The team behind Adolescence, the powerful Netflix drama that’s captured audiences across the UK, is taking on one of the most unforgettable TV films ever made. Warp Films has announced it’s developing a new series based on Threads — the 1984 BBC movie that imagined what would happen if nuclear war hit Britain.
Set in Sheffield, the original Threads didn’t just tell a story — it shook people. It followed two ordinary families as life completely unraveled after a nuclear strike. There were no heroes. Just people trying to survive, with society crumbling around them. It felt so real, many viewers thought it was. Some were so disturbed, they hoped it would never be shown again.
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For Mark Herbert, Warp’s chief executive, this story is personal. “I was 14, and I remember walking into school and everybody had seen it. People thought it was real.” he said. “It’s a different time now – we’re 40 years on – but it feels like the time is right for it. I think there is a huge heart in Threads that we can explore. It feels like enough time has passed that we can take that original and do something a bit bold, original and fresh with it.”
Warp is known for hard-hitting, deeply human storytelling — from “This is England” to “Adolescence” — and Threads fits right into that tradition. But this isn’t just about retelling an old story. With war back in the headlines and nuclear threats no longer the stuff of history books, the world feels closer than ever to what Threads warned us about.
“It feels really clear that all the news is getting a little scarier,” said Emily Feller, Warp’s Chief Creative Officer. “In the last few years, we’ve seen more wars coming into our lives again … there has been talk over the last couple of years about various nuclear powers, and I think it feels incredibly prescient to be talking about it again.”
In a 2023 interview with the BBC, actor Reece Dinsdale — who played lead character Jimmy in the original film — recalled a special screening in Sheffield attended by 500 people, held before Threads was broadcast on TV. “”There was complete silence and all you could hear was various people sobbing around the room,” the actor recalled. “People blame me to this day for scarring them for life.
The new series is still in early stages. No actors or directors have been announced, and there’s no timeline yet. But the goal is clear: to take the emotional power of the original film and reimagine it for today’s world, with believable characters and grounded storytelling that reflect raw truth and compassion amid the bleakest scenarios.
Warp believes the reboot has the potential to reach not just British viewers, but audiences around the world. And with Adolescence setting records and sparking conversations far beyond TV, the team is confident they can do it again.
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