BBC1 plans 'Survivors' remake for autumn

BBC One is to air a remake of post-apocalyptic 1970s series Survivors in the autumn.

The drama will star Julie Graham (Bonekickers), Max Beesley (Hotel Babylon), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Five Days) and Paterson Joseph (Peep Show) with a supporting cast including Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who).

Survivors is set in the present day in the aftermath of a virus which has wiped out most of the world's population.

Writer and executive producer Adrian Hodges (Ruby In The Smoke, Primeval) said: "Survivors is about what it means to be human. It asks questions about our nature and confronts us with our deepest fears.

"When everything else is stripped away, would we band together and find the best in ourselves, or would we fall apart and retreat into barbarism and savagery?"

Kate Harwood, BBC head of drama series and serials, added: "We have managed to assemble a magnificent cast in a series set to take audiences on an emotional rollercoaster ride."

The 1970s original, based on a novel by science fiction writer Terry Nation, ran for three series.