Adolescence creators adapting ‘most frightening film of all time’ into TV series

The team behind Adolescence is ready to tackle another bleak drama (Picture: Netflix)

It’s been confirmed that the creators of Adolescence are set adapt a film called ‘the most frightening of all time’ into a TV series.

The hit Netflix series, starring Stephen Graham, has been one of the major TV successes of 2025 – and the creative team are now going to tackle nuclear apocalypse film Threads.

Written by Barry Hines, the 1984 film Threads depicted an imagined vision of the future in which the United Kingdom is destroyed by a nuclear apocalypse.

Initially following an ordinary family in Sheffield, Threads famously shifts midway through to depict a full-scale nuclear war in Europe, and how society might collapse and rebuild itself in the decades afterwards.

The reboot will be overseen by Warp Films, who are based in Sheffield, and oversaw production on Adolescence, which was largely filmed in the Yorkshire town of Pontefract.

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Speaking about the upcoming TV production, a spokesperson for Warp said: ‘This adaptation will explore prescient issues through rich, character-driven storytelling.’

Threads scarred a generation when it was first shown in 1984 (Picture: BBC)

The production company’s head, Mark Herbert, told The Radio Times that he was keen to see Threads reimagined as a 21st century TV series.

‘Threads was, and remains, an unflinchingly honest drama that imagines the devastating effects of nuclear conflict on ordinary people,’ he said.

‘This story aligns perfectly with our ethos of telling powerful, grounded narratives that deeply connect with audiences.’

Threads was originally broadcast on the BBC in 1984 and was only repeated on TV a handful of times before a special 40th anniversary showing in 2024.

It is widely regarded as one of the most frightening films of all time (Picture: BBC)

Despite its limited availability, it become known as one of the most frightening and bleak films of all time, attracting audiences across the world.

Speaking to the BBC two years ago, Reece Dinsdale, who played Jimmy in the 1984 film, said a special Sheffield screening before its original airing left the audience in silence.

‘There was complete silence and all you could hear was various people sobbing around the room. People blame me to this day for scarring them for life,’ he said.

Warp Films, the company behind Adolescence, are based in Sheffield, where Threads is set (Picture: Netflix)

He explained the fear people still feel about the film in the 2020s: ‘People say it is the most scary thing they’ve ever seen in their life and remains so to this day.’

Despite being a work of fiction, the realism with which the film approached its subject matter brought it significant praise for ‘representing the full horror of nuclear war and its aftermath’.

It won four Baftas in 1985 and currently has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 100%, with an average critic rating of 8.9 out of 10, making it one of the best-rated films on the website.

Threads won four Baftas after its original 1984 broadcast (Picture: BBC)

Threads was directed by Mick Jackson, who went on to direct 1992 film The Bodyguard, which starred Whitney Houston and spawned Houston’s famous cover of Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You.

Warp Films, which also produced the This Is England film and TV series, is an off-shoot of the cult record label Warp Records, which was founded in the late 1980s.

The label, founded by Steve Beckett, Rob Mitchell, and Robert Gordon, largely promotes alternative electronic music, having released albums by Brian Eno, Aphex Twin, and Boards of Canada over the years.

Watch Adolescence on Netflix. Watch Threads on BBC iPlayer.

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