In the third instalment of Cult Spy's Classic Moments, we travel back two decades to look at the first on-screen appearance of John Christopher's alien menace - The Tripods.

The Context

Said to be the BBC's most expensive programme ever at the time, The Tripods arrived on our screens in a blaze of publicity. A fantastic Radio Times cover proclaimed 'The Tripods Are Coming' and the signs looked good for this adaptation of the much loved children's book 'The White Mountains'. Part of a trilogy, the further two books would comprise the second and third seasons of the show, the BBC announced. Such was their confidence in the show, which was seen as a replacement for Doctor Who in the Saturday early evening slot, production was already underway on the second season whilst the first was still awaiting screening.

The Moment

In the opening of the first episode, we witness a rural, village life that appears to place the show in a period setting. The clothes, the houses, the decor all suggests we're a good couple of centuries back in the past. A bald man heads off to the centre of the village, next to a vast lake. He is greeted and congratulated by the other villagers as he takes centre stage. Suddenly, a booming, metallic screech is heard in the distance and all eyes point straight ahead...

We see a giant metallic foot land in the lake, followed by two more. The legs move spider-like through the water with a capsule up above at the apex. We then see in breathtaking glory a shot revealing the massive Tripod, now stationary, looming large over the village beneath. A hatch then opens in the capsule and out comes a tentacle-like claw...

The Aftermath

Viewers were initially in awe by the Tripods, rendered gloriously effective (at the time) using a combination of massive 'leg' props and expensive matting techniques. However, the three-legged creatures were then sparsely used over the forthcoming episodes, primarily for budgetary reasons, and interest began to wane. When production neared the end on the much-improved second season, the plug was pulled on the third part of the trilogy...