Threads: how apocalyptic pseudo-documentary shocked a nation
The rarely shown nuclear annihilation film will reappear on TV screens this week

Some 40 years after it was shown for the first time, a BBC pseudo-documentary exploring the possibility of an apocalyptic nuclear attack on Sheffield, and its devastating aftermath, will be screened tonight.
Since the film aired in 1984, many have been unable to "scrub their minds clean of scenes and images" from this war drama, said The Times, yet it has rarely been shown since.
The showing, on BBC Four at 10.20pm, is only the fourth time the film has been broadcast. After its original screening, it was repeated a year later to mark the 40th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and then in 2003 as part of a BBC Cold War special.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Tonight's screening will provide new generations with the "chance to be horrified by the effects of nuclear weapons" and an imploding society.
'Everyone was talking about it'
"Threads" was first broadcast on BBC Two during the "height of the Cold War", and with "fears of nuclear Armageddon gripping the world" the film quickly "scarred the collective consciousness", said Sheffield's The Star.
Forty years on, "I'm still traumatised", wrote Nick Duerden for the i news site, who watched the "part TV drama, part public information film" as a teenager. The day after it aired "everyone was talking about it", and the film essentially "went, yes, viral", even before the advent of the internet.
The terror extended beyond the wider viewing population. Some "600 people" from the area decided to volunteer as film extras and were later invited back to watch a private screening, said the BBC. Many thought their appearance "might be a bit of fun", but it was safe to say "no one was expecting anything quite like this".
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
A host of television programmes later discussed the film at length, including Newsnight, which was "given over to a special debate" featuring UK politicians and nuclear war experts.
'Modern parallels'
The film has developed a cult following of so-called 'Thread-heads', people from across the world who return to watching the classic, in some cases finding it "weirdly comforting", said Jude Rodgers on The Quietus.
Despite its absence from our television screens, it remains "the most terrifying film ever made", said The Spectator's Ian O'Doherty, but also a "work of uniquely stoic British brilliance".
As war continues to escalate around the world, returning to this "40-year-old masterpiece" will undoubtedly feel "uncomfortably laden with modern parallels" for all.
Rebekah Evans joined The Week as newsletter editor in 2023 and has written on subjects ranging from Ukraine and Afghanistan to fast fashion and "brotox". She started her career at Reach plc, where she cut her teeth on news, before pivoting into personal finance at the height of the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis. Social affairs is another of her passions, and she has interviewed people from across the world and from all walks of life. Rebekah completed an NCTJ with the Press Association and has written for publications including The Guardian, The Week magazine, the Press Association and local newspapers.
-
What to know before turning to AI for financial advice
the explainer It can help you crunch the numbers — but it might also pocket your data
-
Book reviews: 'The Headache: The Science of a Most Confounding Affliction—and a Search for Relief' and 'Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run'
Feature The search for a headache cure and revisiting Springsteen's 'Born to Run' album on its 50th anniversary
-
Keith McNally' 6 favorite books that have ambitious characters
Feature The London-born restaurateur recommends works by Leo Tolstoy, John le Carré, and more
-
The 5 best zombie movies of all time
The Week Recommends Ghouls feasting on flesh have been a staple of cinema for more than 50 years
-
Conservatism is rising. Just look at the music.
In the spotlight The radio reflects American culture
-
Alien: Earth – a 'bold' prequel to the space horror classic
The Week Recommends Set two years before Alien, new Disney show pays 'homage' to the original
-
Film reviews: Highest 2 Lowest and Weapons
Feature A kidnapping threatens a mogul's legacy and a town spins into madness after 17 children disappear
-
Every MCU movie since 'Avengers: Endgame,' ranked
The Week Recommends How did the recent 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' stack up?
-
The best singers turned actors of all time
In Depth It's not often that someone is born with both of these rare skill sets
-
Oz at the Sphere: AI's latest conquest
Feature The Las Vegas Sphere is reimagining The Wizard of Oz with the help of AI
-
The latest entry in Ethan Coen's queer trilogy, a Jeff Buckley documentary and the rare children's horror flick in August movies
the week recommends The month's film releases include 'Honey Don't!,' 'It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley' and 'Sketch'