‘Brutal’ nuclear war drama that still haunts viewers 40 years on is making a shock return to screens TONIGHT
A PIECE of television that left a mark on British audiences 40 years ago is set to make a chilling return tonight.
Threads, which is widely regarded as one of the most terrifying programmes ever broadcast, is coming back to BBC Four and iPlayer.
This means a new generation of viewers will be able to experience its depiction of nuclear war’s devastating aftermath.
When it first aired on September 23, 1984, Threads thrust viewers into a nightmarish reality.
The drama displayed an unflinching portrayal of a nuclear attack on Sheffield and the horrific years that would follow.
It was written by by Kes author Barry Hines, and set against the backdrop of Cold War tensions which left Brits at the time facing very real fears of nuclear missiles being dropped on them.
The film focused on the lives of two families, the Kemps and the Becketts, as they tried to survive the cataclysmic aftermath of a nuclear strike.
With society collapsing and nuclear winter setting in, Threads offered no hope of salvation, but instead a grim reminder of the fragility of life and devastating effects of nuclear war.
It remains one of the most harrowing portrayals of societal breakdown ever shown on television.
Named for the metaphorical ‘threads’ that bind life together in a large city, the drama tracked the lead-up to the attack and the horrifying 13 years after the bomb fell.
Its meticulous attention to the details of nuclear destruction gave it a haunting authenticity.
Director Mick Jackson carefully calculated the effects of a one-megaton nuclear airburst before depicting how a city and its inhabitants would be left in ruins after such an event.
Sheffield was chosen as the fictional target largely due to the writer’s personal connection to the area.
The location only made the disaster feel more real for many of the locals who participated in the production.
Over 600 Sheffield residents volunteered as extras, expecting a bit of fun and perhaps the thrill of seeing themselves on television.
However, their reactions to the final product were far from lighthearted.
One woman described the experience as “disturbing”, while another broke down in tears, saying, “There’s just going to be nothing after, is there? Nothing.”
Unlike typical disaster films, Threads offered no Hollywood style happy ending.
It conveyed the inescapable suffering of those who would survive such a catastrophe.
One extra recalled: “I want to die when it hits me because I don’t want to live through anything they lived through – it was horrible.”
The programme’s impact was so profound that the morning after its original broadcast, Breakfast Time dedicated a significant portion of the show to discussing its terrifying implications.