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.

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

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

Lorna Lewis comments on the Survivors remake

Lorna Lewis, who played the role of Pet Simpson in series two and three of the original Survivors describes her reaction to the revival of the programme in an interview in Kent News, published on 24 November 2008.

BBC Breakfast news Survivors feature

A 2min-20sec news-story on Survivors was broadcast several times during today’s morning news programme BBC Breakfast on BBC One.

The story featured interviews with cast members including Philip Rhys (Al), Julie Graham (Abby Grant) and Paterson Joseph (Greg Preston); clips from the main BBC promotional trailer; and a brief extract from the opening episode of the original series The Fourth Horseman, focusing on the original Abby Grant – Carolyn Seymour.

Julie Graham, BBC Breakfast, 19 November 2008

SciFiNow – original and new series features

The four-page full-colour guide to the original Survivors (authored by the editor of this blog) which first appeared in the April 2008 of SciFiNow, has been republished in Volume One of the SciFiNow – Timewarp collection, which is now available in newsagents. The 256-page ’special’ [ISBN: 978-1-906078-19-5] retails for £9.99.

The five-page feature on the the new series, which appears in the current issue of SciFiNow (Issue 21) (also written by this blog’s editor), will be available in shops until 27 November (cover price, £4.00).

SciFi Now - 21 and Timewarp Collection Vol 1

Survivors: novelisation cover

Orion have released the artwork for the cover of their republished release of Terry Nation’s Survivors novel. The novel is released on 27 November.

The cover features the characters (left-to-right) of Greg Preston, Abby Grant, Tom Price and Jenny Collins.

The cover price of the new paperback edition is £6.99 (256 pages; 198 x 129 mm) and the 13-digit ISBN is 9781409102649.

Cover of Survivors novelisation

Terry Nation Survivors novel – new publication details

Orion publishing, which previously announced that a new edition of Terry Nation’s 1976 Survivors novel would be released in November 2009, have confirmed a revised release date of 6 November 2008.

The Orion web site has published revised details for the title as follows:

£6.99
Paperback
256 pages
198 x 129 mm
ISBN-13: 9781409102649
Publication: November 2008

The book is now available for pre-order from the usual online retailers including Amazon.

Orion to republish Terry Nation’s Survivors novel

Orion publishers are to republish the 1976 Survivors novel, authored by series creator Terry Nation. Orion have confirmed to this blog their intended publication date of November 2009.

Publication details are as follows:

• 256pp, paperback
• ISBN-13: 978-1409102649
• ISBN-10: 978-1409102649
• Publisher: Orion
• Publication date: 26 November 2009
• Provisional cover price: £6.99

Review the Amazon listing, or find more about the novel from the Survivors: A World Away site.

DeathRay – mini-interview with new series scriptwriter Adrian Hodges

A mini-interview with Adrian Hodges, the lead scriptwriter on the new series of Survivors, appears in the February 2008 issue of DeathRay. Several key facts emerge:

1. Hodges has ‘very strong memories’ of watching the original series in his student days
2. It was the BBC that suggested that Hodges pitch the idea of a Survivors remake to them
3. Although the new series will be rooted in the same pandemic premise as the original, Hodges reveals that ‘nearly everything will be changed in some detail or another. There will also be a lot of new stories that I’m devising…’
4. Hodges is keen that the new series will have a strong contemporary feel, with a range of characters reflecting the social composition of the UK in the 2008.
5. The new series of Survivors will be a post-9pm watershed show for BBC1

DeathRay contradict one key ‘fact’ revealed in a recent SFX interview with Head of Series and Serials Kate Harwood – insisting that the new series of Survivors will comprise 13 episodes (rather than six, as reported in SFX).

DeathRay, No 10, February 2008

Note, 17 April 2008: To clear up a misunderstanding that has appeared on a number of other blogs, forums and discussion lists – the main photo in the DeathRay article is not of the new Survivors cast, but from the ITV dino-romp Primeval, a series that writer Adrian Hodges has been closely involved with since its inception. No cast photos from the new Survivors series have yet been released.

SFX mini-interview with Survivors executive producer Kate Harwood

Several important questions are answered in a mini-interview with new series Survivors producer Kate Harwood in SFX magazine in February 2008:

1. The remake will stay ‘close to the original’ in several key respects – not least in setting events in motion through the spread of a global pandemic
2. The new series will be based on Terry Nation’s 1976 Survivors novel rather than directly on the events of the original TV series
3. It will present a fresh spin on the drama, updating the setting, context and storylines and focusing a little more on ‘action adventure’ themes
4. The new Survivors will be a six-part mini-series, four episodes of which will be penned by Adrian Hodges
5. It is likely that the new series will be broadcast at the end of 2008 or early in 2009

SFX, No 166, February 2008

SFX – online preview of mini-interview with producer Harwood

SFX has published an online preview of its upcoming mini-interview with BBC Head of Series and Serials Kate Harwood. In it, Harwood reveals that

• The series will be based on Terry Nation’s 1976 Survivors novel rather than directly on the story arc of the series one TV scripts
• The production team are aware of the importance of the iconic opening titles of Survivors in setting the scene for the series – but are not yet at a point where they can reveal their own contemporary take

More will be revealed in SFX No 166, February 2008, on sale on 16 January 2008

Broadcast reports on remake confirmation

Media weekly Broadcast publicises news of the Survivors remake confirmation in a brief news report:

BBC to revive cult 1970s plague drama Survivors

The BBC is making a modern version of cult 1970s drama series Survivors, writes Liz Thomas.

The BBC1 show will be set in the present day but will follow the post-apocalyptic premise of the original programme. BBC drama production has acquired the rights to develop Survivors from creator Terry Nation’s estate and has lined up Bafta-winning Adrian Hodges to pen the series.

Kate Harwood, BBC head of series and serials, told Broadcast: “There is so much in the concept to bring up to date, and all of the issues that made is such a success in the 1970s are still relevant now. It’s great to be bringing Survivors to a new generation.”

Terry Nation is credited as one of the creators of Doctor Who and architect of the Daleks. He also masterminded Blake’s 7and Survivors.

The programme launched in April 1975 and ran for 38 episodes over three series. It followed a group of individuals trying to survive after a plague wiped out most of the world’s population.

Hodges added: “While we will be staying faithful to many aspects of the original, we will also bring the story into the 21st century and make it accessible to contemporary audiences.”

The executive producer for BBC drama production is Susan Hogg.

Brand Republic reports remake news

The advertising and marketing database Brand Republic has picked up on the BBC’s Survivors remake announcement, basing a short news story of the BBC Press Release. The full text of the article is only available to Brand Republic subscribers.

BBC confirms new series of Survivors is green-lit

On 22 November 2007 the BBC News site confirmed that a new series of Survivors will soon enter production, following the successful conclusion of negotiations with the estate of Terry Nation for the rights.

The new series will be made in-house by the BBC Drama Department, and will be executive produced by Sue Hogg. The series will be written by Adrian Hodges whose screen credits include Ruby In The Smoke, Shadow In The North, Charles II and Primeval.

The BBC’s ‘remake’ of Survivors will reset the global catastrophe in the present day, and: “follow a group of individuals as they fight for day-to-day survival.”

Head of series and serials at BBC Drama Production Kate Harwood, said: “The opportunity to remake Survivors for a modern generation proved irresistible… I am delighted that one of British television’s great cult series will return with original stories packed with adventure and spirit set against the backdrop of our own recognisable world.”

Hodges says: “Survivors was one of the bravest and most exciting programmes of its time and I’m thrilled to be involved with re-imagining it for a new audience… Its themes remain as relevant as ever and while we will be staying faithful to many aspects of the original, we will also be bringing the story into the 21st Century and making it accessible to contemporary audiences.

Survivors will be broadcast on BBC1, although no transmission dates for the new series have yet been confirmed.

‘Survivors Returns. Probably’ – SFX publicises remake news

Following the publication of the announcement in the Media Guardian on 10 July 2006 of the forthcoming revival of Survivors by the BBC, the story was picked up by SFX magazine No. 147, dated September 2006

The full text of the story was as follows:

Survivors Returns. Probably.

The BBC is in talks to resurrect another ’70s SF show, Survivors. The brainchild of Terry Nation, Survivors lasted three series from 1975 and focused on a post apocalyptic world peopled by survivors of a devastating plague.

It is understood that the BBC wants to make a new series of six hour-long episodes. The project’s being overseen by Beeb producer Sue Hogg. But a deal has yet to be finalised and the BBC is still in negotiations with Nation’s estate.

Although Nation owns the rights to the series, he left after season one, going on to create Blake’s 7.


SFX, No. 147, September 2006.

The Media Guardian story was also covered in Dreamwatch magazine.

‘Survivors Emerge?’ – Dreamwatch publicises remake news

Following the publication of the announcement in the Media Guardian on 10 July 2006 of the forthcoming revival of Survivors by the BBC, the story was picked up by Dreamwatch magazine No. 144, dated September 2006.

The full text of the story was as follows:

Survivors Emerge? Terry Nation’s post-apocalyptic drama eyed for revival by BBC

Cult 1970s’ science fiction show Survivors may be poised to return to TV, with the BBC confirming that it has plans to revive the post-apocalyptic drama.

Survivors was devised by Doctor Who writer Terry Nation, who would later create the BBC space opera Blake’s 7. Running for 38 episodes from 1975 to 1977 the BBC production saw a genetically engineered virus kill 95 per cent of the world’s population. Lucy Fleming, Carolyn Seymour and Ian McCulloch starred as some of the remaining survivors, struggling to maintain humanity.

Creator Terry Nation died from emphysema in 1997. The BBC has now confirmed that it is in talks with his his estate about the possibility of buying the rights to Survivors. This follows the BBC’s successful negotiations with the Nation estate for the use of his villainous creations the Daleks in its hit Doctor Who revival.

The new Survivors project is being developed within the BBC, with the proposed six-episode serial overseen by The Last Train and My Family and Other Animals producer Sue Hogg.


Dreamwatch, No. 144, September 2006

The Media Guardian story was also covered in SFX magazine.

Survivors revival – the original Media Guardian announcement

Confirmation that a new series of Survivors was to be made by the BBC came in a story published in Media Guardian on 10 July 2006.

The full-text of the story was as follows:

BBC set to revive 70s sci-fi show

First came Doctor Who, now the BBC is considering reviving another cult science fiction show from the man who invented the Daleks: Terry Nation’s Survivors.

The BBC has confirmed it is in talks with the estate of Mr Nation, a co-creator of Doctor Who, about buying the rights to his 1975 series centred on a post-apocalyptic world peopled by survivors from a devastating plague.

The BBC is understood to be hoping to make a new series of six 60- minute episodes.

The project is being overseen by inhouse BBC executive producer Sue Hogg and is one of a handful of Doctor Who-related dramas being planned by the corporation.

One imminent drama is Torchwood, based on the fictional alien research centre in Doctor Who, which is currently being filmed.

The BBC is not yet at the casting stage for the Survivors series, which would be dependent on the agreement of the Terry Nation estate.

The original drama was seen through the eyes of two characters – Jenny Richards, a young working woman, and Abby Grant, a middle-class corporate wife living a privileged existence in a nearby commuter village. The women were played by Lucy Fleming and Carolyn Seymour respectively.

The original programme ran for three series and 38 episodes, although Mr Nation left after the first series.

He followed up Survivors with his next BBC sci-fi creation, Blake’s 7, about a ragtag group of criminals on the run from the sinister Terran Federation in a stolen alien spaceship.

Mr Nation, who also invented the Daleks, is regarded as one of the creators of Doctor Who in the early 60s alongside then BBC head of drama Sydney Newman.

The estate of Mr Nation, who died from emphysema in 1997, also jointly owns the copyright to the likeness and characters of the Daleks with the BBC.


A screengrab of the original online story, 10 July 2006

The news was quickly picked up by the sci-fi genre press, including Dreamwatch and SFX.