Survivors reborn

June 3, 2008 4:26 AM

First it was Blake's 7, now another Terry Nation cult classic sf television programme is to return. The BBC have announced they are remaking Survivors. Telling the story of the survivors of a plague that wipes out most of Britain, the original was famed for its gritty and somewhat controversial story-telling.
posted by fearfulsymmetry (20 comments total)

It's pretty interesting to see the way they're bringing back Cold-War-paranoia programming in response to Forever-War-paranoia.
posted by signal at 6:39 AM on June 3, 2008

I've read about Survivors, but it just seemed too unrelentingly bleak to watch. I get depressed just thinking about some of the plot snippets I remember. I guess I like my post-apocalypses to be a little... um... sunnier.
posted by joelhunt at 7:17 AM on June 3, 2008

It's pretty interesting to see the way they're bringing back Cold-War-paranoia programming in response to Forever-War-paranoia.

Interesting choice of words. It makes me wonder why Joe Haldeman's novels haven't been licensed and executed yet.
posted by vhsiv at 7:46 AM on June 3, 2008

I love Survivors and I love Ms. Agyeman. This news pleases me.

I never really saw Survivors as any kind of Cold War paranoia type thing. I always thought it was just a great vehicle to explore various ideologies, theories of governance, and the old chestnut: "What would you do if you were the last person in the world?"

It's definitely very bleak, but I'm totally okay with that. Dystopia is fine by me (at least when it comes to fiction).

I just have to say that this quote from the Den of Geek article kind of sums up my feelings about Freema pretty nicely:

Freema Agyeman, possibly the most wasted Doctor Who assistant ever...

I might add... *best* companion, like, ever.
posted by vertigo25 at 9:07 AM on June 3, 2008

If the Sontaran episodes are anything to go by she can’t do evil though. Not sure I can really like someone who can’t do evil that much…
posted by Artw at 9:29 AM on June 3, 2008

Terry Nation, Glen A. Larson, hmmm...
(WTF wikipedia? Larson's major contribution is Battlestar Galactica, and the rest is "lean years"?)

Anyway, where is my remake of The Starlost?
posted by Chuckles at 9:38 AM on June 3, 2008

Interesting, I was thinking that the Terry Nation estate was still fighting the BBC over Daleks, turns out that was some other guy.

Oh, and great headline from The Sun regarding the creator of the Sonic Screwdriver being left out of toy rights: BBC screwed me sonically
posted by Artw at 9:39 AM on June 3, 2008

Anyway, where is my remake of The Starlost?

Chuckles, you are a sick, sick man.

(OK, if Battleship Galactica could come back as something decent, there's hope for The Starlost, too. I just wouldn't bet the farm on it.)
posted by maudlin at 10:01 AM on June 3, 2008

I enjoyed Survivors - what I saw of it anyway. It was bleak, but it was a realistic feel of what life might be like - trying to re-learn some very basic skills and re-establish some semblance of safety and security.

I hope the remake does not go the route of over-dependence on special effects and shallow storylines.
posted by never used baby shoes at 10:54 AM on June 3, 2008

(Ack! BattleSTAR Galactica!)

God is punishing me for procrastinating ...
posted by maudlin at 11:04 AM on June 3, 2008

I hope the remake does not go the route of over-dependence on special effects and shallow storylines.

Me, I'd be hoping they don't go the route of over-dependence on angsty crying. Which is tough given the subject matter and the fact that supposedly fun lightweight shows like Who seem to be pushing the crying to the max already.
posted by Artw at 11:29 AM on June 3, 2008

The Brits seem to do this sort of post-apocalyptic sf better than anyone, for some reason. Threads was notably grim, and writers like John Wyndham and J.G. Ballard liked to trash the place in various entertaining ways. Survivors sounds like a cross between Threads and Twelve Monkeys.
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 12:07 PM on June 3, 2008 [2 favorites]

One of my favourite BBC series evah, especially the episode in which they all get rabies and develop foaming at the mouth and hydrophobia (come to think of it, that one was probably based on 70s anti-mainland-Europe/anti-Channel-Tunnel paranoia).
posted by Lezzles at 12:29 PM on June 3, 2008

Lezzles you may already know but there was a great (from what I can remember) mini-series back in the 80s about a rabies outbreak in Britain, Mad Death. I wish they'd bring it out on DVD.

I hope that the new Survivors is suitably grim without getting too emo (or having to much of the Kudos sheen to it). I'm also hoping for the blokes with shotguns rushing round in Land Rovers style episodes when Nation was still involved rather than later 'Good Life' farming/soap making/salt gathering stuff after he left. The fact they are resurrecting the Tom Price character gives me hope... though I suppose it too much to hope to have one episode starting with 15 mins of him wandering around a frozen deserted farm-house and muddy farm-yards trying to catch and strangle a chicken...
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:45 PM on June 3, 2008

Sounds like it has the Lost plot problem, where characters routinely forget they're all stuck on a murderous, dangerous place together whenever it's convenient to have petty fights, romantic strolls, golf parties or midnight dancing alone in the jungle.
posted by rokusan at 3:20 PM on June 3, 2008

Nah, it's more that he murderous dangerous place just becomes murderous and dangerous in different ways... from the plague to roaming gun-waving fascist psychos to 'on no, we're all going to starve to death if we don't get the farm working!' Any romantic strolls or midnight dancing or just about any fun at all is usually followed by random death. Man, I loved that show.

It wasn't as grim as Threads though... but then again, what is?
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:43 PM on June 3, 2008 [1 favorite]

Grmph. I see some overzealous yank-o-centric wikinazi has merged the Cosy catastrophe sub genre into oblivion.
posted by Artw at 3:53 PM on June 3, 2008

I've been working my way through the old survivors with my SO, who loves them. I can't imagine they're going to keep some of the episodes in the same style, there's at least one which is just about farm management.
posted by biffa at 2:12 AM on June 4, 2008

Not even mentioning class makes that Cosy Catastrophe definition just plain wrong... though I'm going to resist being drawn into wiki-madness
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:45 AM on June 4, 2008

I’ve not edited a wikipage for at least a year now, and it’s been a while since I’ve done anything that necessitates arguing with some bugger on the talk pages, but this nearly drew me in.
posted by Artw at 9:35 AM on June 4, 2008