Survivors
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DeadlyAssassin
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/* Remake */ moved information to main article
{{otheruses}}
{{infobox Television |
| show_name = Survivors
| image = [[Image:Survivors_Logo.jpg]]
| caption = This is the main title caption that was seen throughout the series.
| format = [[Drama]]
| runtime = 50 minutes
| creator = [[Terry Nation]]
| starring = [[Ian McCulloch (actor)|Ian McCulloch]]<br>[[Lucy Fleming]]<br>[[Carolyn Seymour]]<br>[[Denis Lill]]<br>[[John Abineri]]<br>[[Celia Gregory]]<br>[[Lorna Lewis]]
| country = [[United Kingdom|UK]]
| network = [[BBC]]
| first_aired = 1975
| last_aired = 1977
| num_episodes = 38
| list_episodes = List of Survivors episodes
| imdb_id = 0072572
}}
'''''Survivors''''' was a [[United Kingdom|British]] television series devised by [[Terry Nation]] and produced by [[Terence Dudley]] at the [[BBC]] from 1975 to 1977. It concerned the plight of a group of people who had survived an accidentally released [[pandemic|plague]] that had killed nearly the entire population of the planet. The programme is usually described as falling into the [[science fiction]] genre, but a more appropriate description would be to call it [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic science fiction|apocalyptic fiction]].
== History ==
The programme ran for three series and 38 episodes.
Terry Nation left after the first series to concentrate on other work and due to disputes with producer Terence Dudley and some critics feel that the direction of the programme suffered as a result.{{fact|date=April 2008}}
A BBC4 documentary entitled 'The Cult of... ''Survivors''', featuring interviews with actors Lucy Fleming, Ian McCulloch and Carolyn Seymour, director Pennant Roberts and scriptwriter Martin Worth, was broadcast on 5 December 2006, as part of the channel's [http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/features/sfb.shtml Science Fiction Britannia] series. The 'Cult of...' series also included documentaries on ''[[Blake's 7]]'' (a series devised by Terry Nation), and ''[[Doomwatch]]'' (which was produced by Terence Dudley).
===Remake===
{{Future television|type=series|Survivors|section}}
{{main|Survivors (2008 TV Series)}}
On [[22 November]] [[2007]], the BBC announced that they were going to remake ''Survivors'', as written by [[Adrian Hodges]], to be shown on [[BBC One]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7107597.stm BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Cult show Survivors to be remade]</ref> The new version will be loosely based on Terry Nation's novel <ref>[http://www.sfx.co.uk/page/sfx?entry=exclusive_survivors SFX: the leading science fiction, fantasy and horror magazine<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. Not all of the characters from the original series will appear, and some will be reimagined.<ref>[http://www.dwscifi.com/interviews/1783-survivors-surviving-the-21st-century Survivors: Surviving the 21st Century Interview - Total Sci Fi]</ref>
Set in the aftermath of a virus which has wiped out most of the world's population the drama will star [[Julie Graham]], [[Max Beesley]], [[Nikki Amuka-Bird]] and [[Paterson Joseph]] with a supporting cast including [[Freema Agyeman]], [[Shaun Dingwall]], [[Phillip Rhys]] and [[Zoe Tapper]].
==Locations==
The majority of the locations for all three series of Survivors were in the [[Welsh Marches]], the counties of [[Monmouthshire]], [[Shropshire]], [[Powys]] with, for the first two series, the characters most often seen in [[Herefordshire]]. The first episode of series 1 (The Fourth Horseman) featured several locations in [[Worcestershire]], including [[Great Malvern railway station]]. Later episodes had the characters move around Herefordshire, from places like [[Ross-on-Wye]] to [[Welsh Newton|Welsh Newton Common]]. [[Llanarth]] Court in Monmouthshire was also featured. Towards the end of the first series, the action moved to a more permanent base at [[Hampton Court, Herefordshire|Hampton Court]], again in Herefordshire. (This was the property referred to as "The Grange" by the characters.)
For the beginning of series 2 the focus moved to a new location, at Callow Hill Farm, near [[Monmouth]] (but again just within Herefordshire). (This was the location used for Whitecross.)The Lights of London episodes featured [[Hanwell Station]], [[Camden Town]] and [[The Oval]], all in [[London]]. The [[Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal]] and village of [[Skenfrith]] also made appearances.
During series 3, production occasionally moved further afield to [[Suffolk]], [[Derbyshire]] and [[Wiltshire]], with the last episode filmed in the [[Scottish Highlands]].
==Plot summaries==
===Series 1===
As the world's population is almost annihilated by a mysterious [[pandemic]], accidentally unleashed by an unknown Asian scientist, the crisis is first seen through the eyes of two characters - Jenny Richards, a young working woman in [[London]] and Abby Grant, a middle-class corporate wife living a privileged existence in a nearby [[commuter]] [[village]]. As Abby goes in search of her son Peter, Jenny wanders aimlessly through the countryside. Other major characters introduced in the first few episodes are the resourceful engineer Greg Preston, the shifty Welshman Tom Price and two children, John Millon and Lizzie Willoughby. Abby, Jenny and Greg eventually come together and realise they must start again from scratch now that [[civilisation]] as they once knew it has been destroyed. After several adventures on the road, they find a property called the Grange which they can use as a base and, joined by other survivors, they form a potted community of disparate individuals all united by a shared purpose - to relearn the old skills of [[farming]] and tool-making, and to try to live in this strange new world.
'''Major Cast'''
* [[Carolyn Seymour]] as Abby Grant
* [[Ian McCulloch (actor)|Ian McCulloch]] as Greg Preston
* [[Lucy Fleming]] as Jenny Richards
* [[Talfryn Thomas]] as Tom Price
* [[Chris Tranchell]] as Paul Pitman
* [[Michael Gover]] as Arthur Russell
* [[Terry Scully]]/[[Hugh Walters (actor)|Hugh Walters]] as Vic Thatcher
* [[Hana Maria Pravda]] as Emma Cohen
* [[Eileen Helsby]] as Charmian Wentworth
* [[John Hallet]] as Barney
* [[Richard Heffer]] as Jimmy Garland
* [[Myra Frances]] as Anne Tranter
* [[Julie Neubert]] as Wendy
* [[Stephen Dudley]] as John Millon
* [[Tanya Ronder]] as Lizzie Willoughby
* [[Denis Lill]] as Charles Vaughan
===Series 2===
Having received word that her son is still alive, Abby has left the Grange to resume her search while the community is devastated by a fire, killing several of their number. The survivors join another community, Whitecross, run by Charles Vaughan, whom they briefly encountered in the previous series. New major characters that make up the Whitecross band are Charles' partner Pet Simpson, medical student Ruth Anderson who works as a travelling doctor and farmyard labourer Hubert Goss. Jenny gives birth to Greg's child Paul, while the survivors are once more focused on the everyday practicalities of post-Death life. Frequent visitors to Whitecross, both friendly and hostile, act as catalysts for various dramatic situations. Finally, the arrival of Norwegian survivors brings the possibility of re-establishing worldwide contact and technology. To achieve this, Greg departs Whitecross in a [[hot air balloon]] bound for [[Norway]].
'''Major Cast'''
* Ian McCulloch as Greg Preston
* Denis Lill as Charles Vaughan
* Lucy Fleming as Jenny Richards
* Chris Tranchell as Paul Pitman
* Michael Gover as Arthur Russell
* [[Celia Gregory]] as Ruth Anderson
* [[John Abineri]] as Hubert Goss
* [[Gordon Salkilld]] as Jack Wood
* [[Lorna Lewis]] as Pet Simpson
* [[Roy Herrick]] as Lewis Fearn
* [[Gigi Gatti]] as Daniella
* [[Delia Paton]] as Mina
* [[Stephen Tate]] as Alan
* [[Heather Wright]] as Melanie
* [[June Page]] as Sally
* Stephen Dudley as John Millon
* Tanya Ronder as Lizzie Willoughby
===Series 3===
Having received word that Greg has returned from Norway, Charles, Jenny and Hubert set out on horseback to find him. It is a journey that will take them right across what is left of the United Kingdom as their search leads them to various dead ends. However, they meet a broad spectrum of other survivors along the way, and the series continues to explore alternative reactions to the Death and what it takes to survive. The third series juxtaposes the more personal story arc of the search for Greg with a wider narrative of society appearing to establish itself again with federated communities, market bartering and rudimentary railway travel. This culminates in the tentative return of law and order and the quest to restore power through [[hydroelectricity]].
'''Major Cast'''
* Denis Lill as Charles Vaughan
* Lucy Fleming as Jenny Richards
* Ian McCulloch as Greg Preston
* John Abineri as Hubert Goss
* Gordon Salkilld as Jack Wood
* Lorna Lewis as Pet Simpson
* [[Anna Pitt]] as Agnes Carlsson
* [[Edward Underdown]] as Frank Garner
* [[William Dysart]] as Alec Campbell
* [[Robert Gillespie]] as Sam Mead (Gillespie appeared as a minor character, John Milner, in episode 3 of the first series)
* Stephen Dudley as John Millon
* [[Angie Stevens]] as Lizzie Willoughby
==Books==
Two novels based on ''Survivors'' were made:
* ''Survivors'' by Terry Nation - an overview of season one, with a few changes
* ''Genesis of a Hero'' by John Eyers - essentially an alternative version of events post-season one
There are also two factual books:
* ''The Making of Terry Nation's Survivors'' by Kevin P Marshall (Out of print)
* ''The End of the World? The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Survivors'' by Rich Cross and Andy Priestner. Published December 2005.
==Trivia==
{{trivia|date=May 2007}}
* After playing a central role in ''Survivors'' during series one, Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant) was not invited to return to the production for the second series. Rumours suggest that this was the result of a personality clash behind the scenes between Seymour and series producer Terence Dudley. Abby's storyline, involving her search for her son Peter, was concluded in the Terry Nation [[novelization|novelisation]] of the series.
* It has been claimed that Denis Lill (Charles Vaughan) and Ian McCulloch (Greg Preston) fell out with each other during the filming of the second season, leading to the departure of McCulloch's character. However McCulloch has denied having anything against Lill personally, although he was apparently unhappy that a new male lead had been added to the show, when he had built up a strong character during the first season. He did return for two episodes during the third series, both of which he wrote himself.
* Stephen Dudley (John) was given his part by his father, the show's producer [[Terence Dudley]], while Tanya Ronder (Lizzie) is the daughter of Jack Ronder, who wrote eight episodes of ''Survivors''.
* Ian McCulloch wrote a fourth season of ''Survivors'' during the 1990s to try and get the programme back on television. [[BBC Scotland]] were interested in the idea but did not approve of the idea of an uninfected African nation colonising Britain.
* Of the cast, William Dysart (Alec Campbell), Gigi Gatti (Daniella), Edward Underdown (Frank Garner), John Abineri (Hubert), Michael Gover (Arthur), Gordon Salkilld (Jack), Roy Herrick (Lewis Fearn), Talfryn Thomas (Tom Price) and Terry Scully (Vic Thatcher) have all since died.
* Notable guest stars in the series included [[Patrick Troughton]], [[Peter Jeffrey]], [[Brian Blessed]], [[George Baker (actor)|George Baker]], [[Philip Madoc]], [[Bryan Pringle]], [[Iain Cuthbertson]] and [[Peter Bowles]]. Appearing in the series before becoming famous were [[Robert Fyfe]] (''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]''), [[Denis Lawson]] (''[[Star Wars]]''), [[David Neilson]] (''[[Coronation Street]]''), [[Peter Duncan (actor)|Peter Duncan]] (''[[Blue Peter]]''), [[June Brown]] (''[[EastEnders]]''), [[David Troughton]] son of Patrick Troughton, and [[Roger Lloyd-Pack]] (''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'' and ''[[The Vicar of Dibley]]'').
* The yellow [[Volvo 140|Volvo]] estate car used in the series also appeared as [[The Good Life (1975 TV series)#Jerry Leadbetter|Jerry Leadbetter]]'s car in ''[[The Good Life (1975 TV series)|The Good Life]]''.
* There are parallels between 'Survivors' and the 2002 movie, '[[28 Days Later]]', including an accidental release of a virus and - in the acclaimed episode, 'Mad Dog' - images of a rabies-sufferer with the urge to infect others. As in the movie, anyone suspected of being infected (as Denis Lill's Charles Vaughan is at one point) will be killed immediately to contain the disease.
== Episodes ==
{{main|List of Survivors episodes}}
==DVD release==
The complete series of ''Survivors'' is available on DVD (Region 2, UK), released by DD Home Entertainment.
All releases include a colour booklet written and researched by Survivors fan Andy Priestner chronicling the making of each series, plus the following extra features:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! # !! DVD release date !! Breakdown of special features
|- bgcolor="#ffffcc"
| Series One
| [[October 6]], [[2003]]
| Audio commentary on episode ''The Fourth Horseman'' with actor [[Carolyn Seymour]] (Abby Grant) and director [[Pennant Roberts]]. Moderator: Andy Priestner. <br>
Audio commentary on episode ''Law And Order'' with actors [[Ian McCulloch (actor)|Ian McCulloch]] (Greg Preston) and [[Lucy Fleming]] (Jenny Richards). Moderator: Andy Priestner. <br>
On-camera interviews with director Pennant Roberts and actors Carolyn Seymour, Ian McCulloch, Lucy Fleming and [[Tanya Ronder]] (Lizzie Willoughby) <br> Photo gallery
|- bgcolor="#ffffcc"
| Series Two
| [[October 4]], [[2004]]
| Audio commentary on episode ''The Lights of London, Part 2'' with actor [[Denis Lill]] (Charles Vaughan) and director Pennant Roberts. Moderator: Rich Cross. <br> On-camera interviews with director Pennant Roberts and actors Denis Lill, [[Lorna Lewis]] (Pet Simpson) and [[Heather Wright]] (Melanie) <br> Photo gallery
|- bgcolor="#ffffcc"
| Series Three
| [[November 14]], [[2005]]
| Audio commentary on episode ''Law of the Jungle'' with actor Lucy Fleming and director [[Peter Jefferies (director)|Peter Jefferies]] Moderator: Andy Priestner.
Audio commentary on episode ''Mad Dog'' with guest actor [[Morris Perry]] and director [[Tristan de Vere Cole]] Moderator: Rich Cross. <br>
“New World Rising” – documentary on the making of series three produced by Andy Priestner with contributions from directors Peter Jefferies and Tristan de Vere Cole and actors Lucy Fleming and [[Stephen Dudley]] (John Millon) <br> Photo gallery
|}
==See also==
*[[The Tribe (TV series)|The Tribe]], a post-plague series focusing on teenagers, right after a plague killed off all adults
*[[Jeremiah (TV series)|Jeremiah]], an another post-plague series, fifteen years after the plague killed off the adults, with similarities to both ''The Tribe'' and ''Survivors''
*[[Jericho (TV series)|Jericho]], a post-nuclear holocaust series
==References==
<references/>
==External links==
'''Fan sites:'''
*[http://www.survivorstvseries.com/index2.htm Survivors TV Series]
*[http://www.survivors-mad-dog.org.uk/a-world-away/index2.shtml Survivors: A World Away]
*[http://www.survivorsthenewsletter.co.uk/ Survivors: The Newsletter]
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/a369272 h2g2 ''Survivors'' website] (contains plot detail)
*[http://survivors.mywap.o2.co.uk/ Survivors: wapsite]
*[http://www.tvgold.co.uk/ Cult UK Television with discussion group for Survivors]
'''Guides:'''
*[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/518741/index.html British Film Institute Screen Online]
*{{imdb title|id=0072572|title=Survivors}}
[[Category:BBC television dramas]]
[[Category:British science fiction television programmes]]
[[Category:Post-apocalyptic television series]]
[[Category:1970s British television series]]
[[Category:1975 television series debuts]]
[[Category:1977 television series endings]]
[[it:I sopravvissuti]]