John Wyndham: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

John Wyndham: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

Six classic BBC radio adaptations

Summary

Bill Nighy, Sarah Parish, Barbara Shelley and Peter Sallis are among the cast in these six classic BBC Radio dramatisations.

John Wyndham’s quietly menacing post-apocalyptic tales are enduringly popular, and these gripping, atmospheric radio adaptations of his classic fiction are resonant with terror and suspense. In

The Day of the Triffids, first broadcast in 1968, most people have been left blind after a meteor shower, and lethal carnivorous triffids are roaming the land.

The Kraken Wakes, dramatised for radio in 1998, is a thrilling story of monsters from the deep, alien invasion and ecological disaster.

The Chrysalids, first broadcast in 1981, explores the dangers of being different, while the 1989 adaptation of short story Survival focuses on the lengths people will go to in order to survive.

The Midwich Cuckoos, broadcast in 2003, is a disturbing tale of a village sealed off from the world for a day, and subsequently taken over by terrifying, inhuman children.

Dramatised for radio in 1998, Chocky is a chilling tale of a boy who appears to be communicating with an invisible friend.

Also included is Beware the Stare! a half-hour BBC Radio 4 documentary looking at The Midwich Cuckoos in print and on screen.

Note: These are the BBC Transcription Services versions of The Day of the Triffids, prepared for
sale to overseas territories. At the time, 12 minutes of material was deleted from these episodes to bring down the running time. However, these deleted scenes have been recovered and are included as bonus extra content at the end of the final episode of The Day of the Triffids.

About the author

John Wyndham

John Wyndham was born in 1903 in the Midlands. After leaving school, he tried his hand at several careers, including farming, law and advertising, before starting to write stories in 1925. During the war he worked as a censor in the Ministry of Information and afterwards served in the Army. The Day of The Triffids was published in 1951, and was followed by many other famous works of science fiction, including The Kraken Wakes, The Chrysalids and The Midwich Cuckoos. Wyndham died in 1969.
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