Survivors
Encyclopedia
Survivors is a British
post-apocalyptic fiction
television series devised by Terry Nation
and produced by Terence Dudley
at the BBC
from 1975 to 1977. It concerns the plight of a group of people who have survived an accidentally released plague
– referred to as "The Death" – that kills nearly the entire human population of the planet.
) created the series, but he quit the show after the first series due to disputes with producer Terence Dudley.
The series' main actors included Carolyn Seymour
, Lucy Fleming
, Ian McCulloch
and Denis Lill
. The child actor 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. Notable guest stars in the series included Patrick Troughton
, Peter Jeffrey
, Brian Blessed
, 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
(Blue Peter
), June Brown
(EastEnders
), David Troughton
, and Roger Lloyd-Pack (Only Fools and Horses
and The Vicar of Dibley
).
In a High Court
case in the mid-1970s, which was abandoned by both sides due to escalating costs, writer Brian Clemens
claimed that he had told Terry Nation the concept for the series in the late 1960s and had registered the idea with the Writers' Guild of Great Britain
in 1965. Nation strenuously denied this.
A BBC Four
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 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.
, 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 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
, 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), as "Whitecross". The Lights of London episodes featured Hanwell railway station
, The Oval
, and other locations in London
, while the Waterloo & City line
and the Camden Town
deep-level shelter
were used to represent parts of the London Underground
. 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
. Extensive use was made of the Severn Valley Railway
.
There are a great number of technical and continuity errors visible as the series was shot quickly on early video cameras which did not work well in the gloomy conditions in which much of the programme was shot. Two cameras were used, but one of them had a recurrent fault which shows as multiple reflections on the left hand side of pictures in many scenes, particularly visible in series 3. Primitive equipment meant that many shots suffered from a green tint.
as the main writer. In the credits, this version is said to be based on Terry Nation's novel Survivors, which was published in 1976, rather than the previous series. This statement was made to avoid copyright problems as the rights to the television series vested with a different legal entity from the rights to the book. The programme ran for two seasons but the BBC announced in April 2010 that there would be no third season.
, accidentally unleashed by a Chinese 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 the civilization
they once knew 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 new world.
Major cast
bound for Norway
.
Major cast
.
Major cast
Two factual books about the series have been published: The Making of Terry Nation's Survivors, edited by Kevin P Marshall, was published by Fourth Horseman Publications in 1995. The End of the World? The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Survivors (ISBN 978-1845830014) by Rich Cross and Andy Priestner was published by Telos Publishing Ltd.
in December 2005.
on 24 November 2008.
The three series were earlier released individually during the mid-2000s by DD Home Entertainment. These included a colour booklet written and researched by Survivors fan Andy Priestner chronicling the making of each series, plus the following extra features:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...
television series devised by Terry Nation
Terry Nation
Terry Nation was a Welsh screenwriter and novelist.He is probably best known for creating the villainous Daleks in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who...
and produced by Terence Dudley
Terence Dudley
Terence Dudley was a television director and producer who directed many programs for the BBC over a number of years....
at the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
from 1975 to 1977. It concerns the plight of a group of people who have survived an accidentally released plague
Pandemic
A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic...
– referred to as "The Death" – that kills nearly the entire human population of the planet.
History
The programme ran for three series and 38 episodes (seasons 1 and 2 had 13 episodes, the final season had just 12 - budget cuts and technical problems meant the last double episode was cut down to a single, as some scenes were lost during shooting). All series were broadcast on Wednesday evenings on BBC 1 from April 1975 to June 1977. Popular writer Terry Nation (whose work included many scripts for Doctor WhoDoctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
) created the series, but he quit the show after the first series due to disputes with producer Terence Dudley.
The series' main actors included Carolyn Seymour
Carolyn Seymour
Carolyn Seymour is an English actress, best associated with portraying the role of Abby Grant in the BBC series Survivors in 1975....
, Lucy Fleming
Lucy Fleming
Lucy Fleming is a British actress.She is the daughter of the actress Celia Johnson and writer Peter Fleming, as well as the niece of James Bond author Ian Fleming...
, Ian McCulloch
Ian McCulloch (actor)
Ian McCulloch is a Scottish actor.He is best known for his role as Greg Preston in Survivors. Though he debuted in the second episode, "Genesis", Greg would become the male lead for the first series, and got to show off his singing and guitar playing in several episodes...
and Denis Lill
Denis Lill
Denis Lill is a New Zealand-born British actor.Some of his many film and television roles include Fall of Eagles , Edward the Seventh , Survivors , The Scarlet Pimpernel , as William Knox d-Arcy, the Australian oil pioneer in Persia, in Reilly: Ace of Spies , Rumpole of the Bailey , Mapp &...
. The child actor Stephen Dudley (John) was given his part by his father, the show's producer Terence Dudley
Terence Dudley
Terence Dudley was a television director and producer who directed many programs for the BBC over a number of years....
, while Tanya Ronder (Lizzie) is the daughter of Jack Ronder, who wrote eight episodes of Survivors. Notable guest stars in the series included Patrick Troughton
Patrick Troughton
Patrick George Troughton was an English actor most widely known for his roles in fantasy, science fiction and horror films, particularly in his role as the second incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, which he played from 1966 to 1969,...
, Peter Jeffrey
Peter Jeffrey
Peter Jeffrey was a British actor with many roles in television and film.Jeffrey was born in Bristol, the son of Florence Alice and Arthur Winfred Gilbert Jeffrey. He was educated at Harrow School and Pembroke College, Cambridge but had no formal training as an actor...
, Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
, George Baker
George Baker (actor)
George Baker, MBE was an English actor and writer. He was best-known for portraying Tiberius in I, Claudius, and Inspector Wexford in The Ruth Rendell Mysteries.-Personal life:...
, Philip Madoc
Philip Madoc
Philip Madoc is a Welsh actor who has had many television and film roles.One prominent role was the title character in the BBC Wales drama The Life and Times of David Lloyd George...
, Bryan Pringle
Bryan Pringle
Bryan Pringle was a British actor who appeared in television, film and theatre productions.Born in Tamworth, Staffordshire but raised in the Lancashire town of Bolton he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. In 1958, he married character actress Anne Jameson; together they had...
, Iain Cuthbertson
Iain Cuthbertson
Iain Cuthbertson was a Scottish character actor. At 6' 4", he was known for his tall imposing build and also his distinctive "gravelly" heavily accented voice.-Early life:...
and Peter Bowles
Peter Bowles
-Early life:Bowles was born in London, England, the son of Sarah Jane and Herbert Reginald Bowles. His father was a chauffeur and butler at a stately home in Warwickshire; but, upon the outbreak of World War II, he was seconded to work as an engineer at Rolls-Royce and moved the family to Nottingham...
. Appearing in the series before becoming famous were Robert Fyfe
Robert Fyfe
Robert Fyfe is a Scottish actor, who has appeared as Howard on the long-running British sitcom Last of the Summer Wine from 1985 to 2010....
(Last of the Summer Wine
Last of the Summer Wine
Last of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom written by Roy Clarke that was broadcast on BBC One. Last of the Summer Wine premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse on 4 January 1973 and the first series of episodes followed on 12 November 1973. From 1983 to 2010, Alan J. W. Bell produced and...
), Denis Lawson
Denis Lawson
Denis Stamper Lawson is a Scottish actor and director. He is known for his roles as John Jarndyce in the BBC's adaptation of Bleak House and as Gordon Urquhart in the film Local Hero, but is best known for playing the part of Wedge Antilles in the original Star Wars trilogy.-Early life:Lawson was...
(Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
), David Neilson
David Neilson
David Neilson is an English actor best known for portraying Roy Cropper in Coronation Street from 1995 onwards....
(Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
), Peter Duncan
Peter Duncan (actor)
Peter Duncan is a British actor and television presenter, best known as a former presenter of Blue Peter and for his later family travel documentaries.-Education:...
(Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
), June Brown
June Brown
June Muriel Brown, MBE is a British actress, best known for her role as the busy-body, chain-smoking gossip Dot Cotton in the long-running British soap opera EastEnders and for making other high profile television appearances on shows such as Doctor Who, Coronation Street, Minder, The Bill and...
(EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
), David Troughton
David Troughton
David Troughton is an English actor, best known for his Shakespearean roles on the British stage.- Biography :David Troughton was born in Hampstead, North London. He comes from a theatrical family: he is the son of Doctor Who actor Patrick Troughton, elder brother of Michael Troughton, and father...
, and Roger Lloyd-Pack (Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
and The Vicar of Dibley
The Vicar of Dibley
The Vicar of Dibley is a British sitcom created by Richard Curtis and written for its lead actress, Dawn French, by Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, with contributions from Kit Hesketh-Harvey. It aired from 1994 to 2007...
).
In a High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
case in the mid-1970s, which was abandoned by both sides due to escalating costs, writer Brian Clemens
Brian Clemens
Brian Horace Clemens OBE is a British screenwriter and television producer, possibly best known for his work on The Avengers and The Professionals...
claimed that he had told Terry Nation the concept for the series in the late 1960s and had registered the idea with the Writers' Guild of Great Britain
Writers' Guild of Great Britain
The Writers' Guild of Great Britain, established in 1959, is a trade union for professional writers. It is affiliated with both the Trades Union Congress and the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds .-Activities:...
in 1965. Nation strenuously denied this.
A BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
documentary entitled The Cult of... Survivors, featuring interviews with actors Lucy Fleming, Ian McCulloch and Carolyn Seymour, director Pennant Roberts
Pennant Roberts
Pennant Roberts was a British director noted for his work on British television.Roberts was born at Weston-super-Mare to Welsh parents...
and scriptwriter Martin Worth, was broadcast on 5 December 2006, as part of the channel's Science Fiction Britannia series. The Cult of... series also included documentaries on Blake's 7
Blake's 7
Blake's 7 is a British science fiction television series produced by the BBC for its BBC1 channel. The series was created by Terry Nation, a prolific television writer and creator of the Daleks for the television series Doctor Who. Four series of Blake's 7 were produced and broadcast between 1978...
(a series devised by Terry Nation), and Doomwatch
Doomwatch
Doomwatch is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC, which ran on BBC One between 1970 and 1972. The series was set in the then present-day, and dealt with a scientific government agency led by Doctor Spencer Quist , responsible for investigating and combating various...
, which was produced by Terence Dudley.
Locations
The majority of the locations for all three series of Survivors were in the Welsh MarchesWelsh Marches
The Welsh Marches is a term which, in modern usage, denotes an imprecisely defined area along and around the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods...
, the counties of Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
with, for the first two series, the characters most often seen in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
. The first episode of series 1 (The Fourth Horseman) featured several locations in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, including Great Malvern railway station
Great Malvern railway station
Great Malvern railway station serves the line between Worcester and Hereford. It is situated close to the centre of Great Malvern, England. It is one of two stations serving the town of Malvern, the other being Malvern Link station...
. Later episodes had the characters move around Herefordshire, from places like Ross-on-Wye
Ross-on-Wye
Ross-on-Wye is a small market town with a population of 10,089 in southeastern Herefordshire, England, located on the River Wye, and on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean.-History:...
to Welsh Newton Common
Welsh Newton
Welsh Newton is a small village and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England. It is located close to the border with Wales to which the parish extends....
. Llanarth
Llanarth
Llanarth may refer to:* Llanarth, Ceredigion* Llanarth, Monmouthshire...
Court in Monmouthshire was also featured. Towards the end of the first series, the action moved to a more permanent base at Hampton Court
Hampton Court, Herefordshire
Hampton Court is a castellated country house in the English county of Herefordshire. The house is located in the village of Hope under Dinmore, near Leominster.- History :...
, 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
Monmouth
Monmouth is a town in southeast Wales and traditional county town of the historic county of Monmouthshire. It is situated close to the border with England, where the River Monnow meets the River Wye with bridges over both....
(but again just within Herefordshire), as "Whitecross". The Lights of London episodes featured Hanwell railway station
Hanwell railway station
Hanwell railway station is a railway station in Hanwell in the London Borough of Ealing. The station is managed by First Great Western but served by local services operated by Heathrow Connect from London to Heathrow Airport.-History:...
, The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, and other locations in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, while the Waterloo & City line
Waterloo & City Line
The Waterloo & City line is a short underground railway line in London, which was formally opened on 11 July 1898. It has only two stations, Waterloo and Bank...
and the Camden Town
Camden Town
-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...
deep-level shelter
London deep-level shelters
The London deep-level shelters are eight deep-level air-raid shelters that were built under London Underground stations during World War II.-Background:...
were used to represent parts of the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
. The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal and village of Skenfrith
Skenfrith
Skenfrith is a small village in Monmouthshire, south-east Wales, in the United Kingdom. It is located on the River Monnow, close to the border between Wales and England, about 6 miles north-west of Monmouth.- History and amenities :...
also made appearances.
During series 3, production occasionally moved further afield to Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
and Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, with the last episode filmed in the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
. Extensive use was made of the Severn Valley Railway
Severn Valley Railway
The Severn Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The line runs along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route...
.
There are a great number of technical and continuity errors visible as the series was shot quickly on early video cameras which did not work well in the gloomy conditions in which much of the programme was shot. Two cameras were used, but one of them had a recurrent fault which shows as multiple reflections on the left hand side of pictures in many scenes, particularly visible in series 3. Primitive equipment meant that many shots suffered from a green tint.
2008 Version
In 2008, the BBC began airing new version of Survivors, with Adrian HodgesAdrian Hodges
Adrian Hodges is a British television and film writer.He began his career in journalism for Screen International magazine and his screenwriting debut was the 1991 television drama Tell Me That You Love Me, followed by screenplays for The Bridge and Tom & Viv for which Miranda Richardson and...
as the main writer. In the credits, this version is said to be based on Terry Nation's novel Survivors, which was published in 1976, rather than the previous series. This statement was made to avoid copyright problems as the rights to the television series vested with a different legal entity from the rights to the book. The programme ran for two seasons but the BBC announced in April 2010 that there would be no third season.
Series 1
As the world's population is almost annihilated by a mysterious pandemicPandemic
A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic...
, accidentally unleashed by a Chinese scientist, the crisis is first seen through the eyes of two characters - Jenny Richards, a young working woman in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Abby Grant, a middle-class corporate wife living a privileged existence in a nearby commuter village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
. 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 the civilization
Civilization
Civilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...
they once knew 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 new world.
Major cast
- Carolyn SeymourCarolyn SeymourCarolyn Seymour is an English actress, best associated with portraying the role of Abby Grant in the BBC series Survivors in 1975....
as Abby Grant (ep. 1-13) - Ian McCullochIan McCulloch (actor)Ian McCulloch is a Scottish actor.He is best known for his role as Greg Preston in Survivors. Though he debuted in the second episode, "Genesis", Greg would become the male lead for the first series, and got to show off his singing and guitar playing in several episodes...
as Greg Preston (ep. 2-13) - Lucy FlemingLucy FlemingLucy Fleming is a British actress.She is the daughter of the actress Celia Johnson and writer Peter Fleming, as well as the niece of James Bond author Ian Fleming...
as Jenny Richards (ep. 1-13) - Terry ScullyTerry ScullyTerry Scully was a British theatre and television actor.After making his name in the theatre, from the 1960s onwards he became more known for TV work...
as Vic Thatcher (ep. 2, ep. 8-10) - Hugh Walters as Vic Thatcher (ep. 11, ep. 13)
- Tanya Ronder as Lizzie Willoughby (ep. 5-13)
- Stephen Dudley as John Millon (ep. 5-13)
- Hana Maria PravdaHana Maria PravdaHana Maria Pravda was a Czechoslovakian actress.-Personal life:Pravda trained in Leningrad in 1936 under Alexei Dikii. On her return to Prague she married her first husband, Alexander Munk who was a student activist...
as Emma Cohen (ep. 7-13) - Chris TranchellChris TranchellChristopher P. Tranchell is a British actor, best known for his role in the television drama Survivors as Paul Pitman....
as Paul Pitman (ep. 8-13) - Michael GoverMichael GoverMichael Gover is an English actor, born in 1918 in Denmark, now living in Dorset, England, he is best known for his portrayal of Arthur Russell in the BBC television series Survivors....
as Arthur Russell (ep. 8-13) - Eileen HelsbyEileen HelsbyEileen Helsby is a British actress with several television credits.She appeared in the Doctor Who serial The Ark,Z Cars, Doomwatch, Survivors, Angels, Juliet Bravo and Bergerac.-External links:...
as Charmian Wentworth (ep. 8-13) - Talfryn ThomasTalfryn ThomasTalfryn Thomas was a British character actor, best known for supporting roles on British television in the 1970s.-Biography:Talfryn Thomas was born in Swansea on 31 October 1922....
as Tom Price (ep. 1-3, ep. 7-10) - Sacha ParkinsonSacha ParkinsonSacha Louise Parkinson is a British actress best known for playing Sian Powers in the ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street from January 2009 onwards. Her character will leave the show in January 2012.-Career:...
as Kate (ep. 3) - Julie NeubertJulie NeubertJulie Neubert is a British actress who is perhaps best known for playing the ill-fated Wendy in the first series of Survivors in 1975.Other regular roles have included playing Judy Matthews in Family Affairs and Joan Hope in Brookside...
as Wendy (ep. 7-9) - John HalletJohn HalletJohn Hallet is a British actor, probably best known for his role as Barney in the 1970s television drama Survivors.Other TV credits include: Z-Cars, The Regiment as regular Pte Hodge, Oil Strike North, All Creatures Great and Small, Call Me Mister and the uncompleted Doctor Who serial Shada.-...
as Barney (ep. 7-9) - Myra FrancesMyra FrancesMyra Frances is a British actress.In the 1974 Second City Firsts episode "Girl", Frances performed, with Alison Steadman, the first lesbian kiss on British television....
as Anne Tranter (ep. 2, ep. 11) - Richard HefferRichard HefferRichard Heffer is a British actor, best known for his roles on television in the 1970s and 1980s, when he became a very familiar face....
as Jimmy Garland (ep. 6, ep. 13) - Denis LillDenis LillDenis Lill is a New Zealand-born British actor.Some of his many film and television roles include Fall of Eagles , Edward the Seventh , Survivors , The Scarlet Pimpernel , as William Knox d-Arcy, the Australian oil pioneer in Persia, in Reilly: Ace of Spies , Rumpole of the Bailey , Mapp &...
as Charles Vaughan (ep. 4) - Annie Irving as Ruth (ep. 13)
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 Paul, her child with Greg, 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 balloonHot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
bound for Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
Major cast
- Denis LillDenis LillDenis Lill is a New Zealand-born British actor.Some of his many film and television roles include Fall of Eagles , Edward the Seventh , Survivors , The Scarlet Pimpernel , as William Knox d-Arcy, the Australian oil pioneer in Persia, in Reilly: Ace of Spies , Rumpole of the Bailey , Mapp &...
as Charles Vaughan (ep. 1-13) - Ian McCullochIan McCulloch (actor)Ian McCulloch is a Scottish actor.He is best known for his role as Greg Preston in Survivors. Though he debuted in the second episode, "Genesis", Greg would become the male lead for the first series, and got to show off his singing and guitar playing in several episodes...
as Greg Preston (ep. 1-8, ep. 10-13) - Celia GregoryCelia GregoryCelia Christine Gregory was a British stage, film and television actress, who became a faith healer later in life....
as Ruth Anderson (ep. 1-6, ep. 8, ep. 10-13) - Lorna LewisLorna Lewis (actress)Lorna Lewis is an American actress who moved to the UK in the 1970s. She remains best known for her role as Pet Simpson in two series of the BBC television drama Survivors between 1976 and 1977...
as Pet Simpson (ep. 1-2, ep. 5-13) - Stephen Dudley as John Millon (ep. 1-2, ep. 5-8, ep. 10-13)
- Tanya Ronder as Lizzie Willoughby (ep. 1-2, ep. 5-8, ep. 10-13)
- Lucy FlemingLucy FlemingLucy Fleming is a British actress.She is the daughter of the actress Celia Johnson and writer Peter Fleming, as well as the niece of James Bond author Ian Fleming...
as Jenny Richards (ep. 1-3, ep. 5, ep. 7-8, ep. 11-13) - John AbineriJohn AbineriJohn Abineri was an English actor.Born in London, he attended the Old Vic drama school and described himself as "Well educated from the age of five to eighteen"...
as Hubert Goss (ep. 1-2, ep. 5-8, ep. 11-13)
- Michael GoverMichael GoverMichael Gover is an English actor, born in 1918 in Denmark, now living in Dorset, England, he is best known for his portrayal of Arthur Russell in the BBC television series Survivors....
as Arthur Russell (ep. 1-2, ep. 5, ep. 7-8, ep. 11) - Gordon SalkilldGordon SalkilldGordon Salkilld was an English supporting actor best known for his portrayal of carpenter Jack Wood in the 1970s BBC cult series Survivors....
as Jack Wood (ep. 2, ep. 5-6, ep. 8, ep. 11, ep. 13)
- Stephen TateStephen Tate-Television credits:He is possibly best known for his recurring role as Alan in the 1970s television drama Survivors.His other credits include: Z-Cars, The Onedin Line, Blake's 7, Yes Minister, The Black Adder, Boon, The Bill, Minder, Cardiac Arrest, Silent Witness and Emmerdale.-Musical...
as Alan (ep. 8, ep. 11-13) - Heather WrightHeather WrightHeather Wright is an English actress, noted for her performances in film and television. Her film credits include: Psychomania, The Belstone Fox, Shout at the Devil and Inseminoid. On television, she has been seen in the following series: Arthur of the Britons, Survivors, Return of the Saint,...
as Melanie (ep. 11-13) - June PageJune PageJune Page is a British actress, best known for her role as Sally in the 1970s television drama Survivors.Her other TV credits include: Doctor Who , Brideshead Revisited, Casualty, The Bill and Bad Girls....
as Sally (ep. 11-13) - Peter DuncanPeter Duncan (actor)Peter Duncan is a British actor and television presenter, best known as a former presenter of Blue Peter and for his later family travel documentaries.-Education:...
as Dave (ep. 11-13) - Roger Monk as Pete (ep. 11-13)
- Gigi Gatti as Daniella (ep. 7-8, ep. 12)
- Chris TranchellChris TranchellChristopher P. Tranchell is a British actor, best known for his role in the television drama Survivors as Paul Pitman....
as Paul Pitman (ep. 1-2) - Delia Paton as Mina (ep. 6, ep. 10)
- Roy HerrickRoy HerrickRoy Herrick was a British actor .His television credits include: Danger Man, Public Eye, Callan, The Regiment, Colditz, Survivors, Doctor Who , Pardon My Genie, George and Mildred, Tenko, The Fourth Arm, Mr...
as Lewis Fearns (ep. 8, ep. 10) - Sally Osborn as Agnes Carlsson (ep. 13)
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, based on utilising the steam locomotives preserved on heritage railways. This culminates in the tentative return of law and order and the quest to restore power through hydroelectricityHydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
.
Major cast
- Denis Lill as Charles Vaughan (ep.1, 3-9, 11-12)
- Lucy Fleming as Jenny Richards (ep.1-3, 5-9, 11-12)
- Ian McCulloch as Greg Preston (ep.2, ep.10)
- John Abineri as Hubert Goss (ep.1, 3, 5-9, 11-12)
- Gordon Salkilld as Jack Wood (ep.1, ep.6, ep.10)
- Lorna Lewis as Pet Simpson (ep.1, 6-7, 10)
- Anna Pitt as Agnes Carlsson (ep.2-3, 5, 10-11)
- Edward UnderdownEdward UnderdownEdward Underdown was an english theatre, cinema and television actor. He was born in London.Early theatre credits include: Words and Music, Nymph Errant, Stop Press and Streamline ....
as Frank Garner (ep.7-9) - William DysartWilliam DysartWilliam Dysart was a Scottish actor, known for his role as Alec Campbell in the 1970s television series Survivors....
as Alec Campbell (ep.8-9, 11-12) - Robert GillespieRobert GillespieRobert Gillespie is a British actor.He was brought up in Nantes until his parents moved to Manchester, having arrived in Plymouth in 1940...
as Sam Mead (ep. 9, 11-12) (Gillespie appeared as a minor character, John Milner, in episode 3 of the first series) - Stephen Dudley as John Millon (ep.1, ep.6, ep.10)
- Angie Stevens as Lizzie Willoughby (ep.1, ep.6, ep.10)
Books
Two novels have been published: Survivors by Terry Nation is an adaptation of certain series one episodes, with a radically different ending. Genesis of a Hero by John Eyers is a direct sequel to the first book, which bears no relation to events in series two and three.Two factual books about the series have been published: The Making of Terry Nation's Survivors, edited by Kevin P Marshall, was published by Fourth Horseman Publications in 1995. The End of the World? The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Survivors (ISBN 978-1845830014) by Rich Cross and Andy Priestner was published by Telos Publishing Ltd.
Telos Publishing Ltd.
Telos Publishing Ltd. is a publishing company, originally established by David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker, with their first publication being a horror anthology based on the television series Urban Gothic in 2001...
in December 2005.
DVD releases
The complete series of Survivors is available on DVD (Region 2, UK), released by the BBC company 2 Entertain2 Entertain
2 Entertain is a British video and music publisher, formed by the merger of BBC Video and Video Collection International in 2004....
on 24 November 2008.
The three series were earlier released individually during the mid-2000s by DD Home Entertainment. These included a colour booklet written and researched by Survivors fan Andy Priestner chronicling the making of each series, plus the following extra features:
| # | DVD release date | Special features |
|---|---|---|
| Series One | 6 October 2003 |
|
| Series Two | 4 October 2004 |
Denis Lill Denis Lill is a New Zealand-born British actor.Some of his many film and television roles include Fall of Eagles , Edward the Seventh , Survivors , The Scarlet Pimpernel , as William Knox d-Arcy, the Australian oil pioneer in Persia, in Reilly: Ace of Spies , Rumpole of the Bailey , Mapp &... (Charles Vaughan) and director Pennant Roberts. Moderator: Rich Cross. Heather Wright Heather Wright is an English actress, noted for her performances in film and television. Her film credits include: Psychomania, The Belstone Fox, Shout at the Devil and Inseminoid. On television, she has been seen in the following series: Arthur of the Britons, Survivors, Return of the Saint,... (Melanie) |
| Series Three | 14 November 2005 |
Morris Perry Morris Perry is an English actor, best known for his roles on television.Perry was born in Bromley, Kent, England. Credits include: The Avengers, Z-Cars, Champion House, The Champions, The Persuaders!, Doctor Who , Special Branch, The Sweeney, Survivors, The Professionals, Secret Army,... and director Tristan de Vere Cole Moderator: Rich Cross. |
See also
- The ChangesThe Changes (TV series)The Changes is a British children's science fiction television serial filmed in 1973 and first broadcast in 1975 by the BBC. It was directed by John Prowse...
, a series set in a Britain that is suddenly plunged into a pre-industrial age. - The Last TrainThe Last TrainThe Last Train is a British six-part post-apocalyptic television drama serial first broadcast on the ITV network in 1999. It has since been repeated on ITV2 in 1999/2001 and on numerous occasions on the UK Sci-Fi Channel...
, a series following a group of train passengers who survived an apocalyptic meteor strike - The Tribe, a post-plague series focusing on teenagers, right after a plague killed off all adults
- JeremiahJeremiah (TV series)Jeremiah is an American television series starring Luke Perry and Malcolm-Jamal Warner that ran on the Showtime network from 2002 to 2004. The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where most of the adult population has been wiped out by a deadly virus.Developed by Babylon 5 creator J...
, another post-plague series, fifteen years after the plague killed off the adults, with similarities to both The Tribe and Survivors - JerichoJericho (TV series)Jericho is an American action/drama series that centers on the residents of the fictional town of Jericho, Kansas, in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 major cities in the contiguous United States...
, a post-nuclear holocaust series - The StandThe Stand (TV miniseries)# Project Blue [1:33]# The Dream Begins [2:08]# On the Road to Kansas [3:57]# The Trashmen in Vegas [1:58]# Headin' West [1:56]# Larry & Nadine [2:38]# Mother Abigail [3:10]# 'Sorry Mister, I Don't Understand' [2:54]# Mid Country [3:22]...
, a post-plague series set in the United States