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An insight into how Mary Shelley鈥檚 'Frankenstein' was adapted for the stage by the National Theatre in 2011. Directed by Danny Boyle and written by Nick Dear, the production starred Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller as Frankenstein and the Monster, alternating roles. We see Boyle working in the rehearsal room, interspersed with footage from the classic 'Frankenstein' film of 1931. Boyle explains how the text is timeless, and different themes will appeal to different audiences, for example genetics and cloning being two contemporary themes for a new audience.

Nick Dear explores the context Mary Shelley was original writing in, suggesting she was writing a creation myth for the science age, a story of creation without featuring God. Dear thinks the story is still very pertinent to us now. Boyle explains how in the NT production, the creature was given a voice, which was different to the classic films, which showed him as a silent and threatening monster. We see Miller and Cumberbatch creating their roles in the rehearsal room. They discuss the challenges of playing a new-born creature and having to show him learning. Cumberbatch explains how as research he looked at stroke victims, people having to re-learn how to use their bodies, and Miller used his two year old child as an influence.