Four speculative stories of disasters, dystopias and destroyed civilisations

John Christopher is probably best known for his seminal science ficion novel The Death of Grass and his ‘Tripods’ trilogy for young adults, which was adapted for BBC TV and became a cult classic. Alongside John Wyndham, he was one of the foremost exponents of ‘disaster fiction’, and these four fantastic productions all centre around post-apocalyptic themes – from deadly diseases and parasitic aliens to environmental catastrophe and ruined earths...

Empty World – When teenager Neil is orphaned in a car crash, he is left reeling. But worse is to come, for shortly after, humanity is devastated by a worlwide pandemic. Initially, the ‘Calcutta Plague’ kills only the elderly, but as a more virulent strain emerges, it starts to claim younger victims – including children. Soon, Neil finds himself navigating a deserted, dangerous world, where the few remaining survivors will do anything to stay alive. John Hollis is the narrator, with Richard Drabble as Neil, in this gripping tale set in 1970s England.

The Possessors – Following an avalanche, the inhabitants of a Swiss chalet find themselves cut off from the nearby village. They have no electricity and no phone – but they have oil lamps, a solid fuel cooker and plenty of provisions, so the situation doesn’t seem too dire. Yet deep beneath the snow, an alien spore is stirring. Hywel Bennett reads this chilling story of extraterrestrial possession.

The World in Winter – A dramatic fall in the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth's atmosphere leads to a new Ice Age. Joining a flood of European refugees, journalist Jack Leedon seeks sanctuary in Nigeria: but is soon desperate to return to the frozen wasteland of his former home... Starring Jack Watling, Dennis Alaba Peters, Glyn Houston, Rosalind Shanks and Margaret Robertson.

The New Wine – Autumn 2029, and lovers Ellen and Harl are meeting for the last time. Harl is about to embark on an interstellar voyage that to him will last eight years, but which will span a century back on Earth. Ellen, meanwhile, is poised to launch ‘Project X’, which will transform the next generation of humans into telepaths. One hundred years later, Harl’s crew step out of the ship to find a world irrevocably changed… Christopher Bidmead reads John Christopher’s unsettling short story exploring the perils of scientific hubris.

Cast and credits

Empty World
Cast: John Hollis, Richard Drabble, Philip Davis, Tanya Ronder, Elizabeth Lindsay, Sandra Clark, Lee Galpin, Denys Hawthorne, Vicky Ireland, John Talbot and Henry Stamper

Adapted by Kara May
Produced by Peter Fozzard

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 Jan-6 Feb 1986

The Possessors
Read by Hywel Bennett
Adapted by Brian Gear
Produced by Pamela Howe

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 Apr-20 Jun 1987

The World in Winter
Cast: Haydn Jones, Jack Watling, Dennis Alaba Peters, Glyn Houston, Margaret Robertson, Rosalind Shanks, Ian Thompson, Christopher Bidmead, Lionel Ngkane, Lockwood West, Peter Williams, Jumoke Debayo, Alexander John and Frank Cousins

Adapted by Jon Rollason from the novel by John Christopher
Produced by Keith Williams

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 Mar 1968

The New Wine
Read by Christopher Bidmead
Abridged by Ronald Russell

First broadcast BBC Home Service, 19 May 1967

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