The classic and terrifying HG Wells novel of alien invasion is now a landmark series for the BBC from the makers of Poldark, Victoria and And Then There Were None.

One night a shooting star is seen over the skies of Surrey. The next day, it's discovered to have been a mysterious metallic cylinder from Mars. What comes next is a terrifying alien attack, as tentacled Martian invaders emerge from the cylinder and prey on humankind using shocking new weapons against which the people of Victorian England can offer no resistance.

The aliens begin to devastate the area in their tripod machines, and as our narrator struggles to return to his wife, the fight for London - and the world - begins.

Now with a new introduction by Stephen Baxter.

'A true classic'
GUARDIAN

'Immortal science fiction'
TELEGRAPH

Herbert George Wells was born in England in 1866, to shopkeepers in Kent. He won a scholarship to the Normal School of Science where he learned about physics, chemistry, astronomy and biology, among other subjects. Wells also devoted much of his time to becoming a writer.

His first novel, The Time Machine, was an instant success and Wells quickly produced several more science fiction novels, including The Island of Dr Moreau and The Invisible Man. His later work focused on satire and social criticism, and he produced the three-volume Outline of History. He died in 1946.