’ll encounter haunted houses, hidden secrets, dangerous ambitions, ghosts, monsters, uncanny apparitions and impossible transformations.  

Two new episodes every week. 

The Haunted Library is open. Come in. Stay a while. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.