Survivors’ creator Hodges’ cancelled Primeval show resurrected

The BBC News site reports that Survivors‘ creator Adrian Hodges ITV dino-drama Primeval has been resurrected by ITV three months after being unexpectedly cancelled.

Primeval has been recommissioned for a total of 13 new episodes which will be “split over the two series, with series four going out in early 2011″, as part of a complex co-production deal (involving ITV, UKTV, Watch, BBC Worldwide and German station Pro7).

Digital Spy adds that: “ITV1 will premiere series four in early 2011, while Watch will have the first run of series five later that year. ITV1 will then broadcast series five.”

Survivors series one on BBC South Africa

Series one of Survivors began transmission on BBC South Africa on Tuesday 15 September at 20:30. The show will transmit in the same slot across a six-week run. The BBC Entertainment site, describes the show as: “A thrilling new interpretation of the classic drama which follows the fortunes of a group of survivors in a world devastated by a mystery virus.”

The BBC Entertainment sites offers a brief episode guide, as well as a ‘key facts’ introduction to the series.

The site also contains an extended trailer for series one (see below):

Iain Cuthbertson (actor, original Survivors) dies aged 79

Small-screen stalwart Iain Cuthbertson, who memorably appeared in the role of Laird McAlister in the final episode of the original Survivors, has died aged 79.

Probably best known for his roles in Sutherland’s Law and Budgie, Cuthbertson’s numerous genre credits include ITV children’s supernatural drama Children of the Stones, the adapted M R James’ chiller Casting the Runes, and the Doctor Who story The Ribos Operation.

In the finale of series three of the original Survivors, Cuthbertson’s Laird was determined to assert the interests of Scottish survivors and challenge any plans that Agnes’ new ruling council might have to take the country’s resources for granted.

Obituaries appeared in The Times, The Guardian, The Independent and The Scotsman.

BBC HD begins repeat showing of Survivors series one

The opening episode of the first series of Survivors will be broadcast at 23:50 on Monday 20 July 2009 on the BBC HD Channel.

This will be the first installment of a six-part reshowing of the entire of the first series, which continues with episode two the following week.

Many thanks to Adrian H for alerting the blog to this news.

Survivors’ Birmingham filming begins

Filming on the second series of Survivors is now underway, with sequences set in central Birmingham locations amongst the first to go in front of the cameras earlier this month.

On Sunday 14 June, several streets in inner-city Birmingham were closed to the public and dressed by the production crew to record sequences featuring the core series two cast. The Birmingham Mail (15 June) reported that the crew “made the most of the area yesterday – by filling the streets with tons of rubbish”, and published a photo of the litter-strewn area. As well as local journalists, the filming process was observed by several passers-by, tourists and fans of the programme.

Adrian Hodges ITV fantasy Primeval cancelled

Primeval, the ITV dinosaur fantasy adventure series created by Survivors’ showrunner Adrian Hodges, has been cancelled in a decision that appears to have come as an unwelcome surprise to the show’s producers.

Three series of the Saturday tea-time family-friendly genre show had been broadcast, and pre-production work was already underway on series four when ITV made its announcement.

ITV made clear that the decision to drop Primeval was part of a general reallocation of the drama spend that would see the channel focus most of its funding on post-9pm (and therefore post-watershed) programming.

Clearly stung by the shock move, a spokesperson for the show indicated that the producers would not have gone ahead with the series three cliff-hanger ending had they been made aware that the third series would be the show’s last.

Survivors cast pictured at charity social event – June 2009

Survivors cast members Phillip Rhys, Robyn Addison, Julie Graham, Max Beesley and Zoë Tapper all attended a charity fund raising event for the 5 Stars Scanner Appeal on 1 June 2009 held at The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, hosted by Ryan Giggs and fellow 5 Stars Ambassador Beesley.

The 5 Stars Scanner Appeal aims to raise £1m to buy a new MRI scanner for the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital which can greatly enhance early detection and diagnosis of cancer – the appeal currently stands at £750,000 and aims to raise the remaining £250,000 by this summer.

A photo of the group can be seen on the Getty Images site (the free-to-view preview is watermarked).

More information about the Appeal can be found in a promotional video for the charity presented by Max Beesley.

In the photo from the charity event, Beesley is sporting a signature ‘Tom Price haircut’, far shorter than that on seen during his recent appearance on the Paul O’Grady show – an indication that filming on series two of Survivors is either imminent or already underway.

Thanks to Adam and Adrian H for locating the Getty Images photo of the event.

Series two could see a return to the Doncaster Earth Centre

As well as making use of new locations in Birmingham city centre, the second series of the new Survivors could include new scenes filmed at the mothballed Doncaster Earth Centre – the home of Samantha Willis’s settlement.

Survivors producer Hugh Warren told the Doncaster Free Press that it was possible that the location could feature in the second series, although he was not in a position to confirm this either way.

Survivors DVD released on Monday – trailers on Amazon and Play

The first series of the new Survivors is released on DVD tomorrow – Monday 26 January 2009.

Online video trailers to promote the release have been added to the Play and Amazon listings for the DVD. The Amazon promo can be viewed below:

Adrian Hodges discusses reception for series one and plans for series two

In an interview for the Total SciFi site showrunner and main scriptwriter Adrian Hodges discusses the reception of the first series of the new Survivors and his plans for series two.

There are no specific series two spoilers, but in the interview he reveals the following:

I read Terry Nation’s book very carefully, and I’ve read it again since, and I will read it again before I start working on the second series. There was a lot at the front of the book that I wanted to use directly or indirectly, and there was a lot in the second half that I wanted to use, but over a long period of time…

We will be resolving the cliffhanger relatively quickly, at least one part of it… All the characters are coming back, but I can’t say for sure how long Paterson [Joseph (Greg Preston)] is back for because that’s the cliffhanger…

[A]s the structure of the world begins to disintegrate, you’ll see more of the world collapsing. It will gradually become more tribal, in the sense that people will form alliances and groups.

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 five and six reviews round-up

Reviews of the final two episodes of Survivors‘ first series have been posted on the Digital Spy site (episode five and episode six); the Total SciFi site (episode five and episode six); and the Quiet Earth site (episode five and episode six).

Digital Spy has also published its verdict on Survivors series one.

Total SciFi – interviews with Zoë Tapper and Paterson Joseph

The Total SciFi site has published interviews with Zoë Tapper (22 December 2008) and Paterson Joseph (15 December 2008)

Trailer for Survivors episode six

A trailer for the sixth and final episode of the first series of Survivors has been added to the BBC Survivors mini-site.

Trailer for Survivors episode five

A 54-second trailer for the fifth (and penultimate) episode of the first series of Survivors has been added to the BBC Survivors mini-site.

BBC Four to repeat ‘Cult of… Survivors’ – 16 December 2008

The well-received 2006 BBC documentary on the original series The Cult of… Survivors is to be repeated on BBC Four at 10.00pm on 16 December 2008. The transmission will follow straight-on from the broadcast of the penultimate episode of the new series on BBC One.

As well as clips from across the three series, the documentary features interviews with Ian McCulloch (Greg), Carolyn Seymour (Abby), Lucy Fleming (Jenny), director Pennant Roberts and scriptwriter Martin Worth.

The documentary is also included as a special feature on the three-series DVD boxset released in November.

Richard and Judy – Watch TV – Survivors feature

Survivors actors Zoë Tapper and Nikki Amuka-Bird were interviewed on Watch TV’s Richard and Judy’s New Position on Friday 5 December, in a slot which featured clips from episodes one and two of the new series.

Original series actor Lucy Fleming (who played the role of Jenny Richards) was also briefly interviewed, alongside a clip from the series three episode Manhunt (featuring Jenny, Charles [Denis Lill] and Hubert [John Abineri]). Asked for her view on the new series, Fleming said:

I’m really enjoying it. I find it really difficult to judge, actually, because I know the characters a bit and I know the story a bit, but it’s all different. It’s brilliant for the modern generation to do it [like that], to make it real for them. Good luck to them.

Zoë Tapper, Nikki Amuka-Bird (left); Lucy Fleming (right)

New edition of Survivors novelisation reaches the shops

With an official publication date of 27 November 2008, the new edition of the 1976 Survivors noveliation penned by Terry Nation, republished by Orion Books has now reached major highstreet books and online retailers. The press release from Orion announces:

The BBC cult plague drama of the 1970s is finally back in print!

Abby Grant, widowed by the plague, is sustained by hope that her son, who fled his boarding school at the onset, has survived. Determined to construct a new society from the surrounding wasteland, she joins with others to form a commune. The technology and skills of the old life are now obselete and the group must relearn the skills on which civilisation was built.

For Abby, there’s a chance for a new life and love when she encounters James Garland, the fourteenth Earl of Woodhouse, who is engaged in a desperate fight to save his ancestral home. But more importantly, she must find her son.

Written by Terry Nation, who notably created Doctor Who’s mortal enemies, the Daleks. Survivors is a prescient and terrifying vision of a post-apocalyptic world.

A remake of the Survivors television series, starring Max Beesley (Hotel Babylon) and Julie Graham (William and Mary; Bonekickers), premiered on BBC One on 23 November. Set in the present day, the new series is based on the story arc of the novel, rather than that of the previous television series.

Terry Nation's Survivors novel - Orion re-release

 

Terry Nation. 2008. Survivors. London: Orion Books. ISBN 978-1-40910264-9. £6.99

Original series writer Martin Worth interviewed on Radio 4

Martin Worth, who wrote scripts for the second and third series of the original Survivors, was interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House on Sunday 30 November, discussing how the real-world survival skills of current day survivors would compare with those expected of the public thirty years ago. (The episode is available on the BBC’s iPlayer until the next episode broadcast at 10am on 7 December).

Elsewhere on Radio 4, Survivors was also the theme for the spiritual Thought for the Day slot on the morning news show Today on 25 November.

More reviews of Survivors episodes one and two

More reviews of (one or both of) the first two episodes of Survivors have been published: Den of Geek – episode one and two site; Quiet Earth – episode one; Quiet Earth – episode two; Digital Spy – episode two; Dreamwatch – Total SciFi – episode one; Dreamwatch – Total SciFi – episode two.

Comment on episode two was also published in Guardian (25 November); and Guardian (28 November).