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Aidan Parsons, Fleetwood on December 24th, 2008
very good. the last episode is the best, even though i'm in episode 4. great show
Steve, England on December 23rd, 2008
Some very good performances, but the whole thing is horribly unrealistic and dragged down by the BBC's political correctness. The opening episode was promising, well filmed, with interesting plot and character development, even though the PC element was already well to the forefront. The survivors were chosen by box-ticking, so, woman, tick, black bloke, tick, Asian lad, tick...and they even managed to work a lesbian into the story. All these people of course meet and bond, and work as a team. But to make the story work, they need enemies. And of course, the only people who've been unquestionably evil so far are white working class, one group in the population which the BBC really doesn't seem to like very much. Then there's the fact everyone seems, weeks after the disaster, to be so clean and well fed. Also, the fight scenes have been almost comically badly choreographed. The Max Beesley character is supposed to be well hard, but I suspect he would not survive long in a fight, based on what's been shown so far.
Paula from Scotland on December 7th, 2008
Not very realistic- where are the feral dogs munching on the bodies of the dead?
Paul Thompson - Hertfordshire on December 5th, 2008
I was a real fan of the 1970s programme and bought the series on DVD about a year ago. I was waiting with real anticipation when I heard it was to run again on the BBC. What a load of rubbish. Sorry, but it just smacks of political correctness gone bonkers. Who came up with that mix of characters sorry but it is just too predictable and totally unrealistic. The BBC made sure it got a nice even racial mix in there so predictable. Episode 2 whats with the screen shrinking never heard of sub titles for the hard of hearing? Such a major distraction and really the final straw for me. More political correctness surprised they have not had a disabled actor in the line up yet but I am sure that will come soon? Episode 3 saw the preview and again, predictable greeny hog wash and proper gander will be the order of the day ! I have not seen it yet, not going to bother, such a massive disappointment all round. BBC could have saved a shed load of money and run the original which is far, far superior. Never ever posted comments before, never been moved to do, shame it was not to praise the poor attempt on the screen now.
chris, brighton on December 2nd, 2008
where the original was genuinely chilling and realistic, the result of briliant title/credit sequences, no non diegetic music, evocative but bleak English landscapes, and, at times, some rather amboguous characters, this version employs so many generic techniques, (dollying in, shallow focus, portentous soundtrack) that all sense of realism is lost. Despite the cut glass accents and well laundered clothing of the original, you could almost smell the decay and fear of the survivors world. This new version appears to offer both scientic hope and the possibility of a world which is only marginally less comfortable than before. Far too cosy........and rather dull.
Paul, Cheltenham on November 27th, 2008
I enjoyed it. Seems like it's either "hate or love" judging from reviews.
Ian Neath on November 25th, 2008
So many awful moments: The hostel guy deciding to go for a ramble after burying the boys. The doctor throwing her friends photo in the canal, the "conflict" between the playboy and kid. The zombie-like characterisation of the guy going to some farm. And the dreadful, dreadful rousing speech at the end. This has all the potential to be a cult hit, for the wrong reasons.
Andy, Warwickshire on November 25th, 2008
I thought the programme was brilliant. I do think that it's a bit strange how all these people met up so quickly. Despite that I enjoyed 90 minutes of drama
Kevin, Salisbury on November 24th, 2008
Your reviewer should take a drug test - what programme were they watching? What do you make of a drama where there are a group of people on a road looking lost and there are no road signs anywhere to be seen? Duh. The biggest problem is the characters themselves - I just don't care if they survive or not. I don't like them. Ii can't relate to them. Nevermind, things turn nasty next episode when horrible humans go all territorial - Makes you wonder why the virus didn't kill off the whole flipping lot. We don't deserve the earth we're ruining.
Gary, Portrush.NI on November 24th, 2008
They all found each other to quickly and there was no drama, times have changed it would not be all doom and gloom we would still have access to tec, get a solar panel or wind turbine from b&q, charge laptops and walkie talkies from the thousands of still working cars etc etc etc. We are more savy today than in the 70s
Gawain on November 24th, 2008
Truly awful is the only way I can describe it. I watched the episode in anticipation of it at least matching the quality of the original 70s series - it utterly failed. The acting was dire, the script utterly predictable and a complete lack of tension. Bring back a re-run of the original - better in every way!
Craig, Glasgow on November 24th, 2008
5 Stars? I think who ever wrote that must have been infected by the same virus! What a load of cack!! Yes...cack!!! It was as dull as a BBC 4 documentary and Abby's speech at the end was horrific! Crossroads acting at best! I will be watching something else on Tuesday!
Vanessa, London on November 24th, 2008
I thought this was great. It had the right balance of things you see in real life now useless (particularly pertinent in the many 4-lane motorway scenes) and sheer terror from the characters, particularly Julie Graham, who i usually find annoying. One thing I liked about the style was that it was terribly British. The inclusion of so many things that British people will alone recognise served to underline how the sudden demise of electronic communications would render us all local - far more local than before. No more 'global'; no more 'international'; no more 'national'. Yes, the scene where they play football in the road with the obligatory 'bonding' indie music spoilt it for me, causing me to actually get up and almost walk out of the room. However, it was shortlived, and I soon got back into trying to guess who was going to be all the characters I remember from the 1970s version. The other thing I don't understand is the stuff at the end. Is it trying to spoil the story? Why include this in the first episode? This last scene makes it seem a whole lot more 'Torchwood' than it needs to be - leave off that stuff for a few weeks! One thing about this version, far fewer beards in the first episode than in the original.
Rhys, Wales on November 24th, 2008
Gripping, intense and fantastic
Teeaybee, Shetland on November 24th, 2008
I was a fan of the original Terry Nation series and was wondering if the remake culture would once again destroy something I enjoyed. I watched the first 90 minute episode and was pleasantly surprised as I thought it was well set, well propped and well made. The dialogue was a little rote and some of the principal acting pretty wooden - Al should have his name changed to Plank. The last scene in the lab was just terrible. What with shows like "Fringe" and "The X-Files" getting us used to complex plots and subtle scenes, to close the episode in such a weakly linked manner was as a previous poster said "Bonekickers" level. That said, I look forward to the next offering and expect like the original series a wobbly start leading to a good story. Once again, brilliantly shot and produced, and I hope that the script tightens up and the portrayal of the characters improves.
David, Lincoln UK on November 24th, 2008
It's in the BBC's remit to offer more of this type of drama & rightly so but this needed good direction & that's what it lacked. the amount of unrealistic moments/situations were many which left me struggling to use my imagination to fill the gaps. Also, I had the feeling of PC(ism) the Muslim angle & the black buy wanting to be a farmer - trying to break stereotypes for the sake of it just annoyed me as I felt I was being lectured. In short a poor show.
Deb, Portugal on November 24th, 2008
I was wondering why when Abby came back to life she burned her husband's body. Surely there was a chance he could have come back to life too????
hel on November 24th, 2008
hey, do you know when that woman obsessed with peter died and came back to life (she complained of a lump and fever), well couldn't this mean that the same will happen to Freema, or is it just me? Because they were the only two people who were shown to have the lumps? I loved it :)
Sam, Manchester on November 24th, 2008
BRING BACK FREEMA!
farzana on November 24th, 2008
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbad
Eliot, London on November 24th, 2008
You're kidding me? This was Bonekickers-level tosh: every line of dialogue, every piece of the plot was crushingly obvious and boring. No style whatsoever, it was just crap.
Sue Smith, cornwall on November 24th, 2008
Virtually no dramatic tension despite the end-of-the-world scenario, poor direction, generally weak performances and truly appalling background music... What a shame.
Rob, Plymouth on November 24th, 2008
Was worried after Newsnight Review roundly panned it but they seemed to forget that the fantasy genre doesn't shackle writers to total realism. Still worried at the start - has the premise been over-used? Will it cheapen the excellence of the first series from the 70s (which only started to get patchy in series 2 and 3)? No, it was superb - refreshingly slow-to-build and very well executed without being too bombastic and showy.
Paul Hertfordshire on November 24th, 2008
Script was wooden and predictable and not a single character left that I want to survive the series. Everyone still walking around in designer clothing and maxfactor showing absolutely no emotional response to the catastrophe around them. Everyone sitting there accepting that the Gov't was doing a grand job which was fairly accurate I guess! A scene stolen from "I am Legend" with the annoying Asian guy in his precious Audi speeding around London. Muslim lad couldn't care less about his predicament or the loss of his family, instead he gets a football out without a care in the world! Roads all conveniently clear, not a dead body in sight outdoors, no vermin or wild animals. Beeseley not remotely panicked by the fact that he could have been shut in his cell left to rot. I'd liked to have seen something in the vein of the 1980's BBC drama 'Threads' but instead we get this dumbed down trollop because today's kids need to be wrapped in cotton wool. So far not a patch on the superb original series I'm sorry to say.
Nat, Australia on November 24th, 2008
'surprisingly touching Freema Agyeman' 'Surprisingly' my ass.
Jim Poole, Norwich on November 24th, 2008
Very much a modern version of a cult classic. While the concept has not changed, the echo of Terry Nation's masterpiece is very much present throughout. Movies such as 28 days later and I am legend have told similar tales, this reimagining by the BBC does it with style and with class. Wonderful performances all round, but it would have been nice for Max Beesley to have given Tom Price a Welsh accent just as a little nod to the original. Good job BBC, now give us "Blakes Seven" ;)
Jen London on November 24th, 2008
The death of Jenny really disrupted the drama of the show. I was always waiting for her to come back something. From when that fake-out death with that mother happened we mostly my family were taking the piss out of most of the characters. (However I think we taking the piss of it from the start) My sister was sure she saw more of Jenny in the trailer so that kept my hopes up, my mum didn't see Jenny die so she kept thinking she was going back. It was Okay though it seemed to drag a bit.
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