'The War of the World' won't be returning for a second series.

Eleanor Tomlinson

Eleanor Tomlinson

The BBC show's creator Peter Harness has confirmed he will not be returning to follow up the sci-fi series - which was adapted from the iconic novel by HG Wells - as the show came to a close last night (01.12.19).

When asked if the BBC could do a follow up at a recent Q and A session, Peter said: "Yeah, you could. And I'm sure it would be a splendid thing to do. But I don't think I'll be doing that."

The three part drama featured couple George and Amy - played by Rafe Spall and Eleanor Tomlinson - as they fought back against the Martian invaders while, in the future, an older Amy worked hard to save the Earth from what the aliens left behind.

Although the novel never had a sequel, Wells had other acclaimed books that Peter could use for future series, but he instead wants to focus on his own original ideas from now on.

He added: "I've made a stupid decision not to do any more adaptations, which I'm sure is going to be kind of torpedoed.

"I mean sci-fi and fantasy, horror and ghost stories are genres that I like working in. I just feel I've adapted a lot of other people's books now, and I want to go off and do some of my own rubbish.

"We'll see how that goes. I'll see you in a couple of years..."

Meanwhile, the screenwriter previously opened up about the leading star - who plays two versions of her character Amy both during and after the Martian invasion - and heaped praise on the way she has delved into the story.

He said: "Eleanor's one of those actors who can essentially just tell the story with their performance.

"They don't necessarily need an awful lot of dialogue. Somehow, they just intuit the rhythm of the story, and they just tell it.

"Sometimes you think, 'I know precisely what you're going through. I know precisely where you're taking me as a character, and you're doing it beautifully.' She's a real star. It was a real privilege to have her do it."