An adaptation, The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham, by way of Val McDermin, with a fair bit of updating and an orchestral soundtrack performed by the BBC Philharmonic.
It's part of the ongoing Dangerous Visions series, Radio 4's various bits of horrific science fiction.
It imagines a world in which a plague of meteors crash to Earth, landing deep in the ocean all over the planet. They set off a range of ecological changes, including plankton blooms and discoloured ocean colours, as well as something more sinister, as things from the bottom of the sea begin to invade the land.
It feels like it's trying to do a version of War of the Worlds, with the classical music interludes adding atmosphere to what would usually be a fairly typical Radio 4 play. At its best moments, it gets close to that, with a few pieces very reminiscent of Barry Gray, but unfortunately it tends to run into scare chord territory a little too much. There's also the occasional problem with levels, which might have to do with it being recorded in concert with the orchestra.
The adaptation is decent, though does feel a little forced in some areas, particularly with the slightly clumsy references to twitter. The basic plot itself hits the required beats, and is engrossing enough for me to keep listening to it, but some of the dialogue gets a bit obvious. The finale of Episode 1 in particular is a bit tortured.
It's not terrible, but it's certainly not the best end of the world adaptation of that era. That honour definitely goes to The Death of Grass.
Tagged: Radio Drama Cast Fiction Adaptation