Adolescence makers to reboot nuclear drama Threads

Warp Films, the maker of worldwide hit TV show Adolescence, is to develop a series based on 1980s nuclear war film Threads, it has confirmed.

The Sheffield-based firm plans to turn the 1984 movie, which tracks the aftermath of an attack on the city, into a TV series.

The film, written by Kes author Barry Hines, has gathered a cult following for its bleak storyline and vivid portrayal of a post-apocalyptic South Yorkshire.

A spokesperson for Warp described the 112-minute original as "groundbreaking" and added: "This adaptation will explore prescient issues through rich, character-driven storytelling."

Warp founder and chief executive Mark Herbert confirmed to BBC Sheffield that the firm had obtained the rights to Threads for a new version.

"Threads was, and remains, an unflinchingly honest drama that imagines the devastating effects of nuclear conflict on ordinary people. This story aligns perfectly with our ethos of telling powerful, grounded narratives that deeply connect with audiences," he told the Radio Times.

Produced on a low budget and directed by documentary maker Mick Jackson, who would later go on to helm Hollywood blockbuster The Bodyguard, Threads managed to horrify people at a time when nuclear war seemed a very real possibility.

From a kitchen sink drama focused around a young couple in Sheffield, the film showed society breaking down as nuclear winter sets in.

It was only shown a handful of times between its original transmission and its 40th anniversary. It is now available on iPlayer.

Speaking to the BBC in 2023, actor Reece Dinsdale, who played the film's central character Jimmy, said the film had a special screening in Sheffield in front of 500 people before it was shown on TV.

"There was complete silence and all you could hear was various people sobbing around the room," the actor recalled.

"People blame me to this day for scarring them for life.

"People say it is the most scary thing they've ever seen in their life and remains so to this day."

Warp, which also created the This is England film and TV series, is also behind the BBC One drama Reunion, which begins on Monday.

Adolescence has become the most talked-about show of the year so far after it launched on 13 March.

The first episode was watched by 6.45 million people in its first week, according to ratings body Barb.

That is the biggest audience for any streaming TV show in the UK in a single week, beating the 6.3 million who watched Fool Me Once on Netflix in January 2024.

It won praise from critics, viewers and politicians for its hard-hitting story of a 13-year-old boy who is arrested on suspicion of murdering a girl from his school, with the drama made more intense by filming each episode in a single shot.

The cast, including newcomer Owen Cooper as young Jamie, and Stephen Graham as his dad, have received plaudits for their performances.

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North