Thanks for posting! Reminds me of the British nuclear catastrophe drama “Threads.” (1984) Amazing how such intensity can be created through a great script and great acting without major £££/$$$ spent on special effects. British television of 1970s/80s was so much better than the junk we Americans had to watch on TV. I realize teleplays such as this one are among the best of the best but American TV had no best at all. Props to you. Jolly good!
There is one common feature to “London is drowning” and “Threads” - both feature voiceovers by Ed Bishop, the UFO actor who was active in anti-nuclear and green politics in the 1970s and 1980s. The relevance of this documentary is just as compelling as “Threads”
Threads isn't Ed Bishop - it's a guy called Paul Vaughan, who also did a lot of episodes of BBC science documentaries like 'Horizon' and 'Q.E.D.'. And yeah, for me, that's really makes Threads even scarier, to hear his Reithian tones tell us how screwed we are.
Thank you for the upload! It left me a bit cold though. A lot of men snapping at each other, and the outdoor scenes show no evidence of rain. One of those plays where I feel I don’t know any of the characters’ names. The last few mins undoubtedly very effective though, and the two blokes in the Tube office believable and sympathetic. Is that Ricky Tomlinson, with one line of dialogue, in the crisis office? He appears just after the woman in the spectacular beret.
Mrs Richards: " I paid for a room with a view!" Basil: (pointing to the lovely view) " That is Torquay, Madam." Mrs Richards: "It's not good enough!" Basil: "May I ask what you were expecting to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically past?..." Mrs Richards: "Don't be silly! I expect to be able to see the sea!" Basil: "You can see the sea, it's over there between the land and the sky." Mrs Richards: "I'm not satisfied. But I shall stay. But I expect a reduction." Basil: "Why?! Because Krakatoa's not erupting at the moment ?"
I remember watching this at the time, but appear to have a case of false memory syndrome in that I was sure that the play showed the underground getting flooded with people, killed in the deluge. Watching it again, the flooding as shown is minimal. The inconsistent shifting from dry conditions to downpours is another factor. Very dated by today’s standards.
Thank you so much for posting all these wonderful plays. The storylines and acting are mostly excellent. They knock spots off anything we have today.
Thanks for posting! Reminds me of the British nuclear catastrophe drama “Threads.” (1984) Amazing how such intensity can be created through a great script and great acting without major £££/$$$ spent on special effects. British television of 1970s/80s was so much better than the junk we Americans had to watch on TV. I realize teleplays such as this one are among the best of the best but American TV had no best at all. Props to you. Jolly good!
Brilliant 😊😊😊thank you so much
Thank you, great play and it showed a glimpse of the real GLC Flood Control centre-excellent work, many thanks
February 2024 and I'm sitting on a boat in Pangbourne. The Thames has just broken its banks for the second time in three weeks.
Really enjoyed this, a different world then I’m thinking.
There is one common feature to “London is drowning” and “Threads” - both feature voiceovers by Ed Bishop, the UFO actor who was active in anti-nuclear and green politics in the 1970s and 1980s. The relevance of this documentary is just as compelling as “Threads”
Threads isn't Ed Bishop - it's a guy called Paul Vaughan, who also did a lot of episodes of BBC science documentaries like 'Horizon' and 'Q.E.D.'. And yeah, for me, that's really makes Threads even scarier, to hear his Reithian tones tell us how screwed we are.
Thank you for sharing.
"Well, what did you expect? A miracle?"
Pre-dated Threads - but obviously provided much inspiration.
A very gripping play even today
Riveting…thank you for posting
Superb pun! 🤣
i live in Ongar! and i've got a season ticket! 😁
'When The Lions drink water
London is flooded'
'London is drowning!
And I live by The Thames!'
Thanks for this!
Weird to be watching this as a major storm hitting the UK today. An expat watching in Florida.
Keith Smith an underrated actor.
Extreme weather events and the frequency of them are indicators of the last days.
thought provoking! sept. 2023
Thank you for the upload! It left me a bit cold though. A lot of men snapping at each other, and the outdoor scenes show no evidence of rain. One of those plays where I feel I don’t know any of the characters’ names. The last few mins undoubtedly very effective though, and the two blokes in the Tube office believable and sympathetic. Is that Ricky Tomlinson, with one line of dialogue, in the crisis office? He appears just after the woman in the spectacular beret.
David Neal would later play the ill-fated President in the 5th Doctors Final serial The Caves of Androzani(1984)
Interesting that today mapping the exact flood liable areas would be very easy.
Mrs Richards: " I paid for a room with a view!"
Basil: (pointing to the lovely view) " That is Torquay, Madam."
Mrs Richards: "It's not good enough!"
Basil: "May I ask what you were expecting to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically past?..."
Mrs Richards: "Don't be silly! I expect to be able to see the sea!"
Basil: "You can see the sea, it's over there between the land and the sky."
Mrs Richards: "I'm not satisfied. But I shall stay. But I expect a reduction."
Basil: "Why?! Because Krakatoa's not erupting at the moment ?"
Probably on the way soon.
The amount of adverts in a programme of this duration is ridiculous
I took out a subscription a couple of years ago, never seen a single ad since. It's well worth it if you're a big TH-cam user like me.
Pay for Premium.
Premium is definitely worth it, adverts are so dumb these days I find them intolerable. I love old adverts though, ironically.
horribly good!
I remember watching this at the time, but appear to have a case of false memory syndrome in that I was sure that the play showed the underground getting flooded with people, killed in the deluge. Watching it again, the flooding as shown is minimal. The inconsistent shifting from dry conditions to downpours is another factor. Very dated by today’s standards.
"Very dated by today’s standards." - visually, maybe. But far more compelling storytelling.
"Very dated by today's standards" is exactly why it is good. To hell with today's standards, frankly.
Good old days when London was still British.
British run by the Germanic monarchy!
robert carlyle was in a similar film, flood, 2007.... a tad more exciting i must say.
Read the book that the film's based on superb!!!! Better than the film
I tried to watch Flood but the awful shaky close up camera work and hectic editing just gave me a headache.
Di hydrogen oxide necessary for life ,but equally deadly.
Gripping from start to finish.