Brought to the screen by showrunner (and lead script writer) Adrian Hodges, the programme was a 're-imagining' of the classic end-of-the-world drama Survivors, devised by Terry Nation shown on BBC1 between 1975 and 1977, and drew its initial inspiration from Nation's 1976 Survivors novel.
Both series of the new Survivors are also available for purchase through iTunes.
The cancelled show attracted renewed audience interest in the US, when both series one and series two of Survivors were licenced by the Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and Hulu service streaming services.
In the UK, in 2012, the BT Vision service began to offer both series for streaming download, as part of its range of TV channel packages and on a pay-per-episode basis.
In July 2013, audio-drama publishers Big Finish announced that they would be producing collections of new audio dramas based on the original (1975-1977) Survivors. The first series of new Survivors audio adventures was released (on CD and as a digital download) in June 2014.
An audio-book of the 1976 Survivors novel (on which the 2008-2010 remake of Survivors is based), voiced by Carolyn Seymour (who played Abby Grant in the 1975 TV series) was released by Big Finish productions in December 2014.
In April 2015, series four and series five of these new Big Finish Survivors audio adventures were commissioned, for release in June 2016 and November 2016.
Omg just watched series 1 and 2 of Survivors only to discover they cancelled any more plans for a 3rd series...Basically the BBC left us in limbo land ! Angry isn't the word! Never knew about it back in 2008 but 10 yrs on what a fantastic series but gutted that's it!!!
Survivors was trying to be like its Seventies Predecessor but it failed miserably as the Terry Nation original was so gripping I loved it fourty years ago and have it on Dvd. The modern version failed as it cant work its sad but Remakes don't work normally its sad but I feel that its Cancellation was bound to happen but it should have had a final episod […]
The Beeb really did it this time. Canceling a show with 4 million viewers? BBC; you're not only loosing 4 million viewers, you're making 4 million people, along with all the millions watching it later on, angry at you! That should be worse than loosing some money; loosing people AND money... I, along with many others, are boycotting you solely for […]
Would make a great addition to my Xmas list but am just wondering how far away (if at all) the "updated version" of this book is? >Rich Cross said >March 29, 2016 at 4:11 pm >Hi Martin. Yes, myself and co-author Andy Priestner are already well advanced in our plans to produce a thoroughly updated version of the “The End of the World?” book […]
Survivors failed tragicly as its simply isn't up to the standard of its Seventies Incarnation as that version was excellent I love that version. Remakes don't work they normally fail and tragicly Survivors in this case hasnt a proper ending or final Episode that's rather STUPID of the BBC not giving it a proper ending so ill watch SURVIVORS fr […]
Any news on when the updated " The End of the World?: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to "Survivors" book, will be released ? I'm really looking forward to getting this.
IN THE LATEST BIG FINISH podcast (19 August 2018), executive producer Nick Briggs speaks candidly about some of the commercial challenges the company faces in securing a viable financial return on some of the audio titles in its catalogue: including Survivors. The issue was explored in response to a listener’s email enquiring about the possibility … Read Mor […]
MARTIN WORTH, who wrote a total of seven scripts for the second and third series of Survivors (1975-1977), has died at the age of 91. Born in Balham in London in November 1926, Martin Wigglesworth (who later changed his name to Worth), became a scriptwriter after a short stint as an actor in repertory and … Read More → The post Survivors scriptwriter Martin […]
CHRISTOPHER TRANCHELL (PAUL PITMAN, Survivors) is joining the line-up at Fantom Events’ September Signing Spectacular, being held on Saturday 8 September 2018 in Chiswick. Fantom describe these Doctor Who themed events as ideal for “collectors and first time attendees” and providing a “unique opportunity to meet a vast array of Doctors, companions, guest sta […]
THE MONSAL VALLEY filming locations used in the classic third series Survivors story Mad Dog featured in an episode of Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing shown on BBC Two earlier this month. The BBC’s cameras (at both ground and drone level) took in shots of the valley floor, the valley’s bridges, the viaduct, the weir … Read More → The post ‘Gone Fishi […]
RECORDING ON THE eighth series of Survivors audio adventures, scheduled for release in November, has completed – Big Finish has reported (2 June 2018). Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant) and Lucy Fleming (Jenny Richards) will both be returning to their roles in the series, as will Helen Goldwyn (Ruth) and George Watkins (Craig). Joining the Survivors‘ … Read More […]
THE 1976 CHILDREN’S Film Foundation drama One Hour to Zero is a “countdown thriller”, which shows the life of an ordinary Welsh village thrown into crisis as a nearby experimental nuclear power station threatens to explode. Made by Charles Barker Films, One Hour to Zero was written by John Tully, produced by Jean Wadlow and … Read More → The post One Hour to […]
RICHARD HEFFER (JIMMY Garland, Survivors) is interviewed in the current print edition of Starburst magazine, discussing his leading role in the three-part 1983 rabies mini-series The Mad Death. Coinciding with the release of The Mad Death on DVD for the first time, Heffer recalls the making of the series, the topicality of its dramatic themes, … Read More → […]
BIG FINISH HAVE revised the schedule for the next two releases in their series of acclaimed original Survivors audio dramas. The eighth series of the full-cast dramas set in the world of Terry Nation’s 1975-77 series had been scheduled for release in June, with the ninth series (the last currently confirmed) following in November. This … Read More → The post […]
CAROLYN SEYMOUR (ABBY Grant) appears at the sixth annual Folkestone Film TV & Comic Con (FFTCC) this weekend. Seymour will be signing autographs (for a £15.00 fee) and chatting with fans during the event at the Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone, Kent on both Saturday 12 May and Sunday 13 May 2018. In unrelated news, … Read More → The post Carolyn Seymour at […]
THE THREE-PART 1983 BBC rabies drama The Mad Death, starring Survivors‘ Richard Heffer (Jimmy Garland) will be released for the first time ever on DVD on 7 May 2018, courtesy of Simply Media. The drama, which also features Barbara Kellerman (1990) and Ed Bishop (UFO), focuses on the efforts of Chief Veterinary Officer Michael Hilliard … Read More → The post […]
In response to a YouTube video Tweet from fan Steve Smallwood [ https://twitter.com/stebullmiester ], Survivors (2008-2010) cast members Phillip Rhys (Al Sadiq), Julie Graham (Abby Grant), Robyn Addison (Sarah Bowyer), Max Beesley (Tom Price), Zoe Tapper (Anya Raczynski) and locations manager Andy Morgan briefly discussed the enticing possibility (however remote, at present) of a return for the show for a third series.
Based on the original series of Survivors (1975-1977), this first set of new audio adventures will compromise four stories, featuring new characters and several of the leading characters from the original series.
The tortuous story of the long-running plan to revive and remake Survivors‘ creator Terry Nation’s space drama Blake’s 7 has taken yet another turn this week.
In April 2013 it was announced that FremantleMedia International would produce a 13-episode series remake of Blake’s 7 to be broadcast of the cable channel SyFy. This was to be a ‘re-imagining’ of the original (1978-81) show.
On Thursday 15 August, the Financial Times, BBC News and Digital Spy all reported that these plans had been shelved. Instead it was announced that the revival of Blake’s 7 would now be funded by Microsoft, with the series airing on the Xbox Live service. The London-based Motion Picture Capital company was reported to have taken over responsibility for the show’s development.
Digital Spy suggests the development is “part of Microsoft’s ambition to reposition Xbox as an ‘entertainment hub’, and to directly compete with other online subscription services.”
However, a Freemantle spokesman told BBC News that it was “not aware of any deal” with Microsoft, while both Microsoft and Motion Picture Capital declined to comment. Rights owner Andrew Mark Sewell told BBC News: “When we have news to report, we’ll let everyone know.” It seems clear that position remains far from settled.
Blake’s 7 was the show that Terry Nation created shortly after his departure from the original Survivors at the end of series one in 1975. Later in his career, Nation sought to get an American network to revive Blake’s 7, as he also (unsuccessfully) attempted to do with Survivors.
A number of actors from the original Survivors (1975-1977) appeared at the Memorabilia event in Birmingham on 19-20 November.
Those scheduled to appear were:
* Ian McCulloch (Greg Preston, S1-S3)
* Myra Frances (Anne Tranter, S1)
* James Cosmo (Lenny Carter, The Chosen, S2)
* Roger Lloyd Pack (Wally, Lights of London S2)
* Philip Madoc (Max Kershaw, The Chosen, S2)
Roger Lloyd Pack is unique is being the only actor from the original series of Survivors to appear in the revival of the series. Lloyd Pack appeared as villainous truck driver Billy Stringer in episodes three and four of series two of the new Survivors.
No specific Survivors panel or event had been arranged, and the appearance of such a large number of Survivors alumni (all of whom have a large number of other genre credentials to their name) seems to have been entirely co-incidental.
British actor George Baker (who memorably played the guest-starring role of union president Arthur Wormley in Genesis, the second episode of the original Survivors) has died aged 80 after a short illness (7 October 2011).
Baker enjoyed a long and varied career on the big and small screen, and in the latter part of his career became best known for playing the lead role in the Ruth Rendell Inspector Wexford detective series.
Genesis was written by series creator Terry Nation, and the character of Wormley appears in the 1976 Survivors novel which Nation also wrote. In the 2008-10 remake of Survivors (developed from Nation’s novel) the character of Wormley was reinvented in the guise of junior government minister Samantha Willis (played by Nikki-Amuka Bird) who appeared as a recurring character in both series.
Obituaries for Baker appear in The Guardian and other newspapers, and on the BBC News site.
In response to repeated enquiries the BBC has added an FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) to its website: Will there be a third series of Survivors?, to which the current (4 March 2010) answer is:
It has not been confirmed at present whether there will be a third series.
As soon as the BBC has confirmed its intentions in respect of Survivors series three, news will be posted here.
The BBC have not, as yet (22:20 UK time, Tuesday 23 February 2010), confirmed whether or not there will be a third series of Survivors. As soon as that information is made available, it will be publicised here.
*** 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.”
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).
In its news section, issue 230 of TV Zone magazine reports on the BBC’s announcement of the main cast for the new series of Survivors. The piece is illustrated with individual publicity shots of each cast member (though not in their new series roles) overlayed (in five cases) with thumbnails of the same character from the original series.
The piece also includes a one line quotation from Julie Graham, picked up at the press conference for the BBC’s Bonekickers – a series which The Guardian described as “mind-bogglingly dreadful… Makes Scooby Do look like State of Play.”
In the quotation, Graham reveals that she has no memories of watching the original Survivors, but acknowledges that its premise was “prescient” and that she is “excited” about the upcoming remake.
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.
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.
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.
