John Wyndham: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

Bill Nighy, Sarah Parish, Barbara Shelley and Peter Sallis are among the cast in these six classic BBC Radio dramatisations

John Wyndham’s quietly menacing post-apocalyptic tales are enduringly popular, and these gripping, atmospheric radio adaptations of his classic fiction are resonant with terror and suspense.

In The Day of the Triffids (CD 1–3), first broadcast in 1968, most people have been left blind after a meteor shower, and lethal carnivorous triffids are roaming the land.

The Kraken Wakes (CD 4 & 5), dramatised for radio in 1998, is a thrilling story of monsters from the deep, alien invasion and ecological disaster.

The Chrysalids (CD 6 & 7), first broadcast in 1981, explores the dangers of being different, while the 1989 adaptation of short story Survival focuses on the lengths people will go to in order to survive.

The Midwich Cuckoos (CD 8 & 9), broadcast in 2003, is a disturbing tale of a village sealed off from the world for a day, and subsequently taken over by terrifying, inhuman children.

Dramatised for radio in 1998, Chocky (CD 10 & 11) is a chilling tale of a boy who appears to be communicating with an invisible friend.

Also included is Beware the Stare! (CD 11) a half-hour BBC Radio 4 documentary looking at The Midwich Cuckoos in print and on screen.

Dramatised by Dan Rebellato
Presented by Alan Dein
Produced by Mark Burman
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13 August 2004