Survivors characters: new series and original series

How the new Survivors characters compare with the original series characters:

*** Note: contains original series spoilers ***

Abby Grant: In both the original and the new series, Abby is a ‘mother and homemaker’. In the original series, her son Peter is away at boarding school at the moment that The Death strikes. In the new series, Peter has recovered from a ‘near terminal illness’ and is away on an adventure holiday at the time that the plague hits. In the original series, it is implied that Abby is a contented homemaker in a strong marital relationship. In the new series, Abby is keen to re-start her career and to work on repairing her faltering relationship with her husband.

Al Sadiq: The character of Al Sadiq, a wealthy playboy who becomes a reluctant father in the post-plague world, does not appear in the original series.

Dr Anya Raczynski: The character of Dr Anya Raczynski, a young doctor stretched beyond the limit of her capabilities by the onset of the plague, does not appear in the original series. She is, however, the ex-partner of the young Patricia who shares a flat with Jenny – both of whom do appear in the original series.

David Grant: In the original series, David Grant is a city businessman who experiences the onset of The Death in the capital first hand before returning home to the commuter belt. In the new series, David is a self-employed builder. In the original series, David desperately seeks help for his wife Abby as she falls ill with the plague, before he too is overwhelmed by the infection. In the new series, David is ‘a loving family man… competent, brave and determined’, but has been worn down by the pressures of his son’s recent illness. In the original series, David does not recover from his encounter with the plague virus, and dies…

Greg Preston: In the original series, Greg Preston is a civil engineer working in continental Europe at the time The Death hits. In the new series, Greg is a ‘former systems analyst for a big multi-national’. In the original series, Greg had felt trapped in a loveless marriage and returns home to find his wife dead from the plague. In the new series, Greg also feels frustrated by the acqusitive lifestyle his wife aspires to; and angered by her dismissal of his hopes for a very different life. In the original series, Greg begins his post-plague life determined not to be weighed down by unwanted new responsibilities or ties. In the new series, Greg is also convinced that he can ‘live without love, friendship or family’.

Jenny Collins: In the original series, Jenny [whose surname is Richards] is a secretary in a London firm. In the new series, Jenny is a primary schoolteacher. In the original series, Jenny visits a London hospital in the hope of finding help for her ailing flatmate Pat [Patricia]. When she returns with Pat’s lover Andrew (an exhausted A&E doctor) she finds Pat dead, and learns from Andrew of her need to flee from the capital in the hope of survival. In the new series, Jenny attempts to take flatmate Pat to the hospital herself – until ‘fate intervenes’.

Najid: The character of Najid, an eleven-year-old Muslim boy who loses his parents in the plague and who finds an unlikely surrogate father to take their place, does not appear in the original series.

Samantha Willis: The character of Samatha Willis, a junior government minister charged with the impossible task of press liaison as the crisis of the plague mounts, and forced to put her professional commitments ahead of the safety of her own family, does not appear in the original series.

Tom Price: In the original series, Tom Price is an grubby, down-at-heel middle-aged ‘gentleman of the road’. In the new series, Tom (who has found himself on the wrong side of the law) is a young criminal serving time in prison. In the original series, Tom is dishevelled, untrustworthy and possessed of a seedy and disreputable manner. In the new series, Tom is ‘handsome, charming and capable’. In both the original and the new series, Tom proves to be an unexpectedly dangerous. In the original series, the itinerant Tom first opts for the solitary life of a hermit, before he is forced to acknowledge his need for the company and support of others. In the new series, Tom must first survive the horror of being incarcerated in a jail cell as the full force of the plague hits.

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