The Day of the Triffids

Imagine my surprise one day in 1990 when I turned on Arts & Entertainment Network expecting to see the 1963 movie "The Day Of The Triffids." Rather surprised it would turn up on A&E, I still was thankful for the bit of luck. Never would I have guessed it wasn't "The Day Of The Triffids" I knew.

While I still like the generic monster movie version, this apparently made for TV adaptation is much more faithful to the novel. The movie is forced to sacrifice a lot of the human commentary in exchange for a resolved ending. This TV version keeps the focus on the character interaction, and, through their reaction, commentary on society. As with so many British TV shows, "Day Of The Triffids'" few faults are monetary.

Near as I can tell, in the United States, there were very few chances to see this production, which is a real shame. As, also, I have yet to hear of it ever being released on home video formats. A&E seemed to be the only outlet. And, I only know of 3 times it aired. Once in 1990, and twice again in 1991, which was when I taped it, and, I'm glad as I did, as I've yet to see it air anymore. However, A&E's broadcast quality was terrible at that time, notoriously dropping out signal. Plus, A&E always ran it over the course of 2 separate days, never advertising when the next part would be broadcast, and, the next part wasn't always in a logical fashion. One time, they showed it over two consecutive weekdays, once over a Saturday and Sunday weekend, and once Part 1 one Saturday and Part 2 the next Saturday. So, some company needs to release this rare gem, hopefully on DVD.

I remember watching this when i was a child and still enjoy it as much now as i did then,the breakdown of morals were shown very quickly with the main character trying to save a girl from being raped and it made me think what would happen if there was no more law and order and the sighted could do whatever they wished.OK the triffids are very 1980's (but that is when it was made so what do you expect) But if they made a remake now it would be all CGI and no story (war of the worlds being a major case).All in all i would have to say get it (not the rubbish film but the bbc version) settle down on a Sunday afternoon and go back in time to when a programme had to keep you hooked by the story line and not the special effects and maybe make you worried about your garden at night lol.

A night of wonderful meteoric activity wows all on Earth, until that is, it blinds most of the population, the disruption allows the manufactured plants, The Triffids to take over.

Forty years after it was transmitted, it still manages to entertain, wow and chill. Set over six episodes it gets more and more bleak with each episode, and a mounting death count adds to the feeling of doom.

The Triffids still look good, and still cut a menacing figure, they bring terror to all that come across them.

Very atmospheric, it features some great shots of a run down country, they manage to create a very bleak environment. It's similar in tone to The Survivors series, there are several parallels.

Very nicely acted, John Duttine as always is first rate. It features a good cast, I was impressed by Maurice Colbourne.

Still the best adaptation, miles better then the film before, and The BBC's later remake.

Very good still, 8/10.

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.

A vivid adaptation of John Wyndham's classic novel. Nearly everyone in the world has been blinded, and humanity is at the mercy of the triffids, a genetically engineered breed of carniverous plants. The last time this was shown on television was back in 1987, when I was in Grade 6. I taped each episode and watched the serial so many times I knew the script off by heart. Regrettably, it was taped over a few years ago. I enjoyed the programme so much I read the novel, which I still have (in fact I have two copies), and I've also collected John Wyndham's other books. "The Day of the Triffids" was the first story that got me thinking about the end of civilisation. For once television can't be blamed as a medium that stops people reading.