GMTV (ITV’s morning news programme) is this morning trailing an appearance on Monday’s show (11 January) by Max Beesley (Tom Price). The trail includes a few seconds of footage from episode one of Survivors‘ second series.
Category: New series preview
Paterson Joseph on BBC One Breakfast
Paterson Joseph (Greg) appeared on the sofa of the BBC One Breakfast news programme this morning to discuss Survivors (along with Peep Show and his shortlisting for the role of the Doctor in Doctor Who).
Joseph’s interview was combined with extracts from episode one of Survivors series two – showing the wounded Greg left in the care of Sarah and Najid; Tom scavenging for medicine in a crumbling pharmacy; Al and Anya grabbing materials from a smoke-filled hospital surgery; Tom driving the jeep through the rubbish-strewn city streets; and Tom insisting that Najid and Sarah come with him (leaving Greg behind to help Anya – “if you want to see [her] again”).
TV listings magazines preview Survivors series two
The print TV listings magazines have, between them, previewed Survivors second series extensively. Coverage includes:
- ‘The viral countdown’ (Total TV Guide)
- ‘The last action heroes’ (TV & Satellite Week)
- ‘Apocalypse now?’ (TV Quick)
- ‘Abby’s lab terror’ (What’s On TV)
- ‘Pick of the Day: Survivors’ (Radio Times)
- ‘Survivors’ (TV Easy)
- ‘Pick of the Day: Survivors (TV Times)
The Radio Times once again takes the opportunity to sustain a proud thirty-five year long tradition by not granting Survivors front cover billing (and this time round not even dignifying the show with a feature). In sharp contrast, Total TV Guide makes Survivors second series its front cover lead (as it did with series one back in 2008).
Press and publicity coverage for Survivors series two gathers pace
Press coverage ahead of next week’s transmission of episode one of series two of Survivors gathers pace online and in print.
Amongst the new online features are: ‘Survivors to be grittier and darker in season two‘ (SciFiPulse, 5 January); a cast interview feature in TV Choice magazine (5 January) with a different promo shot of Abby on the home page; What’s On TV offers a preview of episode one and episode two, and a gallery of (very small versions of) promotional BBC stills.
On the SFX news blog, Dave Golder has posted an extremely positive review of the first two episodes of series two (note the review is – inevitably – full of ***SPOILERS***)
There’s also a new Survivors listings page on the BBC One Programmes website.
Many thanks to Adrian H for his help in tracking down this material so promptly
BBC – three Survivors trailers being shown
Three different trailers for Survivors series two are being shown on the BBC: the ‘original’ (first shown on 29 December 2009) which remains the most heavily used; and alternate versions focusing separately on the characters of Greg and Anya.
The BBC is trailing Survivors extensively at present – running trailers in slots throughout the day, and before and after highly rated shows such as East Enders, Gavin and Stacey and the New Year’s Day episode of Doctor Who.
BBC post ‘catch-up’ Survivors trailer
In the last hour, the BBC has posted a Survivors series one ‘catch-up’ trailer on its You Tube channel. The video is also available through the BBC’s own progamme page for Survivors.
BBC shows first Survivors series two trailer
Broadcast on BBC One just before 9pm on Tuesday 29 December 2009 (ahead of episode two of the new The Day of the Triffids adaptation), the first 40-second Survivors series two trailer offered a montage of images from episode one and the tag-line ‘Fighting to Survive’.
The trailer confirms that episode one of series two of Survivors will be shown (on BBC One and BBC HD) at 9pm on Tuesday 12 January 2010.
Survivors series two features – SciFiNow
A two-page feature on series two of Survivors – written by the author of this blog – is published today in SciFiNow magazine (Issue 36).
The feature – illustrated with behind-the-scenes shots showing Max Beesley’s (Tom Price) location filming on episode one – includes interview testimony from cast members Julie Graham (Abby Grant), Paterson Joseph (Greg Preston), Robyn Addison (Sarah), Phillip Rhys (Al) Zoe Tapper (Anya) and Nicholas Greaves (Whittaker); showrunner Adrian Hodges; co-executive producer Sue Hogg and producer Hugh Warren.
BBC Press Office publishes Survivors series two press pack
The BBC Press Office has now published its press pack for Survivors series two – including brief interviews with Julie Graham, Max Beesley, Paterson Joseph, Phillip Rhys, Zoe Tapper and a guide to ‘additional characters’ (new and returning).
Survivors series two – January 2010
The BBC Press Office reports the second episode of series two of Survivors will broadcast at 9pm on BBC1 Tuesday 12 January 2010 (episode two is featured as a highlight of that week’s schedule). Although not confirmed, this makes it all-but certain that the first episode of series two would be shown on Tuesday 5 January 2010.
The Press Office’s guide to episode two contains plot ***SPOILERS***.
Video preview of Survivors episode three
The BBC has added a clip from episode three to the Survivors mini-site. The video can also be accessed from the Video page on this blog.
Paterson Joseph interviewed on BBC News site
A new interview interview with Paterson Joseph (Greg Preston) is available on the BBC News web site, Entertainment section.
BBC YouTube channel Survivors preview
The BBC has added a Survivors preview video to its YouTube Channel.
The clip features an exchange between government minister Samantha Willis (played by Nikki Amuka–Bird) and a colleague, discussing the spread and seriousness of the virus, and ends with an image of the contagion at work in a victim’s bloodstream.
Sunday papers first episode Survivors preview
Sunday’s last-chance preview press coverage of the new series includes: the Birmingham Sunday Mercury – ‘Survivors: Cult classic remade for a new generation’; the Sunday Herald – ‘Survival Instincts’; Sunday Times – The Survivors remake.
What’s On TV web site – Survivors photos and video interviews
The web site of the What’s On TV listing magazine, includes a Survivors section, featuring a gallery of publicity photos and short new video interviews with Julie Graham, Zoe Tapper and Philip Rhys and Chahak Patel, (follow the link under the Latest Video heading to launch the video pop-up).
The interview is also available through the What’s On TV YouTube channel:
Many thanks to Adrian Hulme for alerting me to this content, and for all his continuing help with tracking down Survivors sources in print and on the web.
BBC Newsbeat site: Survivors preview
The BBC Newsbeat web site is offering a Survivors preview page. The feature ‘Bleak’ Survivors back on BBC includes a brief on-location video report, clearly shot on the same day that the BBC North West Inside Out Survivors report was filmed.
Sky TV interview with Julie Graham
A brief interview with Julie Graham has been added to the Sky TV web site.
The feature also features promotional stills and brief interview quotations from all the main cast members.
New BBC trailer and teaser promos for Survivors
An alternative version of the main Survivors trailer is now being shown on BBC One, featuring a reworked selection of clips from the first episode.
The BBC is also showing different versions of a shorter ‘teaser’ trailer, which begin with the line ‘What if tonight wasn’t the end of the weekend, but the end of civilisation?’ and the image of a broken lightbulb (perhaps better suited to transmission this Sunday), or ‘What if there was no one left to entertain you?’, which features a TV screen reverting to a ‘white dot’, before resolving to the ‘Survivors – new drama’ tag line.
All of these different promotional slots are appearing regularly throughout BBC One prime time.
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.
TV guides promote Sunday’s first episode of Survivors
All of the main (and most of the minor) highstreet TV listings magazines (which are published today) feature promotional materials on Survivors ahead of the transmission of the first two episodes of the new series next week.
The features on offer include:
- Radio Times: ‘Fight to Survive’, (pp.20-24)
- Total TV Guide: ‘Grave new world’, (pp.4-5)
- TV & Satellite Week: ‘Survival of the fittest’, (pp.12-13)
- TV Choice: ‘Survival of the Fittest’, (pp.6-7)
- TV Easy: ‘Deadly drama!’, (p.5)
- TV Quick: ‘It’s the end of the world’, (pp.16-17)
- TV Times: ‘Life after death’, (pp.16-17)
- What’s On TV: ‘Killer Virus’, (p.15)
Total TV Guide is the only magazine to feature Survivors as its main cover photo.
Survivors - BBC TV 