Brought to the screen by showrunner (and lead script writer) Adrian Hodges, the programme was a 're-imagining' of the classic end-of-the-world drama Survivors, devised by Terry Nation shown on BBC1 between 1975 and 1977, and drew its initial inspiration from Nation's 1976 Survivors novel.
Both series of the new Survivors are also available for purchase through iTunes.
The cancelled show attracted renewed audience interest in the US, when both series one and series two of Survivors were licenced by the Netflix and the Amazon Instant Video streaming services.
In the UK, in 2012, the BT Vision service began to offer both series for streaming download, as part of its range of TV channel packages and on a pay-per-episode basis.
Artist Pete Wallbank, who created the sleeve artwork for the Sovereign VHS release of series one of Survivors in 1998, has been commissioned by fan David Tulley to create a new original piece of Survivors art. In the style of a Survivors video sleeve cover, Pete has produced a new and original design inspired by the classic series three episode The Last Laug […]
Lucy Fleming (Jenny Richards, Survivors) was a guest-speaker at events marking this year’s World Book Night at London’s Southbank (24 April 2013). To coincide with World Book Night 2013 a “half a million books were given away across the country to support the nation’s love of reading”. The niece of James Bond creator Ian Fleming, Lucy read from her uncle’s e […]
Survivors‘ scriptwriter Don Shaw is selling off a number of original copies from his personal archive of his own TV scripts – including his own copy of his script for the series three classic Survivors episode Mad Dog. Don recently sold a signed copy of one of his Doomwatch scripts for more than £200, while a copy of an signed script from his contribution to […]
After a series of false starts stretching over more than a decade, a remake of Survivors‘ creator Terry Nation’s science-fiction space drama Blake’s 7 (1978-81) has finally been confirmed. The BBC News site reported (10 April 2013) that, with the licensing of the project agreed with the Nation estate, a first series of thirteen episodes had been ordered by t […]
Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant) is scheduled to appear at the Wales Comic Con 2013, being held at Glyndwr University, Wrexham on Sunday 28 April 2013. On the Guest pages, Seymour is listed as appearing to sign autographs (but not to be part of a convention panel or to be included in official photoshoot events). Thanks to Adrian H for alerting the blog to this
As part of the promotional work to support the release of the new film adaptation of his bedroom farce Run For Your Wife, writer and director Ray Cooney catches up with Lucy Fleming and Simon Williams (two of a huge number of British actors and actresses who cameo in the film). The interview includes footage of Fleming’s and Williams’ brief appearance in the […]
Hugh Walters (the second of three actors to play the role of Vic Thatcher in Survivors) is making a signing appearance at the London Film and Comic Con, being held at Earls Court 2, London between Friday 5 and Sunday 7 July 2013. Walters, who played the role of Vic Thatcher in first series episodes Revenge and A Beginning, will appear on Friday 5 July only f […]
Ian McCulloch (Greg Preston, Survivors) has been widely interviewed in the horror-genre press, as part of the publicity drive in support of the release of his most celebrated zombie flick Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979) on DVD and Blu-Ray, in “a brand new high definition restoration of the original negative”. Arrow Films released a new DVD version and (for the […]
Denis Lill (Charles Vaughan, Survivors) appears, as part of an Only Fools and Horses cast reunion, at the next Birmingham Memorabilia event. The event takes place over the weekend of 24-25 November 2012, although Lill is only scheduled to appear on Saturday 24 November.
Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant, Survivors) appeared at the Destination Star Trek convention, held at the Excel convention centre, London between 19-21 October 2012. The convention was celebrated for bringing together (for a rare joint UK convention appearance) all of the actors who have played the role of ship captain in all of the different TV incarnations of […]
The Survivorsbbctv blog is pleased to announce the publication of a new guidebook on the BBC’s remake of Survivors, written by the author of this blog and published by Classic TV Press. Full details as follows:
WORLDS APART: The unofficial and unauthorised guide to the new SURVIVORS
One of the standout televisual highlights of recent years, Survivors succeeded in remaining true to the essence of the original series whilst delivering strong characters and storylines, and a hauntingly modern setting. Starring Julie Graham, Paterson Joseph, Max Beesley and Zoë Tapper, the remake proved to be a series which could be enjoyed both by those coming to the show with no memories or awareness of its predecessor and enthusiasts of Terry Nation’s original. Published on 7 April 2010, this guidebook – though unofficial and unauthorised – serves as a comprehensive guide to the new Survivors and includes:
A detailed behind-the-scenes section on the ‘making of’ the new series
In-depth synopses and reviews of all of the episodes from Series 1 and 2
Cast and crew interview material
An exploration of previous attempts to revive Survivors
Similarities and differences between the new Survivors and the original series
An examination of Terry Nation’s original novel on which the new series is partly based
A photographic guide to the first series’s filming locations and exclusive production shots
The research efforts of Survivors‘ enthusiast Adrian H has uncovered good evidence that the Earth-from-space sequences used in the opening and closing sequences of each episode of Survivors were drawn from existing HD (High-Definition) footage created two years earlier for the 2006 BBC documentary series Planet Earth. This footage was itself an integral part of the earliest BBC experiments in High Definition broadcasting.
A montage of footage from Planet Earth showcases (in its opening moments) strikingly similar images to those featured in all twelve episodes of Survivors.
Recycling and re-using – without question, central tenets of post-apocalyptic survival strategy!
American network NBC has renewed post-apocalyptic drama Revolution for a second season.
The drama, which “centers on a family trying to reunite amidst a worldwide power failure”, secured a twenty-episode first season and has now been recommissioned for a twenty-two episode season two.
Production on the second season, which begins in June, will relocate from Wilmington, N.C. to Austin, Texas. In the US, season two of Revolution will move to a new timeslot, and be shown on Wednesday evenings. In the UK, season one of Revolution is being screened on Fridays at 21:00 on Sky1 and Sky1 HD.
REVOLUTION — Season:1 — Pictured: (l-r) Billy Burke as Miles, Elizabeth Mitchell as Rachel, Giancarlo Esposito as Lt. Neville, Tracy Spiridakos as Charlie
After a series of false starts stretching over more than a decade, a remake of Survivors‘ creator Terry Nation’s science-fiction space drama Blake’s 7 (1978-81) has finally been confirmed.
The BBC News site reported (10 April 2013) that, with the licensing of the project agreed with the Nation estate, a first series of thirteen episodes had been ordered by the SyFy channel, and will be distributed by FremantleMedia International, and produced by Georgeville TV and Marc Rosen. Initial reports indicate that the series will be written by Joe Pokaski (Heroes, CSI) and directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, GoldenEye).
Freemantle Media has outlined the show’s premise:
The year is 2136, Blake wakes up on one side of the bed. He reaches for the other side. There’s nobody there. As reality sets in, this handsome ex-soldier sits up, and looks at a photo of his wife Rachel. Beautiful. Deceased.
A revolutionary reinvention of the long-running BBC series made in the late 1970s, Blake’s 7 tells the story of seven criminals – 6 guilty and 1 innocent – on their way to life on a prison colony in space, who together wrestle freedom from imprisonment. They acquire an alien ship which gives them a second chance at life and become the most unlikely heroes of their time.
Blake’s 7 was the show that Terry Nation created shortly after his departure from Survivors at the end of series one. Later in his career, Nation sought to get an American network to revive Blake’s 7, as he also (unsuccessfully) attempted to do with Survivors.
The Walking Dead continues to be the most critically acclaimed of the new wave of post-apocalyptic dramas now screening. Transmission of series three paused in the autumn on 2012, and recommenced in February 2013. In the UK, The Walking Dead has been shown on on the Fox channel (previously FX), with new episodes airing every Friday evening. Series three will conclude its UK transmission in April 2013. The AMC cable TV channel, which produces the show, confirmed in December 2012 that The Walking Dead had been renewed for a fourth season. Two spin-off computer games have been released, beginning with Telltale Games five-episode The Walking Dead for PS3, Xbox, and iPad in 2012, and The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct for PS3 and Xbox in March 2013.
Renewed in 2012 for a third series, alien-invasion post-apocalyptic drama Falling Skies will return to US TV screens on cable channel TNT in June 2013. It is expected that Falling Skies will be shown in the UK on the Fox Channel this summer. The first in a series of Falling Skiesgraphic novels was published in 2011, with the follow-up The Battle of Fitchburg following in October 2012.
Cancelled post-apocalyptic TV show Jericho is continuing a canonical life in print. A graphic novelisation of ‘series three’ entitled Civil War was published in 2011, with a novelisation of ‘series four’ scheduled for publication in July 2013.
The pilot for new post-apocalyptic drama series Revolution broadcast in the US in September 2012, with a further nine episodes showing before the end of the year. After a winter break, the remaining ten episodes of series one began transmission on the NBC Network in late March 2013. The series has been licensed for transmission in the UK by Sky, and the pilot will air on Sky1 and Sky1 HD on 29 March 2013, with the remaining 19 episodes of series one being shown weekly on Fridays. There has been no word yet on the prospect of the series being renewed for a second season.
Writing on the SuperTechBlog site (18 January 2013), Colton Kaiser claims an ‘exclusive’, reporting that the streaming online film and TV company Netflix is in active talks with the BBC about commissioning a new, third series of Survivors.
Kaiser provides no evidence for the claim other than that an “inside source familiar with the matter” has revealed to the site that the BBC and NetFlix have “initiated talks to bring back British post-apocalyptic TV series Survivors.”
He goes on to suggest that, having optioned the rights to stream the first two series of the show, Netflix noticed “a ‘surprising number of views’ in the first few months of being available.”
Kaiser does conclude: “Of course, there’s no guarantee that these talks will result in a revival of the show.”
In recent months, Netflix has begun to commission both new and returning episodic dramas, which will by-pass international TV networks entirely and be made exclusively available throughthe web-based Netflix service. The first original drama series to be commissioned by the company was House of Cards, a dark political drama produced by David Fincher. Netflix has since announced a slate of new commissions, including a new series of the previously-cancelled comedy Arrested Development. Some reports suggests that Netflix has already commissioned its first British drama, but confirmed details are scarce.
Although the speculation is intriguing, What the report on SuperTechBlog omits entirely is that the BBC are not the only party with which Netflix would need to agree terms. As lead scriptwriter, producer and Survivors showrunner Adrian Hodges would hold rights in a number of the characters, characterisations and storylines any new series would need to pick up. More fundamentally, any new commission by a third party would require a fresh negotiation with the estate of Terry Nation to licence the right to use the original characters and premise.
However, the speculation is itself interesting – and this blog will continue to follow the story closely as either it evolves, peters out or is proven to be completely mistaken.
In the meantime, if you come across any confirmation or refutation of any part of the story, please get in touch via the Contact form or leave a Comment on this post.
To mark the arrival of 2013, a quick (unscientific) poll on the the question of responsibility for the cancellation of Survivors. Please vote by making a single choice; and add whichever additional thoughts you have in the Comments section (Note: to prevent spam and abuse, comments are moderated before publication).
Both series of Survivors are now available for viewing (in the UK) on the BT Vision service, as part of one of the service’s TV Packs or through a pay-per-view option (but are only available to BT Vision customers). All twelve episode were initially offered until today (31 December 2012), but their availability has now been extended to 27 February 2013 (and may be extended further).
The fourth episode of the second series of Channel 4 sitcom Fresh Meat (first shown on 30 October 2012) makes extensive use of the Peover Hall location used in the fourth episode of series one of Survivors.
In Survivors, Peover Hall provides the location for Jimmy Garland’s family home (from which he is temporarily evicted by a gang of young squatters). In Fresh Meat, Peover Hall is the setting for a ‘weekend freakout’ for the student housemates at JP’s ‘big country house’ (which his widow mother has – unknown to JP – already sold).
A not-heard-before press interview with Julie Graham (Abby Grant) from the 2008 pre-series-one promotional campaign (by journalist Katy Blackwell) has been made available on the SoundCloud streaming service. In the 5m 25s interview, Graham discusses the then-forthcoming first series, the character of Abby Grant, the contemporary relevance of the show, the making of the first series, and more besides.
A recent work visit to Birmingham took me within a few hundred yards of series two Survivors filming locations around Edmund Street, in Birmingham city centre, and the multi-story car-park at its far end (seen in the first two episodes). I had a few minutes before catching the train home to snap the following (click on each thumbnail for a far larger version):
The roof of the multi-story car park where Najid keeps his vigil for Abby
The car park roof from which Najid hangs his ‘Abby’ banner
The view down Edmund Street from the multi-story car park from which Najid spots Abby’s return
The junction of Edmund Street and Church Street – where Abby and the Family are reunited
(I’m late noticing this one but…) recent BBC Two police thriller Line of Duty (starring Lennie James – Jericho, The Walking Dead) filmed several sequences in the old Fire Station, on Lancaster Circus in the city-centre of Birmingham – a filming location used extensively in the second episode of series two of Survivors.
In Survivors, the old Fire Station provides the base where the recuperating Greg and Najid rest-up while the rest of the family hunt for Abby (and where the pair come under siege from the group determined to take back the supplies which the expelled Tom stole from them). In Line of Duty the abandoned facility becomes the setting for a series of violent confrontations between detective Tony Gates (James), undercover police investigator Steve Arnott and the vicious gang with which Gates has become ensnared.
Line of Duty – The old Fire Station, central Birmingham
Survivors S2, E2 – The old Fire Station, central Birmingham
Brief extracts of Line of Dutyepisode four (‘Cover Blow’) and episode five (‘Divided Loyalties’), featuring the old Fire Station location, can be viewed online (in the UK).
A gallery of photos of the disused and derelict building is available on the ClioSport forum.
In the UK, Survivors may have been cancelled after two series, and Outcasts after just one, but in the US post-apocalyptic TV drama is continuing to enjoy an unexpected (and diverse) renaissance.
New dystopian, post-apocalyptic TV drama Revolution premieres in on NBC (in the US) on 17 September 2012. Created by Eric Kripke, and produced by Kripke, J. J. Abrams and Bryan Burk, Revolution is set in a near-future America, 15 years after a blackout (the cause of which is unknown) cut off all electric power, and brought modern civilisation to an end. The series focuses on the travails of the Matheson family, in a fractured, lawless and dangerous America now thrown back into a pre-industrial era.
Revolution – NBC drama – premieres September 2012
Revolution
What would you do without it all? In this epic adventure from J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions and Supernatural‘s Eric Kripke, a family struggles to reunite in an American landscape where every single piece of technology – computers, planes, cars, phones, even lights – has mysteriously blacked out forever. A drama with sweeping scope and intimate focus, Revolution is also about family – both the family you’re born into and the family you choose. This is a swashbuckling journey of hope and rebirth seen through the eyes of one strong-willed young woman, Charlie Matheson (Tracy Spiridakos, Being Human), and her brother Danny (Graham Rogers, Memphis Beat). When Danny is kidnapped by militia leaders for a darker purpose, Charlie must reconnect with her estranged uncle Miles (Billy Burke, The Twilight Saga), a former U.S. Marine living a reclusive life. Together, with a rogue band of survivors, they set out to rescue Danny, overthrow the militia and ultimately re-establish the United States of America. All the while, they explore the enduring mystery of why the power failed, and if – or how – it will ever return.
A 4min 21s preview (containing lots of ***spoilers***) for Revolution is available to watch (in the UK, as well as US) – and has already secured close on 9m views on YouTube.
Meanwhile, the third (sixteen episode) series of critically-acclaimed zombie drama The Walking Dead premieres in the USA on October 14 2012, and will be broadcast in the UK on the FX channel (transmission dates still to be confirmed).
In addition, broadcast of series two of alien-invasion drama Falling Skies concluded on the FX channel in August 2012. As previously announced, a third series of Falling Skies has been commissioned, and production is now well underway, with broadcast in the US and UK assured.
Earlier in the year, the Digital Spy site reported that streaming film and TV rental specialists NetFlix were in discussion to revive cancelled US post-apocalyptic drama Jericho, following a strong rental showing for the CBS drama.
One exception to the current trend of successful post-apocalyptic commissioning is abortive end-of-the-world Day One, first announced back in the 2009-10 season. Day One was to offer drama set:
in the aftermath of a global event that devastates the world’s infrastructures, [following] a small band of survivors striving to rebuild society and unravel the mysteries of why the event took place and what the future has in store. Told from the point of view of an eclectic group of neighbors in a Van Nuys, California apartment building, this journey of survival will show us that hope is found in the smallest of victories and heroes are born every day. From executive producer/writer Jesse Alexander (Heroes, Lost, Alias) and director Alex Graves (Fringe) comes this epic adventure that starts on Day One.
A pilot episode of a proposed 13-episode series was filmed, but the NBC network then opted to truncate the drama (first to a mini-series and then a standalone TV movie). It now appears that the ‘pilot’ of Day One will never be transmitted.
Season two of post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama Falling Skies premieres in the UK on the FX channel this July – precise transmission dates are still to be confirmed.
Ahead of the second season premiere, FX is repeating season one of Falling Skies on weekdays at 01:00am from 29 May 2012.
Series two of post-apocalyptic zombie drama The Walking Dead premiered on terrestrial Channel 5 in the UK today (22:00, 14 May 2012), following its earlier showing on the FX cable and satellite channel.
Rick leads the group out of the Centre for Disease Control just before it blows itself sky high. The group hopes to find safety at a military base, but the road there is strewn with walkers and Sophia gets scared off the path…
The episode is repeated on 5* at 22:00 on 15 May and again at 22:00 on 19 May.
As previously reported, the critically acclaimed The Walking Dead has already been renewed for a third season.
Several extracts from the original Survivors first series episode Genesis feature in Dominic Sandbrook’s new BBC 2 documentary TV series The ’70s.
In the third of four episodes, which focuses on the mid-1970s [‘Goodbye Great Britain 75-77’], Sandbrook makes reference to the resonances between the widespread ‘pessimism and paranoia’ gripping Britain at the time and the post-apocalyptic preoccupations of Survivors.
Sandbrook’s commentary (33ms 20s – 35ms 04s) is illustrated with extracts from Genesis (showing Anne Tranter’s first meeting with Greg Preston; and Abby Grant’s encounter with Arthur Wormley) and an oddly irrelevant aerial shot of some moorland (sourced from some other show).
Viewers in the UK can catch the episode on the BBC iPlayer service (until 9.59pm on Monday, 21 May 2012)
BBC – The ’70s – 3 – ‘Goodbye Great Britain 75-77’ – Survivors
A rare opportunity to enjoy an episode from the original Survivors on the big screen is provided during the ID Fest film festival in Derby later in May.
The series three episode Law of the Jungle, which features a memorable guest appearance by Brian Blessed is being screened on Saturday 26 May at 12:45pm. The ‘Brian Blessed Television Showcase’ also includes an equally rare cinematic outing for one of the earliest installments of the Tales of the Unexpected anthology Lamb to the Slaughter, in which Blessed also co-stars.
At 7:00pm on the same day, the festival plays host to Brian Blessed: live in conversation, an opportunity to hear the actor and raconteur reflect on decades of work on the big and small screen.
Blessed’s appearance is followed by a screening of the kitch 1980s space-opera Flash Gordon, which features a scene-stealing peformance from Blessed as Prince Vultan.
A repeat of series two of Survivors begins on the BBC HD channel at 22:00 on 28 February, following the conclusion of the series one repeat. This will be the first repeat of series two on the BBC HD channel since January 2010.
The second half of series two of the Walking Dead returns to TV screens in the UK on Friday 17 February at 10pm. The post-apocalyptic zombie drama has already had the renewal of its third series confirmed.
One of the standout televisual highlights of recent years, Survivors succeeded in remaining true to the essence of the original series whilst delivering strong characters and storylines, and a hauntingly modern setting. Starring Julie Graham, Paterson Joseph, Max Beesley and Zoë Tapper, the remake proved to be a series which could be enjoyed both by those coming to the show with no memories or awareness of its predecessor and enthusiasts of Terry Nation’s original. Published on 7 April 2010, this guidebook – though unofficial and unauthorised – serves as a comprehensive guide to the new Survivors and includes:
