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

User Rating:

7.6/10   

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 | Post Apocalyptic | Alien | 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)

Runtime:

Australia:147 min | Australia:50 min (3 episodes) | UK:26 min (6 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:PG

Company:

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

Trivia:

In episode 5, John Duttine's dog Rufus plays Susan's dog, also called Rufus.

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:

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

Excellent adaptation of the original novel

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.