The War of the Worlds; Reggie in China

“While there have been notable changes to the story, it is hard to imagine any Wells purists being upset with what the writer/executive producer Peter Harness has done. This War of the Worlds is thoroughly and entirely respectful. It is also very respectable, which makes it a solid, reliable adaptation rather than an earth-shattering reimagining.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“I liked a fair bit of Peter Harness’s BBC adaptation, mostly that it was set in the Edwardian era. I also liked that the dialogue felt fresh and modern. I was less keen on the fact that the first half felt terribly slow. But it reinvented Wells’s novel while remaining true to its mood. There’s enough here to bring you back.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The BBC’s long-awaited, lavishly mounted three-parter does the story full justice, capturing its mounting sense of awestruck fear while skilfully expanding on elements only hinted at in the original.”
Jeff Robson, The i

“H.G. Wells’s sci-fi classic has been reimagined in numerous ways. This Peter Harness dramatisation succeeds because it only moves the timeframe slightly — from the Victorian to the Edwardian era.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“One thing that needs the big bucks thrown at it is an adaptation of HG Wells’ The War of the Worlds. Yet here is BBC1’s version, looking as if it was made on the budget of a supermarket advert. And not even a Christmas one.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Yates was suitably blown away by the array of skyscrapers and gleaming business units and, as always, he was a natural at putting his interviewees at their ease.”
Jeff Robson, The i”