‘Survivors’ to Debut on BBC This Fall
If you’re wondering where Freema Agyeman went after leaving Doctor Who behind, you will be pleased to know she became a Survivor. She was cast in the remake of the Terry Nation Survivors series from the 1970s. The new incarnation will be debuting on the BBC this fall in a six-episode inaugural season. She is joined in the cast by Nikki Amuka–Bird (No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency) as Samantha Willis; Max Beesley (Hotel Babylon) as Tom Price; Shaun Dingwall (Doctor Who) as David; Julie Graham (Bonekickers) as Abby Grant; Paterson Joseph (Jekyll) as Greg; Phillip Rhys (24) as Al; Zoë Tapper (The Last Van Helsing) as Anya and newcomer Chahak Patel as 11-year-old Najid.
Agyeman was written out of the third season of Torchwood in a feud between rival production channels.
BBC Drama Productions pursued the remake rights for some time before finally obtaining them in 2007 and handing production over to Adrian Hodges (Primeval). Nation’s original novel is being republished by Orion Publishing, hitting shops this past Thursday. Also, the BBC is releasing the original series on DVD, comprising all 38 episodes, in a 12-disc box set on November 24.
According to press material from the BBC, the series is described this way:
Imagine being the only survivor of a disease that kills every member of your family that kills lovers, strangers, friends, nearly everyone you’ve ever met. You are among the lonely few to live and now you must start over in a strange new world where everything that was once safe and familiar is now strange and dangerous.
Set in the present day, the drama series focuses on the world in the aftermath of a devastating virus which wipes out most of the world’s population.
What would we do? How would any of us cope in a brave new world where all traditional 21st-century comforts – electricity, clean running water, advanced technology – have disappeared?
These are the questions faced by the bewildered but resilient group of survivors at the centre of the drama. It is an opportunity for new beginnings but, with no society, no police and no law and order, they now face terrible dangers – not just the daily struggle for food and water but also the deadly threat from other survivors.
For the new series, the BBC has added BBC iPlayer to its website so viewers can catch up with any episode during the six week run. Additionally, the series will be played on BBC HD – the BBC’s high definition channel available through Freesat, Sky and Virgin Media
"What would you do if you were faced with the unimaginable?" says Kate Harwood, BBC Head of Drama Series & Serials.
"Survivors is an exciting new drama series which asks the most fundamental of questions. How would the human spirit endure when faced with the most exciting and terrifying adventures?
"We have managed to assemble a magnificent cast in a series set to take audiences on an emotional roller coaster ride."
"Survivors is about what it means to be human," adds writer and executive producer Adrian Hodges.
"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?
"Survivors is about adventure, fear, love, loyalty and friendship. But above all, it’s about new hope."
Sounds like Jeremiah. Then again, I guess Jeremiah sounded like Survivors.