This classic tale begins in Heaven. Mephistopheles, the Devil complains about the state of the world. Mankind is corrupt, he revels in the evil and disaster he is able to cause. Mephistopheles makes a bet with the Lord that he will be able to turn one of his servants, Dr. Faust over to sin and evil. The Lord agrees, claiming that Faust will remain a loyal servant.

If at Faust You Don't Succeed

Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming is the story of a great Millennial contest between the forces of Good and Evil, both vying for control of the universe for the next thousand years. 

The demon Mephistopheles is in charge of the new contest, with the Archangel Michael back at his post. Standing in for humanity is the wily Dr. Johann Faust, brilliant alchemist, philosopher, and insufferable prig.

Another in the BBC's intermittent series: 'The Real History Of Opera', in which Huw Edwards sets an opera in its contemporary context.

Here he considers claims that in 'Faust', Gounod turned Goethe's great play into a sentimental romp.

Gounod's Faust is the most enduring adaptation for the theatre of many works which take as their source Goethe's great masterpiece.
One of the most popular and most performed operas in the world for more than a hundred years, it's nevertheless extremely problematic - full of wonderful melody and lavish spectacle, but Gounod is accused by some of turning Goethe's philosophically and intellectually challenging play into nothing more than a sugary dollop of Victorian sentimentality.

Huw Edwards investigates the dumbing down, or not, of the famous story.