I’m Chas Newkey-Burden and when I watched the nuclear war film Threads in 1984 at the age of 11 it terrified me and changed my life forever.
I started this podcast to speak to other people whose lives have been changed by Threads, from cast and crew members, to extras, broadcasters, authors and super fans.
Welcome… to Jesus Christ, They’ve Done it.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
I’m Chas Newkey-Burden and when I watched the nuclear war film Threads in 1984 at the age of 11 it terrified me and changed my life forever.
I started this podcast to speak to other people whose lives have been changed by Threads, from cast and crew members, to extras, broadcasters, authors and super fans.
Welcome… to Jesus Christ, They’ve Done it.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I have a chat with the glorious matriarch of Threads: Rita May, who played Mrs Kemp.
The mother of Jimmy, Alison and Michael, Mrs Kemp is one of the film’s most iconic characters.
For me, watching as a child from comfortable south-west London, she was a revelation. She was bold, working class and Sheffield to her core. Yes, she was a work of fiction, but she felt more authentic than most of the people I’d met in real life.
I chatted with Rita on the phone and she told me about the laughs she had on set, the tears she cried when she first watched the finished film, and the nuclear nightmares she had afterwards.
Jingle: Protect & Survive
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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.