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'Survivors' S01E01: Part One

Published Sunday, Nov 23 2008, 22:30 GMT | By Ben Rawson-Jones | 29 comments

Survivors debuts in impressive style, with an episode that skilfully introduces the concept of the show, central themes and ensemble cast. Free from the action set-pieces that often dominate the sci-fi genre, this 'reimagining' of the 1970s cult classic rewards the audience's attention and provides plenty of thought-provoking material.

The tone of the show is unremittingly dark and realistic, and helps to successfully generate the whole 'what if?' scenario in viewers' minds. The government's response to the virus crisis is certainly authentic, with the spin machine assuring the public that the situation is under control when the opposite is true.

The only moment that shatters the illusion arrives during the motorway kickaround towards the end, when an intrusive non-diegetic rock song accompanies the visuals. It's a shame, as it takes us out of the bubble that's been so painstakingly created and reminds us that the whole project is a constructed artifice.

There's a bit of fun to be had guessing who will and won't survive until the end credits. The twist involving the resurrection of Julie Graham's Abby works well, because Spooks has shown that the BBC aren't afraid to kill off the supposed female lead early on in the series. However, in this case the poor Doctor Who contingent are the sacrificial lambs, as the surprisingly touching Freema Agyeman and Shaun Dingwall bite the dust.

A remarkable consistency is present throughout the performances. In particular, Max Beesley deserves credit for creating such a compelling anti-hero in Tom Price. The scene in which Tom slays the prison officer, a character who tries to enforce the old notion of justice in the 'new' world, is especially electrifying and ambiguous. Tom is seen here as a vicious, unrepentant murderer, yet he did offer the chance of a peaceful resolution beforehand.

Killing is second nature to Tom, but how far will the other characters go in order to secure their survival?

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Barry, Virginia, USA, on January 28th, 2010
Why does it seem that anytime a show in which less than 50% of the characters are white comes along that accusations of "political correctness gone mad" pop up? Being a white male myself I hadn't even thought about the racial or religious makeup of the characters until I read the reviews on here. There was even one person who commented on another episode that he considered Greg's plan to be a farmer to be one of the supposed PC moves of the show he found annoying. What the %!%&$? Why wouldn't he want to start growing his own food? Greg's a well-rounded and down to earth guy making a very logical decision under the circumstances. Also plenty of black people farm and have been farming for centuries all over the world, especially I've heard in Africa, or did you think they just hunted monkeys? And to the guy using the terms "hogwash" and "proper gander"... Enoch Powell called to offer you a job as his speechwriter in the afterlife. You haven't stepped out your front door since, oh, let's say about 1952, have you? Well, actually I take that back. I guess you had to once or twice to attend your local brownsh- I mean BNP march... er, rally. All in all I've found the whole series to be a very well-constructed and compelling drama with mass appeal (due to the execution, not the race of the main characters). It is much less ambitious than other reboots (which suits the storyline) and doesn't outshine the original, but it does effectively place the same situation in today's world. Its definitely not perfect, but it is well worth watching, and has all the necessary elements to produce very entertaining television.

john - reading, on January 4th, 2010
Having enjoyed but been frustrated by the original series in the 70's, I was yet again dissapointed in how poor the screenplay and the wasteage of what is a truly great story concept. I would have thought 30 years on we coul;d have done a much snappier job of this. The only up-side was some good scenes of deserted towns and motorways, and the cute young doctor girl !

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 1970’s 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 – what’s 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 :)

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