This early 1980s adaptation of John Wyndham's 'Day of the Triffids' offers us global apocalypse on a shoestring budget: cue some decidedly unspectacular special effects and thin crowd scenes. The acting is also limited: the characters respond remarkably calmly to the near-end of everything. Yet the triffids themselves are surprisingly well done, with their venomous strings and menacing roots. And (especially knowing what was to come) I found the tension implicit in the opening episode, in which a temporarily blinded man comes to suspect that something in the world he can't see isn't what it's supposed to be, utterly unbearable. At the end of the day, a good story trumps special effects, and there's something in the believable human tragedy of this one that makes it more horrifying than any horror story. Indeed, some of the scenes had stayed with me since first watching it over thirty years before. It's proof you don't need exploding galaxies or evil geniuses to unsettle a complacent audience.

BBC adaptation of the John Wyndham novel which is both a character study, and an analysis of the basis of society:How long after the fabric of society deteriorates would the usual rules of social etiquette prevail? Or, would we all turn into a bunch of self-serving mercenaries, caring not at all for our fellow man.The plot - a comet passes close to the Earth's orbit, and most of mankind are eager to see it. They stare up at the sky and, for reasons that are never fully explained, they are rendered blind. Our hero, Bill Masen, has the good fortune to be in hospital for an operation on his orbs (can't remember the exact reason) so is immune to the effects. At the same time, vicious vegetation, Triffids, which had been safely housed in labs and zoos as subjects of study and curiosity are now able to break free of their captivity, and are hell-bent on claiming the Earth as their own.The Triffids themselves are well realised, and the cast performs well. For a small screen adaptation of such a profound concept, the BBC did a very good job, and it is noticeable the number of people who remember this, even so many years after its initial transmission.Flags towards the middle but, that aside, this is a fine effort indeed.NOTE - A new version is airing from 28th December 2009 in the UK

I remember watching this BBC version of "The Day of the Triffids" when it was first shown (1981?). It has stuck in my mind ever since as being a really great series. I didn't remember that many details (except the final scenes where the survivors drive through the fence and out of their triffid-proof enclosure to new life somewhere else), only that I really enjoyed it. Then two or three years ago I saw it at the National Film Theatre in London and it all came flooding back! Now I am watching the DVD.I have only listened to an abridged audio book so I can't comment on the faithfulness of the adaptation, but I can say that the characterisation is good, the acting (especially John Duttine) is excellent and the special effects are good enough to serve their purpose. Remake? Noooooooooo!

In my memory it was a good series... Twenty years later I saw the day of the triffids tv adaptation again and i must say that it was a disappointment...... it looked a filmstudent project ;-) I like the idea and story so I hope that someday a new version will be made.