nuclear-news

Brutal lessons of 1984 nuclear bomb drama Threads

Greg McKevitt, BBC Archive, 9 October 2024

 One of the most terrifying programmes ever shown on British television,
Threads is the nuclear apocalypse drama-documentary that continues to haunt
people’s nightmares 40 years on.

Ahead of a rare new showing on the BBC,
here’s a look at how the drama still has the potential to terrify people.
First broadcast on 23 September 1984, anyone who tuned in to BBC Two on
that Sunday evening would experience a bleak and unforgettable depiction of
a massive nuclear bomb attack on a British city and its aftermath.

It was a nightmare scenario that was all too plausible in an era of heightened
tension between the West and the then Soviet Union. Rarely seen on
television since its first broadcast, it’s being shown again on BBC Four
and iPlayer on 9 October. Sheffield was chosen as the fictional nuclear
target because its writer, Kes author Barry Hines, lived there. Ahead of
transmission, about 600 people from the area who volunteered to work as
extras were invited to a private viewing of the film. Some were involved
with amateur dramatics while others just thought it might be a bit of fun.
Maybe they could spot themselves or their friends on television. No one was
expecting anything quite like this.

  https://www.bbc.co.uk/articles/crl8nj3xxp7o

October 10, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized