1980- PANORAMA WHAT IF THE BOMB DROPS UK,s UPDATE ON CIVIL DEFENSE ON STATE OF NATION AFTER RUSSIAN INVASION OF AFGHANISTAN

MY FATHER WAS A WEEKEND DAD BUT HE KNEW I HAD A STRANGE FASCINATION WITH NUCLEAR WAR SEEING MY SISTER AND BROTHERS ON THE WEEKENDS HE HAD HEARD ME TALKING ABOUT A REALLY CRAPPY NUCLEAR WAR MOVIE AND THE AMERICAN VERSION THAT WAS IN THE WORKS CALLED THE DAY AFTER. WELL MY FATHER A PBS FAN TOLD ME ABOUT A MOVIE FROM THE U.K. AND WARNED ME IT WAS VERY GRAPHIC AND REAL.THIS MOVIE WAS "THREADS" IT DIDN'T DISAPPOINT IT WAS BROADCAST A FEW YEARS EARLIER THAN THE AMERICAN VERSION RIGHT AROUND THE INVASION OF AFGHANISTAN WHEN RUSSIA STILL WAS THAT SCARY NATION INTENT ON NUCLEAR BRINKMANSHIP. MY FATHER WAST A BALL THROWING GUY OR MUCH OF A DAD BUT HISTORY WAS HIS THING HAVING LEFT ME HIS ENTIRE COLLECTION OF AMERICAN HERITAGE TO LEARN TO READ WITH A VERY OLD AND NEAR COMPLETE COLLECTION THAT TAUGHT ME MORE ABOUT AMERICA THAN ANY SCHOOL HISTORY CLASS. PANORAMA A BRITISH SHOW PLAYED THIS PRIOR TO THEIR SCREENING OF THREADS AND IT DIDN'T DISAPPOINT. I REMEMBER DRIVING OUT TO EASTERN LONG ISLAND FOR A FAMILY GATHERING CHRISTMAS MORNING WAY OUT TO RIVERHEAD.THE DYING BASTION OF OUR MILITARY'S DEFENSE SUFFOLK COUNTY AFB IN VARIOUS STAGES OF CLOSING ONCE A HARDCORE SAC AIR DEFENSE INTERCEPTOR BASE WITH F-101 VOODOO's AND 102-106-DELTA DARTS AND f-104 STARFIGHTERS THE BOMARC NUCLEAR MISSILE SITE LAY ABANDONED JUST DOWN THE ROAD ITS 100 PLUS LAUNCH SHEDS EMPTY ITS SAGE RADAR SILENT. GRUMANNN KEY TO OUR NAVAL AIR WINGS WAS ON ITS LAST LEGS HAVING PUMPED OUT MANY INTRUDERS THAT SAW SERVICE IN VIETNAM THE F-14 TOMCAT AMONG MANY THAT PASSED THROUGH THE NAVAL WEAPONS PLANT.  MY STEPFATHER HAD THE AM RADIO ON AND OF COURSE IT RATTLED ON ABOUT THE SOVIET INVASION OF AFGHANISTAN MY SIBLINGS PLAYED WITH THEIR TOYS AS I LISTENED TO THE ANNOUNCER TALK ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANT WHAT WERE THE SOVIETS PLANNING WHAT WERE WE PLANNING IT CREATED A SOMBER CHRISTMAS THAT YEAR. I DID GET A BIGTRACK PROBABLY THE MOST ADVANCED ELECTRONICS OF ITS DAY WHICH TOOK SOME OF THE WORRY OF ALLOUT WAR OFF MY YOUNG MIND. I EVENTUALLY CAUGHT THREADS AND MY FATHER WAS RIGHT VERY REAL AND AFTER SEEING THE DAY AFTER I REALIZED THE BRITISH KNEW HOW TO SHOW WAR HAVING BEEN THROUGH THE SECOND GREAT WAR THEY EVEN HAD A WILDER CARD UP THEIR SLEEVES BUT THIS MOVIE WAS SO GRAPHIC SO DEPRESSING SO GODDAMN SCARY DESPITE WINNING A BRITISH OSCAR IN 1966 THE MOVIE PAID AND MADE BY THE BBS WAS HIDDEN AWAY. THAT MOVIE WAS THE "WARGAME" AND IT TOOK MANY YEARS TO FIND A COPY. ITS ON THIS BLOG AND ITS PROBABLY A BIT MORE SCARIER THAN THREADS. FIND IT WATCH BOTH YOU DECIDE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. 

HERE IS THE EDITION OF PANORAMA THAT WAS PLAYED BEFORE THE MOVIE "THREADS" ON THE BBC IN ITS ENTIRETY.