The Day of the Triffids

1981

Seasons & Episodes

  • 1
7.3| NA| en| More Info
Released: 10 September 1981 Ended
Producted By:
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007vv66
Info

The Day of the Triffids is a British television series which was first aired by the BBC in 1981. An adaptation by Douglas Livingstone of the 1951 novel by John Wyndham, the six half-hour episodes were produced by David Maloney and directed by Ken Hannam, with original music by Christopher Gunning.

Genre

Drama

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Director

Ken Hannam

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The Day of the Triffids Audience Reviews

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.
Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
l_rawjalaurence Stylistically speaking, Ken Hannam's production of the classic SF text is very much of its time, with studio-bound sequences alternating with film inserts. The triffids themselves are ingeniously made and cleverly photographed, with the emphasis on their stinging centers and their lengthy stalks. With the accompaniment of creepy music (by Christopher Gunning), they help to create an ambiance that is truly frightening, a dystopian world whose citizens are unable to see, either physically or emotionally.As Bill, John Duttine is both angst-ridden yet determined to ensure that the world should be rid of these threatening plants. His face remains set in an expression of grim determination, contrasting with that of Emma Relph's Jo. There are other actors in the cast, but director Hannam deliberately focuses on the protagonists, thereby emphasizing the importance of Bill's task; as one of the few people still possessed with sight, he has to work mostly independently relying on a combination of native cunning and animal intelligence to succeed in his task.The half-hour episode format works splendidly, helping to provide viewers with a series of climaxes that sustains their attention. If nothing else, DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS proves the old adage that directors and production designers need minimal props in order to create suspense and sustain our attention. If the script is good, and the filming technique cleverly accomplished, our attention can be readily maintained.
udar55 Bill Masen (John Duttine), having been temporarily blinded by a Triffid plant, wakes in the hospital one morning to find the world has mostly gone blind due to an unusual meteor shower the night before. He quickly teams up with Josella "Jo" Payton (Emma Relph) and the duo try to navigate though London while avoiding the walking Triffids as well as new groups determined to advance their ideologies on this new world. This 157 minute miniseries won accolades from John Wyndham fans as being the most accurate adaptation of his 1951 sci-fi novel (I haven't read it but the Wikipedia synopsis is dead on). It is definitely fun stuff and decidedly different from the 1960s TRIFFIDS film. Like most great sci- fi, it is really talking about modern times and dynamics between the various groups trying to impose their plans is interesting. While the idea of walking plants seems goofy, the production pulls it off with some nice practical FX. The key element that really helps pull it off is the creepy sound the plants make as they communicate by tapping on their bases. Very simply yet very effective. The show does suffer in that it does the age old Brit trick of location shooting on film and studio filming on videotape. Other than that, this is top notch stuff.
Anthony Bannon (bannonanthony) I'd wanted to see this BBC version of DOTT ever since I read about it in a sci-fi magazine. I first saw it on TV a few years ago. I recently bought the DVD and the series remains as great as ever. The three main performances of John Duttine, Maurice Colbourne and Emma Relph are very good and they are helped by a great supporting cast. Thwe Triffids themselves do look a bit plastic but they were realised brilliantly. The music by Christopher Gunning compliments the story very well.The Triffids themselves are meant to be a secondary threat as the main problem is the breakdown of society as most of the populace is rendered blind. The hysteria is shown in full detail and the writer adds a nice conspiracy theory in the final episode. I'm glad that the series is now available on DVD for a new audience to see. Having read bits of the book I can tell that the adaptation is very faithful. I strongly recommend DOTT to sci-fi fans everywhere.
CaptReynolds I remember watching this on TV when I was little and being terrified of the triffids. I watched a lot of sci-fi but this stood out. I've always liked those survival stories like dawn of the dead or 28 days later. If you like those kind of movies you'll probably enjoy day of the triffids. When I saw it was now available on DVD I ordered it with plenty of enthusiasm and a little trepidation. Often those shows you watch and enjoy as a kid just don't hold up and watching them as an adult kind of takes the shine off those memories. I mean, how good do those special effects in Doctor Who look now. But, in this case I need not have worried. I've just watched all six episodes of Day of the Triffids in a row and I loved it. Yes, the special effects do look a little dated but all things considered, they're not that bad, and they don't interfere with your enjoyment. The story is great, well written and well paced, you never know what's going to happen next. Plus it throws up lots of little ethical questions. Also, the acting by all of the main cast is excellent. Forget about the old movie version, read the book or watch this mini series. 8/10.