▁place ▁in ▁the ▁Saturday ▁schedule ▁was ▁briefly ▁lost ▁when ▁it ▁was ▁moved ▁to ▁a ▁week day ▁slot . ▁ ▁Non eth eless , ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁de cade ▁there ▁were ▁several ▁serial s ▁produced , ▁al beit ▁mainly ▁by ▁the ▁BBC ; ▁the ▁bought ▁in ▁series ▁mainly ▁a ired ▁on ▁I TV . ▁Ada pt ations ▁of ▁nov els ▁such ▁as ▁The ▁Day ▁of ▁the ▁Tr iff ids ▁( 1 9 8 1 ), ▁The ▁In visible ▁Man ▁( 1 9 8 4 ) ▁and ▁The ▁Night m are ▁Man ▁( 1 9 8 1 , ▁from ▁the ▁novel ▁Child ▁of ▁the ▁V ody ano i ) ▁were ▁produced , ▁and ▁the ▁BBC ▁began ▁an ▁adaptation ▁of ▁The ▁White ▁Mountains ▁nov els , ▁under ▁the ▁name ▁The ▁T rip ods ▁( 1 9 8 4 – 8 5 ). ▁ ▁The ▁T rip ods ▁had ▁run ▁for ▁two ▁of ▁its ▁planned ▁three ▁series ▁when ▁it ▁was ▁cancel led ▁by ▁the ▁Controller ▁of ▁BBC 1 , ▁Michael ▁Gra de . ▁At ▁the ▁same ▁time ▁Gra de ▁abandoned ▁a ▁whole ▁season ▁of ▁Doctor ▁Who ; ▁the ▁series ▁was ▁on ▁hi atus ▁for ▁eigh teen ▁months . ▁ ▁It ▁appeared ▁to ▁be ▁generally ▁felt ▁at ▁the ▁BBC ▁that ▁science ▁fiction ▁was ▁more ▁expensive ▁to ▁produce ▁than ▁other ▁types ▁of ▁programme ▁but ▁did ▁not ▁return ▁any ▁higher ▁aud ien ces ▁for ▁the ▁out lay ▁or ▁particular ▁critical ▁acc laim . ▁Some ▁BBC ▁popular ▁and ▁critical ▁success es ▁such ▁as ▁Edge ▁of ▁Dark ness ▁(