One of the best sci-fi horrors ever is streaming on BBC iPlayer for limited time | Films | Entertainment

Back in 1979, Ridley Scott directed a film based on a story by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett, that would go on to become one of the greatest and most influential science fiction and horror films of all time.

Set in 2122, Alien follows a spaceship crew investigating a derelict one. before being hunted by a terrifying extraterrestrial called the Xenomorph.

Sigourney Weaver stars as franchise star Ripley, alongside John Hurt, Ian Holm, Tom Skerritt and Veronica Cartwright.

Alien spawned three sequels, including James Cameron’s equally epic Aliens, before Scott returned with two prequels.

And then this summer he produced the recent spin-off sequel Alien: Romulus, which is set 20 years after the original film.

Despite initial mixed reviews, Weaver was Oscar-nominated for Best Actress at a time when sci-fi was usually overlooked.

Alien is streaming in HD on BBC iPlayer for the next 26 days and is also available in 4K on Disney+.