'Survivors' by Terry Nation British TV series 1975-19

Recently watched the first few episodes of this 1975 British production that is surprisingly engaging and very thought provoking about how different people react in the face of apocalypse.

Survivors' created by Terry Nation is a British TV series broadcast from 1975-1977. An accident at a bio lab unleashes a deadly virus that kills 99% of the human population. The aftermath leaves few survivors and a world that is thrust back to a pre industries period. The series centers on a group of survivors who come together shortly after the pandemic and learn to survive in the aftermath.

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It seems all the episodes of 3 series are on Youtube, first one here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak1SrFGXgA4

It was remade in 2008 by BBC but cancelled after two series 'for operational reasons'

I saw this series some years ago, very good. The first season is the best one. I try to saw the new version but was unable to follow it because I had the impression that they wanted to sell me cars.

The old version is good because very realistic and puts you in the situation. I think is the best series talking about this subject. I think I will see it again! :)

loreta said:

I saw this series some years ago, very good. The first season is the best one. I try to saw the new version but was unable to follow it because I had the impression that they wanted to sell me cars.

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I can see how they could end up doing that. Lots of folk running around picking up cars they like appealing to a post-apocalypse consumer culture.

The old version is good because very realistic and puts you in the situation. I think is the best series talking about this subject. I think I will see it again! :)

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That's a good way of putting it. It does put one in the situation well.

Just watched a few episodes of series one. Some were interesting in the depiction of how self appointed, armed pathological types (and their authoritarian follewers) assumed charge over groups of people, were primarily concerned with 'security' and were more than ready to use violence to protect their little fiefdoms.

Nothing basic about how some groups will attempt to organise themselves will change or so it seems, even in a post apocalyptic world :(

I also vaguely remember watching the series when it was first broadcast in the 70's and it still packs quite a punch today. Thanks for tip.

We are currently watching the old version from the 70s. It's amazingly good and VERY thought provoking! We are just watching one episode per sitting and not every day, so it will take us awhile to get through it.

Highly recommended, so far, because the plague killing off most of humanity scenario is one that has repeated again and again throughout history and is extremely likely to do a rerun on steroids.

Laura said:

We are currently watching the old version from the 70s. It's amazingly good and VERY thought provoking!

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Glad to hear that you're enjoying it, I like the really surprising moral dilemma's that crop up that make one think how one would react in similar circumstances.

The first series is all very good, watched a few of the second and after the "Lights of London" (episodes 3 & 4), it drags a little especially the episodes starring the children. Found the following info explained why:

Popular writer Terry Nation (whose work included many scripts for Doctor Who) created the series, but he quit the show after the first series due to disputes with producer Terence Dudley.

The series' main actors included Carolyn Seymour, Lucy Fleming, Ian McCulloch and Denis Lill. The child actor Stephen Dudley (John) was given his part by his father, the show's producer Terence Dudley, _https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivors

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Still curious as to how it develops and just ordered the book on Amazon after reading some reviews:

The book follows the first series quite closely until about two thirds of the way though when it suddenly follows a new tack. Apparently this is the way Terry Nation would have liked the TV series to go but creative differences took over.

It's certainly a page turner and has you thinking how things would be these days if something similar happened. Ideal material for relaxing by the pool on holiday but probably not for the more sensitive reader. Gritty realism is the order of the day and the twist at the end is truly gut-wrenching. _http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/1409102645/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

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I'm currently on episode 3 and it is really good! I agree that it's very interesting how different people react to being put in the same situation.

This series made me think about The Stand, by Stephen King. And maybe that King took the idea from it. In the novel we can see also how people try to live a dramatic situation like this, how they try also to remake a society. The similarity is also of the "reason" of the death of the population: a flu.

Edit: I have an anecdote, I hope it is not noise.
When I read The Stand the first time it was around the 80's. I came to see my grand-mother here in Spain. I told to her the story of the book. Here in Spain when someone sneeze we say: "Jesus!". My grand-mother thought that this story about the Flu was very interesting and she also told me the reason why we say "Jesus!". When she was young the people utilized this expression because they were afraid of the microbes (very dangerous when you don't have medicine to cure anything at all) coming from the flu and that are present during the sneeze. They said "Jesus!" to ask the protection of him against sickness and death. Today we still say "Jesus!" but are unaware of why. So our seniors KNOW that a Flu can be the end of the world. ;D

We watched the first episode on disc three entitled "Law and Order" the other night. My god! I'm not sure if I even want to continue watching since it really is painful to see how ordinary people would behave in a situation where they are trying to survive the deaths of most of humanity.

What is clear is that these people really have no psychological knowledge and they are, to some extent, ponerized and it really shows.

One thing I'll say for it, the series displays all kinds of pathological types that one might encounter in such a scenario, including the people the stories are about! This last episode showed clearly how a truly pathological person can be a member of a group and create false impressions about another person who then takes the blame, while innocent. And then, how much like "Lord of the Flies" the situation can become. The ending was totally shocking: talk about making a HUGE error and then compounding it.

We decided that we will watch another episode but we needed a break because it is just TOO real in its portrayal of ordinary people who are NOT working on themselves and who do not have the habits of carefully gathering information and increasing their knowledge of psychopathology.

All 3 series are also available on youtube in 8 minute segments (maybe internationally?). First segment, first episode from series one -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak1SrFGXgA4

I think it is well worth watching since the likelihood of human beings having to face exactly this kind of event is highly probable.

Laura said:

I think it is well worth watching since the likelihood of human beings having to face exactly this kind of event is highly probable.

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Completely agree. I've been watching it and am up to the "Law and Order" episodes. This show really makes you think about the many scenarios that can occur.

Just ordered the old Survivors series on DVD, looking forward to it and will give some feedback.

The mere idea of a deadly plague inflicting most humans sends shivers down my spine.

Eboard10 said:

Just ordered the old Survivors series on DVD, looking forward to it and will give some feedback.

The mere idea of a deadly plague inflicting most humans sends shivers down my spine.

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What is most interesting about it is the way the people behave in response to it. The series appears to be trying to highlight this in little dramas. It's definitely a 70s thing, so the production values are not what we are accustomed to nowadays, and they avoid any direct unpleasantness in terms of physical violence which is fine by me. What is most interesting is the script and plot in reference to Political Ponerology and imagining similar things at different points in history which help to explain how things got the way they are today.

I'm watching it now. I'm up to episode 3 of series 1. I had watched part 1 of episode 1 when this thread was first posted and never got around to continuing.

It's already pretty unnerving. And the beginnings of ponerization are already being foreshadowed. I'll continue watching in a few minutes.