THE MAD DEATH is one of those BBC TV series of yesteryear that left an impression on everybody who saw it, a bit like GHOSTWATCH did a decade later. This one's about a rabies epidemic in Britain, and for once the low budget works in the production's favour, making it a grimly realistic piece of social horror along the lines of THREADS, although not quite as dark as that (but then, what is?).There are three episodes on offer and the first is by far the best, charting the plight of a man who gets attacked by a rabies-infected fox and who gradually succumbs to the disease. There are some startling hallucination scenes and a lot of grim stuff that make this really work. The next two episodes get bogged down a bit in endless animal-shooting (not what I really want to see) although there's a good shopping centre set-piece. A little too much is made of a human villain, a crazy cat lazy who contributes to the outbreak. The likes of Barbara Kellerman and Paul Brooke work well in their parts and the miniseries offers a neat snapshot of Britain during the era.

Oh yes! I remember being hooked to the screen when this mini series first aired on BBC TV. I would have been around 30 at the time, living in England, and I know the thought of rabies horrified me, as it did most British people, because we had been a "rabies free" zone for so long. This was the first time I ever really saw the symptoms and progression of the disease, and it gave me some bad dreams, too.I never saw a repeat of the series while I remained in Britain, but I thought it certainly deserved one. Going on memory, the acting was more than competent, and from the beginning - when the infected cat was smuggled into Britain on a private yacht - I was absolutely riveted.This was an excellent series - I'd certainly buy it if it became available on DVD.Mo

This is a mini series I have never forgotten. Gave me nightmares. Tells the story of what might happen should a rabies outbreak occur in Britain. An American man is infected with this terrible virus at the start of the first episode. He contracts it from a fox that he picks up whilst out driving. He puts the animal in his garage, and then whilst preparing dinner, he cuts himself with a knife. Then not knowing that the fox is rabid, he strokes the animal with the cut finger. From then on, we are taken through the awful stages of the disease which gives him mad fits of terror, foaming at the mouth and dreadful hallucinations. It gives the viewer a terrifying insight into this terrible disease. From then on though the story in my opinion disintegrates. From starting very believable, it ends undramatically with guys going out into the countryside shooting animals at will. The final victim if I can remember is a sheep dog. Serious stuff. But worth a watch. Gives us an education about the most terrifying virus.

I remember this film. It was a three part series on BBC1 if I remember rightly. Every time I was In church since and All Things Bright And Beautiful has been played, the theme of this film comes straight into my head (almost like a hollow whispering of the song). In fact as I sit here now I can hear that dog at the end of the film barking away in the car then going into an eerie whine. The plot was devastating to see what would happen if our country were to have the Rabies Virus - Quite Uncontrolable as you would imagine by all the OTT animal lovers in the programme, making it an impossible task to get hold of the carriers. Brilliant work. Come on BBC give us something for our money. This is one that does no need updating.