Charlie Brooker's Screen Wipe

[Chest Rockwell]

Yeah I edited my post after realising I got it mixed up with "A Guide To Armageddon". Chest, it's mentioned at the 12 minute mark of the show.

 

 

cheers!

[Teedy Kay]

Can someone confirm if Threads involved a scene were a girl gave birth after the nuke explosion, and was so hungry she ate the umbilical cord.

 

And in a later scene, the same girl chows down on a month old dead sheep in a field?

 

I remember something like this from school, where we watched it all for every assembly for two weeks. Did it have Zak Dingle and Les Battersby in it too?

[JNLister]

Yes to both, though the sheep scene comes first. The dilemma is whether its better to go hungry or risk the sheep having been contaminated.

 

I wrote about Threads, Day After and several other films in this article.

[bAzTNM#1]

Every time I think about "Threads" it sends a cold shiver right down me. I enjoyed that write-up. Good stuff.

[KillerTwist]

Been a while since I've seen it but I thought Ruth was just biting through the umbilical cord to detach it? If the intention was she was eating it then it's even worse.

 

Such a harrowing, frightening film. First saw it when I was a kid and it gave me a few sleepless nights.

[JNLister]

Just looking through and I think she is just biting through it. She doesn't look to be spitting it out any time soon though.

 

The whole shebang:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQo0BQM3OlQ

[The King Of Swing]

To this day I have still not seen Threads is it really worth watching?

[KillerTwist]

To this day I have still not seen Threads is it really worth watching?

 

Yes.

[Glen Quagmire]

Thread is probably one of the best examples of a gripping film which doesn't rely on happy endings, sugar coating, massive special effects and/or A-List actors. It's not a film to show the kids at night, otherwise they probably won't sleep for days.

 

I have heard criticisms that the "aftermath" scenarios depicted in Threads is overblown out of proportion and that a nuclear war wouldn't bring about such destruction and social dysfunction, especially from neocons. I disagree, apart from probably the scene in the hospital (which shows a large amount of people being treated by medical staff who lack facilities and medicine with the narrator saying that they cannot apply their skills without these - this ignores that most medical staff can do some tests and procedures without any equipment, outdoors in a field for example, it doesn't take into account the number of medical staff that themselves would be dead or badly injured themselves, nor that a large amount of wounded people would all show up at once crowding the place, when many would probably be unable to get there and die along the way), pretty much all of what is mentioned has good historical and scientific evidence to back it up. The government of the day was probably pissed off that the "Protect and Survive" guides around for the time advocated makeshift solutions that were as useful as a chocolate teapot, and that this was shown up in Threads.

 

It does leave some ambiguities however, for example it doesn't mention what happens in the aftermath of a world nuclear war in the Southern Hemisphere which although would be affected by the dust thrown up into the atmosphere and the ozone layer being destroyed would at least suffer minimal radioactive contamination (plus being at a more favourable time to recover), nor what set of governance rules Britain several months on from the ceasefire of exchanges. There is a broadcast announcement for fit people to report for construction duties, and that courts are given wide ranging powers including the death penalty and in some cases summary execution. From the looks of things up until the end of the film, martial law is somewhat still in place.

 

It's certainly a film worth watching, but my advice would be not to watch it alone and have some heavy dosage sleeping pills at the ready.

[LiamTheGreat]

There was also a similar thing the BBC made in the 60's, I think. Called "The War Game" which was so bleak, it was banned before ever being broadcast. But you can get it now. And it's not a million miles off those "what if" programmes that Brooker took the piss out of

[JNLister]

It does leave some ambiguities however, for example it doesn't mention what happens in the aftermath of a world nuclear war in the Southern Hemisphere which although would be affected by the dust thrown up into the atmosphere and the ozone layer being destroyed would at least suffer minimal radioactive contamination (plus being at a more favourable time to recover)

 

When you become PM, one of the first jobs (as in, on the very first day) is to leave instructions (which remain secret) for the commanders of the nuclear subs in the event that Britain's command is wiped out. One of the suggested options is "head to Australia and hope they've survived."

[neil]

Lauren Laverne is absolutely awful on the 10 O'Clock show. I switched over to the Fred Dibnah Story, much more interesting and actually more humourous.

[PowerButchi]

Lauren Laverne is absolutely awful on the 10 O'Clock show. I switched over to the Fred Dibnah Story, much more interesting and actually more humourous.

 

Good call on Dibnah. The 10 O'Clock show really is awful, isn't it? Jimmy Carr and Lauren Laverne are the drizzling shits, and I think that Charlie Brooker might be starting to suffer from overexposure. I was a huge fan of his a couple of years ago, but now he's on telly seemingly as much as Robert Webb, and I'm starting to go off him and that fucking haircut. You Have Been Watching started all that with me, I think.

 

It's as if they're trying to replicate Daily Show/Colbert Report while forgetting that The Daily Show misses far more than it hits. It could do with being cut to half an hour, as it doesn't need to be as long as it is. Cut Laverne and Carr, and I'd probably move the day it's broadcast. A lot of the people who would watch 10 O'Clock live would rather watch Question Time and This Week on a Thursday. I know I would.

[Daaaaaad!]

This Week is a fucking abhorrent programme, but I agree that 10 O'Clock Live could really do with not being up against Question Time. This week's episode was better than the last, even though Alistair Campbell seemingly spun rings around David Mitchell despite the latter looking a very competent political interviewer last week when talking to the Tory MP. That said, at least Channel 4 are actually trying. Too often these type of programmes aren't even attempted because of the risk/reward and I think for the most part 10 O'Clock Live does absolutely fine.

[Burchill's Buddy]

I actually quite enjoyed the first episode, the Jimmy Carr opening monologue was pretty good, Brooker's piece on Sarah Palin was excellent (although I'm sure he's used the 'leans more to the right than someone who's had their right leg blown off" joke before, about Fox News I think?) but David Mitchell's piece on local news was the highlight for me. The format is pretty good but is let down by Laverne, who I usually like.