NOTE - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO BBC RADIO 1, DIRK MAGGS AND PARAMOUNT PICTURES. THIS RELEASE IS FOR ARCHIVE PURPOSES OF A DIFFICULT TO FIND RELEASE

Independence Day UK is a one-hour BBC Radio 1 science fiction special, first broadcast on 4 August 1996. The show is a spin-off of the movie Independence Day and depicts the movie's alien invasion from a British perspective. None of the original movie cast appear in the radio show.

The movie's producer Dean Devlin gave Dirk Maggs permission to produce an original radio adaptation provided that he did not reveal certain details of the movie's plot, and that he did not depict the British as saving the day. Maggs wrote, produced and directed the programme, with Devlin credited as "Creative Consultant".

In order to achieve authentic aircraft sounds, Maggs' crew recorded actual aircraft and cockpit interior sounds at an RAF base.

The programme's tagline is, "It's the Battle of Britain all over again, but this time our enemies aren't just unstoppable. They're inhuman".

Although marketed as a family film, it was notably darker than the creators' previous material. The animatronics used in the film were considered groundbreaking. The primary concept artist was the fantasy illustrator Brian Froud, famous for his distinctive faerie and dwarf designs. Froud also collaborated with Henson and Oz for their next project, the 1986 film Labyrinth, which was notably more light-hearted than The Dark Crystal.
A tie-in novelization of the film was written by A.C.H. Smith. Henson took a keen interest in the novelization, as he considered it a legitimate part of the film's world rather than just an advertisement. He originally asked Alan Garner to write it, but he declined on account of prior engagements. Henson and Smith met several times over meals to discuss the progress of the manuscript. According to Smith, the only major disagreement they had arose over his dislike of the Podlings, which he considered "boring". He included a scene in which a Garthim carrying a sackful of Podlings fell down a cliff and crushed them. Henson considered this scene to be an element of "gratuitous cruelty" that did not fit well into the scope of the story. In order to assist Smith in his visualising the world of The Dark Crystal, Henson invited him to visit Elstree Studios during the filming of the movie. In June 2014, Archaia Entertainment reprinted the novelization, though included extras such as some of Brian Froud's illustrations, and Jim Henson's notes.

our bears were originally released in 1983. The bears were named Grizzler, Howler, Fang, and Gums. Each bear came with a story tape narrated by Oliver Postgate of Bagpuss fame, with one side explaining how the WereBears came to be and the other telling the individual bear's own adventure. In 1986, another line of teddies called the TerrorTeds were created. A fifth WereBear named Growler was released the same year.

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