A chilling BBC film has been labelled as “beyond grim” after first airing in the 80s.

Threads, a British-Australian post-apocalyptic war drama television film, is described by the BBC as: “Grim drama telling the story of a nuclear strike on Britain through the eyes of two families, tracing the events leading up to the war and the decade of devastation that follows.”

Penned by Barry Hines and produced by Mick Jackson, the film offers a science-fiction dramatic portrayal of a nuclear exchange between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, resulting in a narrative centred around the medical, economic, social and environmental consequences experienced by the characters.

With a running time of one hour and 52 minutes, Threads first aired on 23 September 1984 on BBC Two, with a second broadcast following a year later on 1 August 1985. The film was made on a budget of just £400,000 and is reportedly “the first of its kind to depict a nuclear winter”.

Threads - movie
Fans branded the movie ‘traumatising’ ( 
Image:
BBC)

Threads first aired on 23 September 1984
Threads first aired on 23 September 1984 ( 
Image:
BBC)

The BBC production received nominations for an impressive seven BAFTA awards and won Best Single Drama, Best Design, Best Film Cameraman and Best Film Editor. Threads was once again broadcast on BBC Two on 9 October 2024, sparking a flurry of conversation on social media, reports the Daily Star.

On X/ Twitter, eager fans of the film prepared to watch the 40 year old war film. One viewer commented that “a bit grim might be an understatement,” while another joked: “Understatement of the century? Amazing TV though, i just remember how powerful it was and how happy I was that my parents let me watch it. I was only 12.”

One cheeky commenter quipped that Threads is a “family favourite”, while another took to Twitter to say: “[…] There will be some traumatised people tomorrow. A great example of the power of drama.”

A BBC enthusiast recalled: “I was 19 when this was first broadcast and it scared the s*** out of me. I remember crying and not being able to sleep that night. It was powerful,” they then confessed they are “not sure they can watch it again” after so much time.

Described as “a harrowing watch,” the film has been known to “scare the bejesus” out of those who see it, being called “disturbing” and “terrifyingly realistic”. Another viewer commented with disbelief: “[shocked emoji] I still haven’t recovered from watching it the first time (many years ago) […].”