After an unusual meteor shower leaves most of the human population blind, a merchant navy officer must find a way to conquer tall, aggressive plants which are feeding on people and animals.

The Day of the Triffids poster

The Day of the Triffids (1981)

★ 6.5/10 September 10, 1981 1 season

DramaSci-Fi & Fantasy

Creator: Douglas Livingstone  ·  Writer: Douglas Livingstone

After an unusual meteor shower leaves most of the human population blind, a merchant navy officer must find a way to conquer tall, aggressive plants which are feeding on people and animals.

Trailer

Creators

Douglas Livingstone Douglas Livingstone

Cast

John Duttine John Duttine Bill Masen Emma Relph Emma Relph Jo Payton Maurice Colbourne Maurice Colbourne Jack Coker

User Reviews (1)

TkA
TkA July 30, 2026
★ 8/10

**Dated but faithful and engaging adaption** The 1981 BBC television adaptation of John Wyndham's novel "The Day of the Triffids" is an abridged six-part mini-series of the classic post-apocalyptic tale. While it's now showing its age, the series stays true to the overall dystopian story-line of the novel. The gradual unraveling of society and the breakdown of civilization are effectively depicted in this post-apocalyptic world. The Triffids were also convincingly menacing and deadly. The adaptation does take liberties in condensing certain plot points and characters to keep this at around 150 minutes. However, the core themes of the novel - survival, human nature, and the consequences of tampering with nature - remain intact. The acting and settings were solid throughout, and also managed to capture the essence of the core plot of the novel, delivering a unique viewi…