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John Wyndham: BBC Radio Drama Collection
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.
Duration: 11 hours approx.
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.
Duration: 11 hours approx.
Audible Audio
Published March 2, 2017
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About the author
John Wyndham
382 books2,046 followersJohn Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris was the son of a barrister. After trying a number of careers, including farming, law, commercial art and advertising, he started writing short stories in 1925. After serving in the civil Service and the Army during the war, he went back to writing. Adopting the name John Wyndham, he started writing a form of science fiction that he called 'logical fantasy'. As well as The Day of the Triffids, he wrote The Kraken Wakes, The Chrysalids, The Midwich Cuckoos (filmed as Village of the Damned) and The Seeds of Time.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 18, 2021
My only complaint with this series is that occasionally the sound effects make it difficult to hear what the actors are saying. Otherwise it’s a superb dramatisation of his novels.
February 14, 2019
What a great compilation of radio plays.
I love John Wyndham's stories and was first introduced to them when reading The Day of the Triffids in school. I knew all of the stories on this compilation other than Survival and I think they were all very well done.
Although these are "horror" stories I find them incredibly soothing, I think it's because they are just so well written.
This is definitely a compilation I'll be coming back too. My only criticism would be that there's no way of knowing which chapters relate to which books. The first number of chapters are The Day of The Triffids, but then after that you've got no way of knowing which chapters are which books, so if you wanted to skip to one of the stories instead of listening to the whole compilation you've got listen to each one a bit to work it out.
I love John Wyndham's stories and was first introduced to them when reading The Day of the Triffids in school. I knew all of the stories on this compilation other than Survival and I think they were all very well done.
Although these are "horror" stories I find them incredibly soothing, I think it's because they are just so well written.
This is definitely a compilation I'll be coming back too. My only criticism would be that there's no way of knowing which chapters relate to which books. The first number of chapters are The Day of The Triffids, but then after that you've got no way of knowing which chapters are which books, so if you wanted to skip to one of the stories instead of listening to the whole compilation you've got listen to each one a bit to work it out.
April 3, 2020
These are individually great stories and the casts are fantastic, but don't do what I did and listen to them one after the other because they are simply too similar - you will just get overloaded. I got halfway through and just got over the sameness and put it on hiatus for a few months.
There is an interesting mini bio on John Wyndham at the end too.
There is an interesting mini bio on John Wyndham at the end too.
September 27, 2018
Classic science fiction at its best. John Wyndham was a grand master of the genre. Each story was well transcribed into radio format and, while some were better than others, a satisfying jaunt into the realm of 'what if...?'. The Midwich Cuckoos and Survival are particularly noteworthy.
October 9, 2020
Reflections and lessons learned:
Dark and subversive logical fantasy stories, in perfect radio play settings to scare poo poo out of listeners... I still need to read the actual books but this was just as I hoped for... eerie and psychologically gross radio plays from another era
Dark and subversive logical fantasy stories, in perfect radio play settings to scare poo poo out of listeners... I still need to read the actual books but this was just as I hoped for... eerie and psychologically gross radio plays from another era
July 31, 2019
Okay but dated Enjoyed the stories although they are dated. Fine to dip in and out of between my usual crime and mystery reads/listens.
June 29, 2025
Audiobook, only listened to The Day of the Triffids. Good story, wish the audiobook was for that story only.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews