Ukraine crisis: Removing Sheffield nuclear drama Threads from BritBox is meaningless compared to the threat of war

At the same time, streaming service BritBox deleted a Tweet announcing Sheffield nuclear apocalypse drama Threads was available to stream on the site and now the show has been removed too.

The concern in Ukraine is real. Any concerns over a drama shot in Sheffield in 1984 which depicted the aftermath of a nuclear attack are a sideshow. Threads has been around for so long it can’t tell us anything new.

What we need at a time of such uncertainty, is action to solve what looks like an increasingly desperate situation and one which should resonate. Sheffield has links to Ukraine, the city of Donetsk is twinned with our city and we have a street named Donetsk Way. In other words, there are ordinary people in this country and on this street who share our hopes and fears, who want the same things as us – to be safe and to be free.

Which is why a debate around Threads is facile. Journalist Kate Bevan tweeted a screenshot of a recently deleted tweet by BritBox UK which stated that Sheffield-set drama Threads was available to stream on the site.

In her own tweet, Bevan said: “Britbox has deleted this tweet, which is probably just as well, because this doesn't feel like great timing.”

Many on social media also suggested poor timing and one wrote: “Threads going onto Britbox just in time for actual World War Three is fantastic brand synergy.”

They are missing the point. This isn’t about Threads, it’s about a face-off which can be stopped if world leaders show enough bravery. Putin and Biden must put aside the bravado and concentrate on what people actually want – a solution.

Forget about the noise around a Tv drama and put the threads of dialogue around stopping a war which does not have to happen.