User reviews

The iconic opening sequence of this wonderful show was something I have never forgotten and, unlike many other series from this period, I actually have the three season box set on DVD and have watched it recently and - barring a few obvious age related issues - can confirm it is as good as it initially seemed back in 1975.

The post-apocalyptic mood is brilliantly captured and although the plot and stories do dip after Terry Nation gave up full control of the project, the sense of loss and foreboding is superbly carried forward.

The absence of one of Series 1 leading characters in series 2 and 3 is managed to reasonable effect although it is obvious the writers would have preferred to have carried on from where Season 1 left off. The attempts to shoehorn the missing person's back into the show from time to time is an obvious issue. Also, there are some plot lines that don't entirely work but 'Survivors' is really about characterisation and how you relate to these people in this world. Barely an episode goes by when the viewer doesn't wonder what they would do if it were them in the situation and this adds to the feeling of belonging and care for the survivors - it also adds to the sense of fear and desperation for the viewer.

As you'd expect, the age of the show does leave some reservations and some of the stories would never make the cut now - undoubtedly it is dated, of course - but it also has to be said that the slow pace and different requirements of mid-70's TV actually enhance some aspects with regard to tension and plot building. When they tried to recreate and update the show later, the increased pace and need to make sure something was happening all the time detracted from the atmosphere and understanding of the characters. In the original, you care about the people and what happens to them. There is never any point you don't believe in this post-apocalyptic world and this is the show's strength.

Some detractors have mentioned specific story lines where people don't behave as we'd expect them to do with second decade 21st Century glasses on. This is difficult to argue but, like listening to an old record from the same time, it is a pointless exercise to bemoan the different production values or to miss a modern trope. This is of its time, of course, but it shouldn't detract from the project. Don't forget, when they tried to remake it and modernise it, it was truly awful.

For anyone with an appreciation of classic TV and good story-telling this is highly recommended.

Survivors is the first post doomsday drama on British television, echoing the pessimistic world view of 70s science fiction feature films such as The Andromeda Strain, The Omega Man or Planet of the Apes. Of course Survivors obviously also owes a lot to the grandmaster of British Science Fiction, John Wyndham with some dialogues almost verbatim taken from the day of the Triffids. But that does not have an impact on the quality of the programme. Like in Romero's Crazies the bureaucracy just fails terribly and the world becomes overrun by a deadly virus. Helpless attempts at stopping it are made but it all ends with a whimper. So a group of survivors from all different walks of life meet and group together. The disaster brings out the best and the worst in people: the hamprered housewife turns into a leader, the leader into a fascist and a rich woman into the bitch from hell. So a lot of the drama comes from the dynamics between the people and all the dilemmas you face in this situation. For viewers of todaya it takes a while getting used to the much slower pace of narration of the 70s. Long scenes, no hand camera and sparingly used music. That makes it look dated but once you accept it, it really makes very good viewing because the pace matches the helplesness of the people. Theonly drawback for me is that as with a lot of 70s and especially 80s British TV the outdoor scenes and the studio scenes were shot on different material so that as a viewer you experience really harsh differences in term of the picture.

While apocalyptic tv shows like The Walking Dead and Z Nation are the vogue today, this show (remade in the 2000's) is absolutely terrifying because this could really happen. When a virus is accidentally released, it spreads world wide quickly and 90 percent of humanity is killed off. The survivors take one a few different ideas; banding together and attempting to recreate a civilization, becoming raiders on others, or simply dying off. A really brilliant and terrifying show.

When an enigmatic unnamed scientist accidentally infects himself with a lethal engineered virus he unwittingly spreads it world wide via air travel. Focusing on London, England we see the effects of the virus as millions succumb and civilization collapses accordingly. The story hones in on a handful of emotionally scarred survivors who come together and attempt the difficult and painful reconstruction of a new society no longer able to depend on supplied science and technology. In one episode entitled "Law and order" the survivor's group are faced with a rape and murder of one of their number following a raucous celebration. An intellectually disabled member is falsely accused and sentenced to death with the killer himself voting for the man's execution. After one of the group leaders carries out the killing, he learns the identity of the real killer and is forced to allow him to stay in the group and withhold the information as the news of the tragic error would permanently splinter and destroy what they fought, against enormous odds, to create. Survivors is gripping stuff; well acted, cleverly written and creatively directed - if you like character driven Sci - Fi drama then this is for you.

Saw it about 10 years ago (2011), and was impressed. Seems very appropriate in the age of COVID-19.This series was made in BBC's "golden era" of TV production. All the best Dr. Who episodes were simultaneously filling the airwaves. Anyway, if you're in COVID-19 lockdown, stream this series. Be warned .... it can be graphic and disturbing.

This speculative drama starts each episode with one of the greatest title sequence ever devised for television : A Chinese scientist accidentally drops a glass tube . Cut to the scientist collapse at an airport where planes are arriving then taking off again then the camera focuses on passports of Moscow , Madrid , Madrid , Paris and London being stamped as the picture dissolves . It doesn`t sound very exciting and it`s probably not but it is very very effective because it`s so simple . The whole premise of the series and its consequences of a lab borne virus escaping and being carried around the world sums up what has happened to humanity - the survivors - in the opening credits . Not a lot of programmes do that . And credit too for Anthony Isaacs title music which is understated , bleak and haunting

Written by Terry Nation the first couple of episodes introduce us to the main characters of Abby Grant , Jenny Richards and Greg Preston , three people who have survived a superflu like virus that has wiped out 99 % of the world`s population . The trio meet more characters on their travels , not all of them good . One thing season one was good at was showing us that a worldwide calamity will not bring out the best in people and in some episodes like " Garland`s war " and " Something of value " that people may have to turn to violence if they want to survive at all . One outstanding episode " Law and order " centres around the premise of how will people deal with someone within in the group who harms another person in the sanctum

Unfortunately as soon as Nation left to create BLAKES 7 at the end of the first season he took many of his Wyndham / Christopher inspired ideas with him . Seasons two and three are far less interesting than the first . Charles Vaughn who wouldn`t be out of place on a hippy or Greenpeace commune becomes the central character and SURVIVORS becomes a sort of BBC post apocalypse rival of EMMERDALE FARM with the only episodes worth watching being " Lights of London " , " Mad dog " and the absolutely outstanding " Last laugh "

All in all a fairly good mature intelligent drama series but it should have been an unforgettable masterpiece from the golden age of British television. And if only Terry Nation had been given more control I`m certain it would have been . So if you`re going to watch SURVIVORS make sure you watch the whole of the first season and the episodes I mentioned above . Ignore the rest

Aside from the occasional inexplicably stupid decision, flares, dubious supporting cast, flares, horrendous interior decoration and flares this is very good BBC SF. The story, if slow, is certainly plausible and is much better than the atrocity of the remake.

Having just viewed all three series for the first time, I'm surprised that every reviewer seems to love Season 1 and hates Seasons 2 and 3. To be honest, I can't see much of a shift in quality between the three. I would probably agree that the first series is the best - but only just. I think that Season 3 is almost as good. Season 2 - apart from the excellent "Light of London" is largely a disaster, settling into an almost comfortable 'everyday' life-style which just feels too safe. Season 3 pulls the rug out from all that by being continuously threatening with the heroes moving from place to place with no sense of any roots. A third season with them happily working the land would have just sent the show down the tubes. Much of the second half of Season 1 also suffers from this "happy" community syndrome as well (excepting the harrowing "Law and Order" episode). Season 3 has some duff episodes as well, but then all 3 seasons do, but a number of very hard-hitting ones such as "Mad Dog" and the haunting "Last Laugh" - as adult as the series ever got. Yes, Jenny has become very annoying and shockingly willing to leave her son behind, while the character of Ruth (one of the best) is written out without explanation. Overall - good and entertaining to watch (perhaps just once though) - but patchy throughout.

Man made virus in China spreads around the world and kills 98% of the population? Sound familiar? I saw this back in the day and also have it on DVD box set. It was Sci-Fi at its finest at the time and hasn't really been bettered. The recent remake, which left us in the air when it was cancelled after only 2 seasons, was nowhere near as good, despite the bigger budget. I urge you all to watch it to get some tips, when the current virus wipes out most of us, if you are a survivor you will need them.

The idea is a good one, especially in light of the events of recent years. However, it has some problems - some of which are due to it being written in the 1970s and others due to lazy plot contrivances.

The worst example of the latter is how the characters of the children are written. These kids are allowed to know confidential things to be kept hidden from visitors to the commune, yet mix freely with said visitors and tell the visitors exactly what the adults are keeping from them. Children have free range to play with guns too, despite the adults always having a problem with this.

The kids are gullible enough to believe a female character is an evil witch when encouraged by the cliche that is the character of Hubert; worse, two of the adults are swayed over. Fine if this was set in the 1370s but in the 1970s?

The death of a male character is par for the course, while the death of a female character is seen as a tragic event. Women here are generally not fully-fledged adults; they are there to support the men. I guess that is perhaps a reflection of 1970s attitudes though.

Also has a very, very slow plot progression.

As a science fiction fan, I must say this is truly one of the best TV productions ever made. There are issues with it, some ropey acting/production in places, a heavy middle class bias to protagonist characters and it has aged, a younger audience would probably struggle with it, however, if you can stick with it you will be richly rewarded.

This is Sci-Fi made as realistic as possible, and, given the CoVid19 pandemic we are still in the midst of (believe me folks it is not over yet) amazingly prophetic. Yes thankfully CoVid19 has not been anywhere as deadly as the virus in this show, but it's sketchy origins, it's rapid spread and the utterly ineffective response to it are all here, writ large way back in the mid 70s.

This is also a call for a return to a simpler way of life, living close and harmoniously with nature, living in small intimately connected communities; things that resonate even more in our modern environ, with mobile phones and social media. The backdrop is always though, that human cruelty and selfishness will often ruin the best laid plans.

The two central pillars that hold up this series are the two excellent characters of Greg Preston (a blunt and forcefully practical engineer type, played with wonderful gusto by Ian McCulloch) and Abby Grant (played with a deep intelligence, resilience and resolve by Caroyln Seymour) the supposed third pillar, Jenny (overacted by Lucy Flemming) is meant to be the true heart and emotional centre of the show, however, compared to the other two her part is underwritten and the actor playing her struggles to convey the same depth as the other two protagonists.

Unfortunately the quality of the show decreases as they made the bizarre decisions to get rid of the Abby character from the second series, and it gets a little bogged down in the domestic drama of running an effective farming community. However, it is worth watching all the way to its conclusion as there are always very good episodes that elevate the series far above normal.

This show poses and answers with great effect the age old mythical and sci-fi question, what would happen if we had to start society again, right from scratch?

Personally, of all post-apocalyptic shows, for me, it provides the deepest and most satisfying exploration of this idea, perhaps because this scenario is so much more realistic than zombies, aliens or slowly walking plants...

I would, and do, recommend this series to anyone, but especially anyone with more than a passing interest in science fiction, philosophy or human nature.

Wow. The first episode has really happened. Not quite as bad and most of the world hasn't been wiped out but March 2020 is as close to this as i'd like thankyou. Thought I'd watch it to cheer myself up, all i can say is at least it's not as bad as this......so far.....

Probably one of the best "end of the world as we know it" series. It is sad that it took as long as it did for Survivors to come to DVD in the US. They obviously didn't have a large budget but they really didn't need it.

One of the things that stands out and actually makes it even better is they did not use any music to set the mood/tone of the show. The actors had to carry each episode along with the script. All too often music is used for dramatic effect and if it was removed, the scene would fail. Not with this series. There is a theme at the start and it comes back in at the end. So no incidental music is used and it actually makes this even better. In fact, I wish this would happen more often.

As with any series, some episodes are not as good as others. The plot sometimes jumps around but for the most part the series holds up on its own and leaves you wanting to know what will happen next. The remake of the show in 2008 does not come close to this original.

I highly recommend it!!!

I remember seeing this when it showed each week on the TV. We believed in imminant nuclear war, so the sense of doominess is authentic to the time. The original idea came from Terry Nation the creator of Dr Who and so a master of Sci Fi TV in the UK. What differs here is that the plot line is used to explore social structure and ethical questions through the 'what if' device. All this is great, but watching it recently I had to stop at the beginning of series 3 as I could not cope with the wooden acting any more. It increasingly seemed that the characters were just 'types' and I lost interest. The children were especially bad, but I think this was common in TV at the time in the UK. So in sum I'd be inclined to suggest you have a look at season one for the idea. Season 2 for some development if you liked it, but probably steer clear of season 3 unless you are hooked.

I remember this when it first aired, fiction? Yeah, right!. It now looks increasingly like this fiction made it all the way to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The world is in the grip of a pandemic and although the death rate isn't as bad as the fictional series, the economic cost is horrendous.

They should definitely show this again, or maybe the woke warriors would complain too loudly.

Seeing as "Doctor Who" and "Blake's 7" were two of my earliest childhood TV obsessions, I can claim to be somewhat of a Terry Nation completist now having just finished this show as well. I notice a lot of similarities between how this show changed over time with "Blake's 7", which started up not long after this show wrapped. For one, both shows lose their central characters but continue on after a supporting character is given a chance to carry the show. Both shows open on a serious note and routinely go back to a central plot carrying things forward, but often have side episodes that seem to have little to do with the greater story.

Compared to "Blake's", this show feels much cheaper and messier, though I really appreciate it being a pioneer TV show of how human beings will handle a post-apocalyptic scenario long before "Jericho" or "The Walking Dead". A pandemic (originating in China) destroying human society feels eerily realistic these days, and this show nicely deals with a litany of issues from how food production and energy would have to be managed, along with security, communication, religion, and family all having been irreparably altered by events. It's a limitless well of potential that this show could have delved into even deeper.

This show evolves significantly even mid-season, with Season 1 beginning as travel-focused in search for family but settles into a story about managing a small compound. Season 2 loses much of the cast and shifts things over to a small village, preferring to double-down on the domestic issues. Season 3 shakes things up and goes back to wandering around after losing almost all of its central cast. It goes in some interesting directions but unfortunately drops many interesting subplots and never truly feels like things come together. Instead it's almost like their writing staff were continually having to "wing it" after losing a location or an actor and being presented with shooting location opportunities at the last minute. It's missing an overall plan, but generally the writing and acting are of a professional enough level that they help elevate things.

One of my favorite episodes would be the 2-parter called "Lights of London" as it placed an enormous importance on getting society going again and how this particular group may be one of human kind's last hopes. There's a subplot presented about a big move to an island that they need to gear up for, which would have been a very interesting story to return to later on, but no such luck.

I do give credit to the series though for making me sad at every character death, knowing that each human left is so critical to the continuance of mankind as a species. All throughout though, especially in season 3, we get presented with antagonistic characters (brigands and aspiring tyrants) who the world certainly could do without. The show rarely presents the moral quandary of what must be done with characters who drag everyone down but at the same time remain necessary in some way.

There's two characters sort of like this with Tom Price and Hubert who both come off as irredeemably antisocial and annoying but both get a chance to prove themselves somewhat. I particularly enjoyed Price's final episode, as up to that point I was confused why anyone was putting up with him. Come to think of it, malingerers, criminals, and generally lazy people will not just go away after society falls apart, so their shortcomings would be something that he more heroic individuals would realistically need to manage.

I wish I had seen this show earlier as I spent a bit of time back in 2009 with Ian McCulloch, who seemed much fonder of his writing contributions for the show than his acting. His character seems more "the brain" of this show than any other and the glue that holds it together, so with him missing in most of Season 3 it felt like the show loses a lot of cohesion and destined to fall apart. It's sad that all these years later we don't have another, better quality and more thought-out version of this concept using the best of this show as a road map. As it stands, "Survivors" is some quality sci fi from one of TV's greatest minds, exemplifying the limitless potential and serious disappointing shortcomings that would typify most of what Nation produced.

I am a huge fan of this show. I first saw it on PBS about 10 years ago and I have been looking to purchase it ever since. To be honest the obsession has almost driven me mad.

It was an awesome Sci-Fi show that I recommend to any fans of post-pandemic movies/series. The "Survivors" go through different trials as they attempt to remain civil and alive. The series does not start by just dropping you off, it shows you the virus and the people before everyone dies, which gives the show a stable base. I never saw the end of the series.

And if you all could spread the word that we would like a USA Zone 1 version that would be great! Thank you!