Survivors series one: DVD reviews

Reviews of the first series of Survivors DVD release appear in SFX (No 180, March 2009), SciFi Now (Issue 25, February-March 2009) and DeathRay (No 17, February-March 2009). DeathRay’s Guy Haley concludes his review with a call to the BBC to: “Bring it back as soon as, Auntie, because this is the best SF treat you’ve given us in in years.”

Survivors features in Screenwipe’s review of the year

Survivors features in BBC Four’s Screenwipe’s review of 2008, presented by Charlie Brooker.

The programme is available on the iPlayer service until the evening of 31 December. (iPlayer access to this programme has now been extended to 12:24am on Thursday 8 January 2009.)

Survivors episode three and four reviews round-up

Reviews of recent episodes of Survivors have been posted on the Digital Spy site (episode three and episode four); the Total SciFi site (episode three and episode four); and the Quiet Earth site (episode three and episode four).

Pennant Roberts, original series director, rates the new Survivors

*** EXCLUSIVE *** Pennant Roberts, who directed numerous episodes of the first and second series of the original Survivors – including the classic opening episode The Fourth Horseman – shares with this blog his initial reaction to viewing the first two episodes of the remake:

“on the whole I enjoyed watching the first episode. Remakes often have a chequered history, but writer Adrian Hodges never permitted his audience to lose the plot. Terry Nation’s storyline was faithfully reproduced, even some of his actual lines recycled. The timing of the remake appears perfect. We find ourselves challenging ‘difficult times’ once more, as Gordon Brown is so fond of saying. What a relief! Things could be far, far worse for us all.

I didn’t enjoy the second episode as much, because it contained more of Terry Nation’s bish-bash-bosh philosophising, which thankfully I was able to avoid first time around. Nevertheless, I’ll be watching the new series to the bittersweet end.”

Pennant Roberts, 28 November 2008

First episode review posted

A review of the first episode of Survivors has now been added to the blog.

DeathRay – episode one review

The Winter 2008 edition of DeathRay includes a two-page review of episode one of the new series of Survivors, by Guy Haley (awarding it four-stars – which is a rating of ‘Excellent’).

***SPOILERS*** Inevitably, this review (which is only available in print in the magazine) reveals numerous plot and character details.

Please note: Although the editor of this blog attended the press screening of episode one, a review will not be posted on this blog until after the first episode has been shown on BBC One.

A review of each episode will be added to this blog once it has been broadcast. There will also be a poll asking visitors to rate each episode and – of course – the opportunity for all viewers to add comments and opinions of their own about the show.