''Night of the Big Heat'' is a science fiction novel written in 1959 by

John Lymington John Richard Newton Chance (1911 – 3 August 1983), who wrote as John Lymington, was born in London. He was a prolific writer of short stories, children's literature, mystery and science fiction novels. An obituary in Ansiblcredits Lymington wi ...

. It tells the story of an unnamed British island that is experiencing a bizarre and stifling heatwave.

Plot summary

The main characters are a former novelist named Richard Callum and his wife Frankie, who own a pub called the White Lion. Richard has hired a secretary to help out on his new book, Patricia Wells, who turns out to have an obsession for Callum. A visiting scientist named Harsen reveals, ultimately, that the reason for the extreme heat is that an alien race of

spiders Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species dive ...

are "beaming in" scouts from their home planet via a radio wave ray, which generates intense amounts of heat as a side effect. The spiders themselves are carnivorous and eat humans, and give off bodily heat intense enough to burn alive any person who gets too close to them. Together with Harsen, Patricia, and science fiction author Vernon Stone, the Callums try to make it to the island's radio station to call for help so that they can thwart the invasion.

Screen adaptations

A television adaptation was broadcast by

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

in the ''Play of the Week'' series on 14 June 1960, scripted by Giles Cooper, and directed by Cyril Coke. It starred

Lee Montague Lee Montague (born Leonard Goldberg; 16 October 1927) is an English actor noted for his roles in film and television, usually playing tough guys. Montague was a student of the Old Vic School. Montague's film credits include ''The Camp on Bloo ...

as Richard Callum,

Sally Bazely Sally Bazely (born 1933) is a British television actress. Her main roles were in ''Father, Dear Father'' (1968–70) and ''Harriet's Back in Town'' (1972). She also played Norman Wisdom's wife in the comedy film '' What's Good for the Goose'' (19 ...

as Frankie Callum,

Melissa Stribling Melissa Stribling (7 November 1926 – 22 March 1992) was a Scottish film and television actress, who began her acting career as part of a professional group who presented a different stage play each week at the Croydon 'Grand' theatre. She is ...

as Patricia Wells, Karel Štěpánek as Doctor Harsen, and

Bernard Archard Bernard Joseph Archard (20 August 1916 – 1 May 2008) was an English actor who made many film and television appearances. Early life and career Archard was born in Fulham, London, where his father Alfred James Aloysius who was born in Maryleb ...

as Sir James Murray. Bernard Cribbins also featured in a small role. Made by Associated Rediffusion, it no longer exists. The novel was later adapted into a 1967 film, '' Night of the Big Heat'' (also known as ''Island of the Burning Damned'') by Planet Film Productions, starring

Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultimat ...

, Peter Cushing, Patrick Allen, Sarah Lawson, Jane Merrow, and Kenneth Cope. It was directed by Terence Fisher.

References

1959 British novels British science fiction novels 1959 science fiction novels Novels about writers Alien invasions in novels Novels about extraterrestrial life Novels set on islands British novels adapted into films Hodder & Stoughton books {{1950s-war-novel-stub