"The Day of the Triffids" (1981) TV mini-series

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

10 September 1981 (Australia)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Flesh-eating plants go on the rampage.

Plot:

A terrible catastrophe has struck the population of Earth. Almost everyone on the planet has been rendered...

Plot Keywords:

Plant | Alien | TV Mini-Series | Post Apocalyptic | Based On Novel

Cast

John Duttine	...	Bill Masen (6 episodes, 1981)
Emma Relph	...	Jo Payton (5 episodes, 1981)
Maurice Colbourne	...	Jack Coker (4 episodes, 1981)
Jonathan Newth	...	Dr Soames (2 episodes, 1981)
Gary Olsen	...	Red-Haired Man / ... (2 episodes, 1981)
Perlita Neilson	...	Miss Durrant (2 episodes, 1981)
Jenny Lipman	...	Mary Brent (2 episodes, 1981)
Desmond Adams	...	Dennis Brent (2 episodes, 1981)
Claire Ballard	...	Alice (2 episodes, 1981)
Elizabeth Chambers	...	Car Attacker (2 episodes, 1981)
Bernie Searle	...	Car Attacker (2 episodes, 1981)

(more)

Series Directed by
Ken Hannam		(6 episodes, 1981)

Series Writing credits
Douglas Livingstone		(6 episodes, 1981)
John Wyndham		(6 episodes, 1981)

Series Produced by
David Maloney	....	producer (6 episodes, 1981)

Series Original Music by
Christopher Gunning		(6 episodes, 1981)

Series Film Editing by
Dick Allen		(6 episodes, 1981)

Series Production Design by
Victor Meredith		(6 episodes, 1981)

Series Costume Design by
Rita Reekie		(1 episode, 1981)

Series Makeup Department
Ann Ailes-Stevenson	....	makeup artist (1 episode, 1981)

Series Production Management
Richard Cox	....	production manager (1 episode, 1981)
Margot Hayhoe	....	production manager (1 episode, 1981)

Series Art Department
Douglas Burd	....	graphic designer (1 episode, 1981)
Peter Walpole	....	property buyer (1 episode, 1981)

Series Sound Department
Norman Bennett	....	studio sound (1 episode, 1981)
Ron Edmonds	....	dubbing mixer (1 episode, 1981)
Graham Hare	....	sound recordist (1 episode, 1981)
Elizabeth Parker	....	special sound (1 episode, 1981)

Series Visual Effects by
Steve Drevett	....	visual effects designer (1 episode, 1981)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Brian Clemett	....	studio lighting (1 episode, 1981)
Peter Hall	....	camera operator (1 episode, 1981)
Ken Major	....	camera operator: senior studio (1 episode, 1981)
Alan Muhley	....	chief electrician (1 episode, 1981)

Series Editorial Department
Bill Morton	....	vision mixer (1 episode, 1981)

Series Music Department
Christopher Gunning	....	conductor (1 episode, 1981)

Series Other crew
Zanna Beswick	....	script editor (1 episode, 1981)
Corinne Hollingworth	....	assistant floor manager (1 episode, 1981)
Sheelagh Rees	....	production associate (1 episode, 1981)
Sue Upton	....	production assistant (1 episode, 1981)
Peter Valentine	....	technical manager (1 episode, 1981)

Production Companies

• Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
• RCTV Inc.

Distributors

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1981) (UK) (TV) (original airing)
• BBC Enterprises (1981) (worldwide) (all media)
• BBC Worldwide (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• Prism Entertainment Corporation (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (????) (USA) (TV)

Runtime:

Australia:50 min (3 episodes) | 26 min (6 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:PG

Company:

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

Trivia:

Each 8-foot-tall triffid prop concealed an operator on a go-kart seat in a fan-cooled, 5-foot diameter base. The base was modelled on a ginseng root. Two of the props were later used in a carnivorous plant display at the Natural History Museum in London, England.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Jack Coker flies off in the helicopter he is supposedly alone, but you can see a pilot flying the helicopter.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 100 Greatest Scary Moments (2003) (TV)

This is the real story of ... The Day of the Triffids!

This is the best ever version of this famous science fiction novel. Even the choice of John Duttine as Bill Masen is very close to how I imagined him to look like. An average 36 year old man, who is lying in hospital, with his eyes bandaged up. This was the result of a Triffid sting. In the 1962 film, we do not find out why Bill Masen has this treatment! The triffids themselves are spot on! in detail and you see the sting lash out about 10 feet long.That is how John Wyndham describes them. So the BBC and Douglas Livingstone ,got this spot on! and we see Bill Masen as a child experiencing his first Triffid in his back garden. This DVD that I now have, has been eagerly awaited by myself. The opening music, is composed and conducted by Christopher Gunning. and is very stirring. every part of the dialogue was also as spoken in the book, (Yes I have read the book) and I know just how the story should unfold on the screen. It is a pity that widescreen TV's did not exist in 1981! as this would of been a great widescreen production. This series was in 6 parts by the way. You get a collector's booklet and all 6 parts on the DVD! Number BBC DVD 1152!