The Day of the Triffids

BBC, 164 minutes, PG

EU12.99 (US$22.00 )

From the back cover: “The BBC’s adaptation of John Wyndham’s classic novel has been hailed as an atmospheric, gripping and faithful production. The brainchild of Blake’s 7 producer David Maloney, this post-apocalyptic series was broadcast in 1981, when fears of nuclear Armageddon were at their height. The series generated cult appeal that had the longevity to be considered an influence on 2002's 28 Days Later.

Following the Earth’s close encounter with a comet, a meteor shower strikes Britain’s population blind. Bill Masen, recovering in a London hospital from a vicious plant attack, is one of the few to survive with eyesight intact. The world he emerges into has already terrifyingly altered.

The government has collapsed, bands of renegades are thriving in the anarchy - and a hostile, carnivorous form of plant life, the Triffids, have begun to prey on the weakened and vulnerable human population. For Masen, life is now a desperate struggle...”

I read The Day of the Triffids in the early 70's (ok - I’m showing my age) and it has remained one of my favorites, I re-read it almost once a year.

In 1981, on a fledgling cable channel, this BBC adaptation of Wyndham’s book was broadcast and I have been looking for a copy ever since. Unlike the campy 1962 version with Howard Keel this is a taut drama, more concerned with the characters than the special effects. Twenty-five years later the acting may seem a little dated and the pace is slower than modern productions but it still is a gripping look at how humanity copes in the face of overwhelming disaster, for the most part the Triffids are superfluous to the main theme of survival. Highly recommended - Stephanie L Bannon