Survivors – a new drama series for µþµþ°äÌý°¿²Ô±ð – starts Sunday 23 November 2008, 9.00-10.30pm
Introduction
Survivors – starring Julie Graham, Max Beesley, Paterson Joseph, Zoë Tapper, Phillip Rhys, Nikki Amuka–Bird and Freema Agyeman – is Adrian Hodges's (Ruby In The Smoke, Shadow In The North, Charles II and Primeval) exciting new six-part character-based drama series for µþµþ°äÌý°¿²Ô±ð produced by ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Drama Production.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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"What would you do if you were faced with the unimaginable?" says Kate Harwood, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Head of Drama Series & Serials.
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"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?
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"We have managed to assemble a magnificent cast in a series set to take audiences on an emotional roller coaster ride."
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"Survivors is about what it means to be human," adds writer and executive producer Adrian Hodges.
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"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?
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"Survivors is about adventure, fear, love, loyalty and friendship. But above all, it's about new hope."
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Survivors by Adrian Hodges is a re-imagining of the classic Seventies ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ drama series, and is based on the novel by Terry Nation.
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The cast include (in alphabetical order): Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who; Torchwood) as Jenny; Nikki Amuka–Bird (No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency; Five Days) as Samantha Willis; Max Beesley (Hotel Babylon) as Tom Price; Shaun Dingwall (Doctor Who) as David; Julie Graham (William And Mary; Bonekickers) as Abby Grant; Paterson Joseph (Jekyll; The Beach; Peep Show) as Greg; Phillip Rhys (24; Nip/Tuck; Flatland) as Al; Zoë Tapper (Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky; The Last Van Helsing) as Anya and newcomer Chahak Patel as 11-year-old Najid.
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Survivors is a ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Drama Production for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ One. The producer is Hugh Warren (Frankenstein; The Chase); directors are John Alexander (Life On Mars; Sense And Sensibility); Andrew Gunn (Life on Mars); Iain B MacDonald (Bonekickers) and Jamie Payne (Primeval).
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The executive producers are Susan Hogg (Lark Rise To Candleford; Waking The Dead) and Adrian Hodges.
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Survivors was commissioned by Jane Tranter, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Controller, Fiction.
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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Drama Production is a world leader in producing much-loved and critically-acclaimed dramas including Cranford, Oliver Twist, Five Days, Waking The Dead, Lark Rise To Candleford, Sense And Sensibility; ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Four's recent Curse Of Comedy season, plus Criminal Justice starring Ben Whishaw, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Two's House Of Saddam, Tess Of The D'Urbervilles and the new 14-part series Little Dorrit on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ One.
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Viewers will have the chance to catch up on every episode of Survivors at any time during the series, using the new series stacking function on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ iPlayer. Rather than individual episodes only being available for seven days, series stacking means viewers will be able to enjoy any episode, after it has first been broadcast, for the duration of the entire series.
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Survivors is also being shown on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ HD – the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s high definition channel available through Freesat, Sky and Virgin Media. With up to five times more detail than standard definition television, HD gives exceptionally vivid colours and crisp pictures to make Survivors a truly cinematic TV experience.
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Online with Survivors
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If you were one of the last to survive, how would you choose to live? Viewers will be able to find out what kind of survivor they would be with Survivors Interactive at bbc.co.uk/survivors.
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Notes to Editors
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Launched in April 1975 on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ One, Survivors ran for 38Ìýepisodes over three series.
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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Drama Production acquired the rights to develop the drama series from the Terry Nation Estate in 2007.
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Survivors by Adrian Hodges is based on the novel written by Terry Nation.
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AF
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