John Wyndham's deeply humanistic stories were a popular choice for television in the 1980s. ITV developed Chockey in
1984, and three years earlier the BBC turned in this successful six-part adaptaion of The Day of the Triffids.
Wyndham's
classic tale of evil plants taking over the world, as we have said had been filmed before, as a melodramatic mess of
a film in 1962. The TV version was more low-key, almost sober in its approach, bringing out the author's main theme of
mankind's response to a holocaust. So now you know, and we here at Timeslip recommend you read the book first and then track
down the BBC production.
CAST
Episode One: 10 September 1981
John Duttine [Bill Masen]
Jonathan
Newth [Dr Soames]
Ian Halliburton [Grant]
Steven Jonas [young Bill]
Edmund Pegge [Walter]
Robert Robertson [Palanguez]
Keith
Alexander [newsreel voice]
Cleo Sylvestre [nurse]
Morgan Sheppard [Bill's father]
Episode Two: 17 September 1981
John Duttine [Bill Masen]
Jonathan
Newth [Dr Soames]
Stephen Yardley [John]
Emma Relph [Jo Payton]
Chris Gannon [patient]
Bonita Beach [blind woman]
Alan
Helm [blind man]
Max Faulkner [Jo's attacker]
Caroline Fabbri [Tina]
Christina Schofield [Shirley]
Albie Woodington
[gang leader]
Andrew Paul, Mario Renzullo [gang members]
Susie Fenwick [blind girl]
Lindsey Moore [singer - uncredited]
Elizabeth
Chambers, Morris Barry, Bernie Searle [car attackers]
Episode Three: 24 September 1981
John Duttine [Bill Masen]
Emma
Relph [Jo Payton]
Maurice Colbourne [Jack Coker]
David Swift [Beadley]
Desmond Cullum-Jones [Tom]
Beryl Nesbitt
[Tom's wife]
Donald Pelmear [university gateman]
Andrea Miller [Dr Vorless]
Elizabeth Chambers, Morris Barry, Bernie
Searle [car attackers]
Denis De Marne [Major Anderson]
Episode Four: 1 October 1981
John Duttine [Bill Masen]
Maurice
Colbourne [Jack Coker]
John Hollis [Alf]
John Benfield [Ted]
Eva Griffiths [teenage girl]
Jean Perkins [hotel manageress]
Jon Rumney
[manager]
Terry Andrews [Frank - uncredited]
Gary Olsen [red-haired man]
Sally Lahee [woman in street]
Gordon
Case [dying man]
Episode Five: 8 October 1981
John Duttine [Bill Masen]
Perlita
Nielsen [Miss Durrant]
Christopher Owen [vicar]
Emma Relph [Jo Payton]
Jenny Lipman [Mary Brent]
Emily Dean [Susan]
Desmond
Adams [Dennis Brent]
Maurice Colbourne [Jack Coker]
Season Six: 15 October 1981
John Duttine [Bill Masen]
Emma
Relph [Jo Payton]
Lorna Charles [Susan]
Denis Gilmore [David]
Claire Ballard [Alice]
Jenny Lipman [Mary Brent]
Desmond
Adams [Dennis Brent]
Gary Olsen [Torrence]