DB7

It's a bit difficult to draw any conclusions as ep1 was just setting the scene and building the characters. I'm kinda lucky as having not seen the original I've no preconceptions.

CaptainWaggett

Where does the BBC claim it's not a remake? The press release quoted above used the word 'remake' in the headline. I thought it was pretty good - Front Row gave it a good review on Friday. Will be interested to see more of it. I think with drama being a lot more fast-paced now, they can easily get as much plot into 6 episodes as the 1970s series got into their first 13 part season.

Presumably most of the audience haven't seen the old series or have only vague memories of it so there won't be many people making comparisons.

Lord Brett

Which was the basic idea behind the original series, as I recall - Haven't watched it in years, but I remember the opening credits showed a doctory-type person dropping a test tube.

Steve Crook

Yes, but most of this one had it appearing to be a virulent but natural strain of flu that wiped everyone out. maybe we'll find out that it wasn't all that natural

Steve

Steve Crook

The Radio Times article and review said that the producers had been keen to stress that it wasn't a remake, but a "re-imagining"

It's really a remake from the same original story idea (by Terry Nation who I think is credited on this one). That doesn't mean that it has to be a shot-for-shot remake of the 1975 series or even follow the same story as that one did, beyond the initial premise of wiping out 90+% of the population.

Steve

Lord Brett

I thought the bit in the lab at the end was a very clever touch. Just when you thought you knew what the series was going to be about, a new plot element was introduced to peak the interest.

marker

I watched the original series and became a fan and have it on dvd, I thoroughly enjoyed last nights new series and look forward to the next episode.
I must admit I love to watch this type of series if only to pick a few holes insofar as what people actually do in order to basically survive in aftermath ,you always see there preferences as different to your own,I would not go to a foodshop first!!! rather a gunshop then a good 4x4, petrol then the foodshop/pharmacy.

Cheers Marker..... Black and White 405 Line TV Lives on

sippog

If you don't remember the original, it's easy to get hold of the dvd. I watched it a little while ago and one of the main differences that struck me was they filmed the new one in summer; whilst, in the original, it was a lot grimmer and rainier - especially when they got out into the country. More realistically British in other words.

The other thing that amuses me is that most of the characters in "doomsday" scenarios like this have obviously never read any sci-fi. As an SF buff, you would know immediately what to do if the world ended: get your hands on lots of weapons; then supplies and food; then find a place to hole-up in . Only one character in this SURVIVORS had a clue about his priorities.

I have a feeling a bigger budget and more technical facilities (i.e. CGI) aren't necessarily going to make this version an improvement . . .

If I had a swimming pool, it would probably burn down . . .

GRAEME

It is credited as being based on the novel by Terry Nation - which he wrote AFTER he left the series. The novel is pretty good and continues the story of Abbey looking for Peter.

One surprise was Jenny dying and her flatmates doctor girfriend becoming the second girly character of the main three.

The transmutation of the weasley welsh tramp Tom Price into a superhard Brit-gangster is a laugh though!

And aren't most of the characters so much less upper drawer than first time around!

All men leak.

Steve Crook

It looks like we're going to get a bit more about the men in the lab at the end of every episode

Steve

Maurice

Llanarth Court, near Raglan, Monmouthshire, made its first appearance, as Peter's school, in THE FOURTH HORSEMAN (broadcast 16/04/75).

Abby goes there, looking for Peter, finds his bed empty and meets Dr. Bronson.
The stable block and stone bridge were used for various scenes.

The present mansion was built in 1770, on the site of a much older building, by its original owners, the Herbert family.

The Chapel of St. Mary and St. Michael, a location for GONE TO THE ANGELS (broadcast 14/5/75), dates from about 1750.

Major-General Sir Ivor Herbert was created Lord Treowen in 1917. The title died with him as his only son died in the Great War.

Lord Treowen's only child, the Hon. Mrs. Fflorens Roch, donated the mansion to the Dominican Order in 1947. Llanarth Court became "Blackfriars", the preparatory school for their school at Laxton.

In 1967, the Dominicans gave up their schools, and, in August that year, the Benedictines of Belmont Abbey, Hereford, sent a community of five monks to Llanarth Court.

When SURVIVORS was made, Llanarth Court was Belmont's prep school.

The school closed in about 1986. Llanarth Court is now a mental health hospital.

Maurice

A comprehensive guide to the original SURVIVORS was published in December, 2005. There were positive reviews:

"THE END OF THE WORLD? The Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to 'Survivors' "
by Rich Cross and Andy Priestner (paperback, Telos Publishing)

DB7

Last night's wasn't bad but it felt a bit minor and inconsequential, and an hour was absorbed on two stories that were far from gripping. I'm sure if the world came crashing down tomorrow I could find more than one superstore.

There's also something clichéd in the casting, I'm sure if it were to happen in real life I'd meet lots of roughly similar people but in modern tv land it has to be a cross section of minorities.

winsfordtown

I thought trying to cover every demographic was just a bit to obivious. I'm not convinced Julie Graham's Abby comes across as quite the desperate mother in search of her son as Carolyn Seymour did. I felt that Seymour's Abby had an inner strength that is not there now.

716Jones

After watching the first two episodes, I'm not greatly impressed. Maybe it's because I'm familiar with the storyline from the original, but there doesn't seem to be any edge to the series. None of the cast seem to be trying particularly hard, and Julie Graham's performance is not up to Carolyn Seymour's.

It might be interesting to see where they're going with the Tom Price character, possibly to redeem himself from his criminal past by becoming the hero of the series? Certainly Max Beesley is very different to Talfryn Thomas!