Pulp Librarian

In 1965 the BBC had filmed The War Game, a fictional docu-drama about a nuclear attack on Britain. However under pressure from the government the BBC withdrew it from screening. It was finally released in 1966 as a film in selected theatres.pic.twitter.com/imK8c3wsYd

For many years the withdrawal of The War Game had rankled many at the BBC. Surely it was a public broadcaster's duty to show the public what the reality of nuclear war would mean. Finally in 1982 they did so.pic.twitter.com/d0hfclBkfJ

A Guide To Armageddon was a documentary for the BBC's peak-time science series Q.E.D. Produced by Mick Jackson it graphically depicted the effect of a one megaton explosion on London. It also explored how well people could survive such a blast if they were in a fallout shelter.pic.twitter.com/Hyvbg8luYm

Jackson had carefully researched his subject and knew how under-prepared the UK was for nuclear war. The physical and psychological effects of atomic attack would catapult what was left of Britain back to a 14th century mode of living, a time when bubonic plague killed millions.pic.twitter.com/IZ2eR978aD

The BBC agreed to Jackson's idea of a drama based around his research. Like The War Game it would show a nuclear strike from the point of view of civilians caught up in its terrifying aftermath. However it wouldn't focus on London...pic.twitter.com/rouM5f7mkS

Sheffield had declared itself a nuclear free zone in 1981 and its City Council was staunchly pro-CND and anti-nuclear. They were hugely supportive of Jackson's idea and helped to provide both locations and extras for the filming.pic.twitter.com/ubIPXthZRI

Barry Hines - author of A Kestrel For A Knave - was drafted in to create the script. Jackson wanted a socially realistic plot from someone who knew the area. The pair had a stormy working relationship during filming, with Hines wanting a grittier look to the film.pic.twitter.com/hQ4tx7cV4u

Threads was filmed in 17 days in early 1984 on a budget of £250,000. The story follows two families - the working class Kemps and the middle class Becketts - as they watch the world slide towards nuclear war.pic.twitter.com/zzLu0h0dJr

Jimmy Kemp (played by Reece Dinsdale) and Ruth Beckett (played by Karen Meagher) are expecting their first baby, but as riots erupt at the start of war they end up separated.pic.twitter.com/71YYPmqP5R

Then at 08:37 the UK is hit by 80 megatons of nuclear weapons, leading to nine million blast casualties. By the end of the day 210 megatons have exploded across Britain. Sheffield becomes a hellhole...pic.twitter.com/QMGEIQfB63

Jimmy perishes in the blast, his mother dies from radiation burns. Ruth leaves the family shelter to find help at the nearby hospital. As she stumbles through the streets the montage of dead and dying victims of the blast is both haunting and terrifying.pic.twitter.com/Y15w1C8hGU

Returning home again Ruth finds her parents have been murdered by looters, who are themselves shot by the Army. Britian is under martial law and the survivors must work for food or die.pic.twitter.com/Q6xjJLhDxn

Two months later, as Sheffield lies in ruins, Ruth flees the city. At a soup kitchen she meets Jimmy's friend Bob and together they try and survive on scavenged food. Ruth eventually gives birth in a barn, biting through the umbilical cord herself.pic.twitter.com/6VU8fFtdew

Years pass, the population of Britain dwindles, the nuclear winters cause starvation. After ten years Ruth, disfigured and plagued with cataracts, dies working in the fields where she has been forced to gather in the meagre harvest.pic.twitter.com/BzTSDKTMT2

Three years later her daughter Jane also gives birth. We never see the child: all we see is Jane's screaming face. Then the credits roll.pic.twitter.com/dONX284PVB

It's amazing that such a harrowing film was made on such a small budget. Extras made their own costumes from rags; blast injuries were mocked using ketchup and corn flakes, Ruth's umbilical cord was actually a length of liquorice.pic.twitter.com/oPImBxrZgT