The chilling Survivors – a big viewing success when launched in 1975 and which went on to become a cult show – has been remade with a cast including Julie Graham, Max Beesley and Freema Agyeman. The new six-part series is currently scheduled to go out at the end of November with a 90-minute opener.
The story follows the survivors of a mysterious plague that has wiped out 95 percent of the population, exploring their attempts to cope with the breakdown of order and the battle for food and water. The irresistible challenge the original series for viewers was, how would you cope with no police, no electricity, no technology and the loss of loved ones and friends?
Brave and Exciting Drama
The series is written by Adrian Hodges, who also penned ITV’s high-concept series Primeval. Contemporary fears surrounding HIV, bird flu, foot-and-mouth disease and genetically modified crops have obviously made a retelling of Survivors timely for Hodges.
‘Its themes remain as relevant as ever,’ he says, ‘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 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.
‘I remember its original impact vividly and I hope we can make a similar impression with the new version.’
Breakdown of Society
Hodges has based his update on the Survivors novel, written by the creator of the original series, Terry Nation, the man who also invented Doctor Who’s Daleks.
The original series had some dodgy studio interiors but delved convincingly into the many possibilities and dangers of civilisation taking a huge step backwards. It shifted from a character helping himself to a Rolls-Royce in a showroom to a woman who abandons her man to a lonely, harrowing death when he’s injured.
Deepest Fears
One of the most intriguing clashes was between Abby (originally played by Carolyn Seymour), who believed communes were the way forward, and characters such as Arthur Wormley (George Baker), who used violence to set themselves up as feudal gangsters.
Hodges says, ‘It asks questions about our nature and confronts us with our deepest fears. When everything else is stripped away, would we band together and find the best in ourselves, or would we fall apart and retreat into barbarism and savagery?
Survivors 2008
Abby Grant (Julie Graham) is a central character, mother and home-maker to son Peter (11) and husband, David. Peter has just survived a serious illness and Abby’s marriage is under strain. She is hoping for a new start when the virus strikes.
Al Sadiq (Phillip Rhys) Wealthy, handsome playboy, Al is accustomed to the finer things in life. The world post-disaster is a harsh challenge for him.
Dr Anya Raczynski (Zoë Tapper) Anya is a young doctor who battles to save virus victims but is helpless when her former girlfriend, Patricia, is brought to the hospital suffering from the mystery plague...
David Grant (Shaun Dingwall) David is a builder and a family man. Abby and David have worked hard to help Peter through his illness. But nothing can prepare David for the pandemic that sweeps away everything he loves...
Jenny Collins (Freema Agyeman) Jenny is a bubbly teacher dismayed when the chaos breaks out.
Samantha Willis (Nikki Amuka–Bird) Samantha is a junior minister in a government that can no longer protect its citizens.
Tom Price (Max Beesley) A dangerous man who’s in prison when the virus starts killing everyone around him, trapping him in his cell.
