Doctor Who Vs. Day of the Triffids

 The BBC's second, lavish re-

working of John Wyndham's

classic sci-fi novel was first

shown over two nights at

Christmas 2009 - it followed

 the Corporation's more 

 faithful TV version of 1981.

After readings of the book

on the BBC Home Service in

1953, radio productions were
broadcast in 1957, 1968 and
2001, and a cinema adapt-
ation (starring Carole Ann 
Ford) was released by Rank
in 1962.

Published in 1951, this post-

apocalyptic thriller is the best-known work of English novelist Wyndham (1903-1969), and related the colonisation of Earth by an aggressive

plant species, the carnivorous Triffids. A sequel by Simon Clark, The

Night of the Triffids (2001) was adapted by Big Finish in 2014, then transmitted on BBC Radio two years later.

Both feature-length episodes were repeated on 5Action today, and

featured Joely Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave, Eddie Izzard, Jason

Priestley, and eighteen Doctor Who cast connections:

• [Stephen] Dougray Scott (Bill Masen) played Major Alec Palmer in Hide
• Brian [Denis] Cox (Dennis) voiced the Ood Elder in The End of Time, and depicted Sydney Newman in An Adventure in Space and Time
• Troy Glasgow (Troy) was Angelo in The Time of Angels
• Big Finish actor/writer Lizzie Hopley (Hilda) voiced Gemma Griffin for Terror Firma (2005), Sue for Night Thoughts, Lady Lillian Hawthorne for The Veiled Leopard, Yarvell for I, Davros (all 2006), the Mantasphid Queen for The Infinite Quest, Brinna, Secretary and Comp for Cyberman, Sister Christie for The Emporium at the End (both 2016), Miss Steel for The Creeper (2020), and Camper for Silver Medal (2021)
• Steven [William Thomas] Elder [born Lawrence] (Koch) voiced Commander Farrow for Jubilee (2003), Siy Tarkov for Dalek Empire (2004), Eric Rawden for Something Inside (2006), Lord Lycaon for I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day and Brightly Shone the Moon That Night, and Rudolph for Blood on Santa's Claw (all 2019)
• William [Michael] Ilkley (Jeff) was Tim Bass in The Mark of the Rani
• Paul Chahidi (Vronsky) voiced Hason for The Destroyer of Delights (2009), George Townsend for Industrial Evolution (2011), and the Shepherd for Persuasion, and Daleks Among Us (both 2013)
• Julia Joyce (Imogen) was the Young Rose Tyler in Father's Day, and Holly Frobisher in Torchwood: Children of Earth
• Raji James (Doctor) was Dr. Rajesh Singh in Doomsday and Army of Ghosts
• Rita Davies (Wheelchair Woman) voiced Janneus for Primeval (2001), and Tashek for Innocence (2006)
• Stephanie Carey (Barricade Woman) was a stunt performer on ten episodes (from Voyage of the Damned to The Vanquishers)
• Greg Bennett (Soldier) was a Guard in Dalek, Sycorax Warrior and UNIT Soldier in The Christmas Invasion, and Guest in The Lazarus Experiment
• Amanda Foster was a stunt performer on The Doctor's Daughter too
• Will [John] Willoughby [born Haynes] was also a stuntman on nine adventures (from Rose to A Town Called Mercy) and Torchwood
• Marcus Catlin was also the first assistant director on The Hungry Earth, Cold Blood, The Pandorica Opens and The Big Bang
• Neal Champion was the SFX supervisor on An Adventure in Space and Time too
• Carly Reddin (props) was art director on Cold War
• Simon Diggins was also ADR recordist on twenty-five stories (from The Day of the Doctor to Twice Upon a Time)