One exchange between the doctor and the vicar is hilarious as neither seem to want to spell out what they actually mean. At the beginning too, when the 'cuckoos' are perceived, there is much embarrassment and avoidence of discussing how this might have happened. The British reserve is very much in evidence in the novel, and Wyndham conveys the clipped 'BBC' accent beautifully, with his 'Ihad' or 'Ithink' in reported conversation. All these are good chilling films, but they are bound to lose the feel of the original text.

John Carpenter then remade 'Village of the Damned'. The first of these goes by the name of 'Village of the Damned', from 1960, and was followed shortly by a sequel 'Children of the Damned'. The way the army moves in immediately, the jeeps on the road, meetings between people who clearly think of themselves as the elders of the village, the consequent emphasis on protecting ordinary people, the 'Grange' with its important secret work, all these contribute to a work redolent with the 'stiff upper lip' feeling of post-war British fiction.Īlthough this novel is class-ridden, and the women's roles are very much of their time, it is told with a wry humour which I had forgotten in the aftermath of all the adaptations. Now, almost 40 years later, the postwartime feel is even more present in this short novel, despite the book itself being published in 1957. Local officer DCI Paul Haynes (Max Beesley) is tasked with maintaining order but a terrifying force is building in the comfortable streets of Midwich.I can't remember when I first read The Midwich Cuckoos, but it was certainly within 30 years of the end of World War II. When the mysterious blackout is lifted, life for those affected returns to apparent normality except every woman of child-bearing age inside the zone has suddenly and inexplicably fallen pregnant.Īs news spreads and tensions simmer, it is up to gifted psychotherapist Dr Susannah Zellaby (Keeley Hawes) to help support those affected through the emotional wilderness.

People pass out on their feet without warning, without reason.

Midwich is a small English commuter town - a place where nothing much happens, that is until the twilight hours of a summer’s day when a sleepy corner of Midwich is plunged into panic. Keeley Hawes and Synnove Karlsen star in Sky's adaptation of John Wyndham's sci-fi classic The Midwich Cuckoos and talk here to RTÉ Entertainment's John Byrne about the show and their roles.

The midwich