THE SECOND EPISODE of the first series of the 2008 remake of Terry Nation’s Survivors premiered on BBC One ten years ago this evening – just two days after the opening episode was screened.
Moving on from the apocalyptic catastrophe depicted in the first episode, this second instalment shows how Abby and her band of fellow survivors set up their first community; reveals the threat posed by the villianous Dexter (Anthony Flanagan), (who will come to play a decisive role in the series finale); introduces the character of the self-serving Sarah Bowyer (played by Robyn Addison); shows Al the appalling costs that can come for being a subtitute parent in this terrifying new world; and confirms Abby’s determination to risk everything (including the lives of others) in the search for her missing son Peter.
Reviewing the episode at the time, this site observed:
The second episode may… begin with a striking image of (a now almost unpopulated) Earth as seen from space; but the point-of-view quickly shifts to a small corner of the UK where the first efforts of Abby and her group to find a new life for themselves is thrown into sharp relief… Like Nation before him, Hodges makes clear that his Survivors is above all a character drama not a downsized, low-budget disaster mini-series. And there’s loads to enjoy in episode two – and not just in terms of individual character development; but also in exploring the emergence of simmering tensions within Abby’s putative community.
After the broadcast of this second episode, the series settled into a regular weekly broadcast slot at 21:00 on Sunday evenings for the remaining four episodes.
The episode preview, published by the BBC ahead of transmission, is still available online.
Survivors - BBC TV 