Day of the Triffids

[Brosville]

Starting tonight (Dec 28th) on BBC1 at 9pm - these books were prescribed reading when I was at school (and I reckon still should be.....) Classic sci-fi - very scary, with many lessons for us nowadays (the GM brigade will HATE it!)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8092061.stm

"Two-part apocalyptic drama, starring Dougray Scott. In the not-too-distant future, humanity's search for a renewable energy source has led to the discovery of triffids, a crop that can be grown for fuel but has a life of its own. However, when a solar storm strikes and blinds billions, the plants find their way out of captivity and begin rapid breeding. With Joely Richardson, Brian Cox, Eddie Izzard, Jason Priestley and Vanessa Redgrave"

 

[jimbeekeeper]

Thanks Bros. I have set it on the sky reminder.

I have very fait memory of it from my younger days, when it was also on the BBC (I think)

 

[jimbeekeeper]

Quite a good 2 part-er and they even got in a bit about bees.

Thought a first the bees would hold the key to the cure.

 

[gavin]

... very scary, with many lessons for us nowadays (the GM brigade will HATE it!)

Too right Brosville! If a beautiful green meteor shower appears I'll know not to look at it!

Seriously though, I think that one of the lessons - in 2009 rather than 1951 - is that scares about bioengineering are often pure fantasy that we can all have a good laugh at. And of course, that it is *Scottish* plant scientists you really need to be careful about! Plus the risk of our major comedians turning fascist if we let them into power ...

G.

 

[Brosville]

"scares about bioengineering are often pure fantasy that we can all have a good laugh at" - well, the frankencrop triffid engineers may find it utterly hilarious, but 'er indoors had to be prised out from behind the sofa, and at one point was threatening to put her aloe vera plants that had been sheltering from the cold in the hall out in the garden to "take their chance"..........
Can't really see us rushing off to the supermarket to seek out frankenengineered GM triffid juice because it's so hilarious somehow!

 

[RoofTops]

I wonder what sort of honey you could get from Triffids? They seemed to be in flower all year round.

 

[jezd]

thats 3 hours that the BBC owe me back, what rubbish!

 

[Somerford]

missed part 2 as stuck in bed feeling ill. just have to i-player it

 

[Hombre]

So, definitely no Triffid honey from you next year Jezd?

I've only seen part one as yet, but found it more interesting than previous versions, perhaps because the plants were more believable due to the improved graphic capabilities.

More apt perhaps given peak oil etc. So John Wyndham (my first real author read as a child), was perhaps more forsightful than might have first been imagined.

What next, the Kraken? I shan't be travelling anywhere near Midwich this spring, just in case.

Oh, and what did you say your skill set was Gavin - (nervous tremble from me)? I guess the Scottish plant scientist saves the day in the final analysis, but I'll check that out later.

So watch out, that first footer might be . . . Eddie Izzard.

 

[gavin]

Oh, and what did you say your skill set was Gavin - (nervous tremble from me)?

As a Scottish plant scientist I'm working on Triffid glow-in-the-dark nectar production as we speak

Perhaps I owe it to Brosville (who tends to take things literally) and Mrs Brosville (didn't realise she was so easily frightened) that these days very few plant scientists work on GM. It really could be an efficient way of making crops better in many different ways, but with all that hostility out there who would want to go down that route?

G.