British Invaders 396: The War of the Worlds (Part 2)
May 15, 2022 Leave a Comment
The War of the Worlds was a 2019 BBC adaptation of the novel by H.G. Wells. It was partly set during the early-twentieth-century martian invasion, and part of it takes place in the horrific aftermath.
Please send us your comments, questions, requests and complaints. You can reach us at britishinvaders@gmail.com, and you can find us on the British Invaders Facebook Group. On Twitter, we are @BritInvadersPod. British Invaders is an audio podcast that discusses television shows. We do not distribute the shows themselves.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:44 — 26.3MB)
Subscribe: RSS
The Georgian House was a 1976 serial from ITV. When two present-day teenagers are sent back to 1772, they interact with a British slave trader and his family. Can they rescue a tenager called Ngo from slavery?
Jekyll & Hyde was a 1990 adaptation of the classic book by Robert Louis Stevenson. ITV and ABC (from the US) co-produced this TV-movie which stars Michael Caine in the famous dual-role.
Alice in Wonderland was a 1966 BBC adaptation of the classic by Lewis Caroll. Jonathan Miller directed this unusual dreamlike take on the story. Period clothing took the place of animal costumes and makeup.
Hogfather was a 2006 Sky One adapatation of the Terry Pratchett novel of the same name. An ominous figure steps in to replace the missing Hogfather. Can Hogswatch and the Hogfather be saved?
A Christmas Carol was a BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic story. Its original broadcast was in 1977.
The Avengers was a classic ITV espionage series from the 1960s. It included some science-fiction elements and is often considered a “spy-fi” show. It isn’t related to the Marvel Superhero franchise that has the same name.
Supernatural was a spooky horror anthology series from 1977. This BBC show brought us eight stories as presented to “The Club of the Damned”. It is not related to the long-running American series of the same name.
Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams was a 2017 co-production from Channel 4 and Amazon Studios. It presented ten adaptations of Philip K. Dick’s stories. Many well known American and British actors starred in individual episodes. Concepts relating to identity, reality and humanity were highlighted in interesting ways.
Torchy the Battery Boy was an early puppet series from Gerry Anderson and Roberta Leigh. A toymaker makes a walking talking toy based on a torch (or flashlight) battery. This toy flies a rocket to a far away star called Topsy Turvey Land!
Psychoville is a horror/comedy show with a wide variety of characters living in different parts of England. What connects them? What happened at the mysterious Ravenhill Hospital?
The Supermarionation Revival is our roughly once-per-year topic about a spinoff from British SF TV into another medium. This time we are discussing the Supermarionation projects that Stephen La Riviere and Century 21 Films started releasing in 2014. These documentaries, new episodes and more were inspired by the 1960s puppet shows from Gerry Anderson!
Little Lost Robot is the only surviving episode of ITV’s 1962 anthology series Out of this World. A robot with a modified version of one of the three laws of robotics is missing. What damage could it cause if it escapes? Dr. Susan Calvin must find this robot in a group of nearly identical robots. The episode was adapted from a short story by Isaac Asimov.
Years and Years is a 2019 BBC/HBO co-production that shows us roughly 15 years of the future. The rise of British populist politician Vivienne Rook may have some shocking consequences. We see this through the eyes of the extended Lyons family, and we see much of their personal lives as well.
Lizzie Dripping is a 1970s BBC series about an imaginative young girl who some call a “teller of tall tales” or even a “fibber”. What will happen when she meets a witch?
The Nightmare Worlds of H.G. Wells is a collection of four short dramas first broadcast on Sky Arts in 2016. It adapted some of H.G. Wells’ lesser-known supernatual stories.
The Phoenix and the Carpet was a 1976 BBC Children’s production. A group of four young siblings discover a magical flying carpet and a strange golden egg. The egg soon hatches to reveal a strange and beautiful bird…. This serial was based on the novel by E. Nesbit (Edith Nesbit).
Good Omens was a 2019 BBC and Amazon Prime co-production based on the novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. The anti-christ has been born, and a war between heaven and hell is imminent! David Tennant and Michael Sheen star as an angel and a demon….
Dead of Night was a BBC anthology series of spooky stories first broadcast in late 1972. They were contemporary stories that were meant to avoid the gothic elements of many television ghost stories. Four of the seven episodes are missing, so we’re covering the remaining three.