Julie Graham – Abby Grant
For Julie Graham's character in Survivors, life before the virus strikes prepares her for the challenges she's confronting in its aftermath.
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Having seen her son Peter nearly die from leukaemia, Abby has reserves of courage that make her stand out in a harsh new world. The trouble is, she doesn't know whether Peter is dead or alive.
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"That's what keeps her going – her search for him," Julie explains. "She's nearly lost Peter once before, and I think going through that has given her a certain strength.
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"Being thrust into this extraordinary situation brings it out of Abby. She realises she has qualities which she didn't realise she possessed. She surprises herself, although her skills are more emotional rather than practical."
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Although Abby's overriding aim is to find her son, she takes on the mantle of matriarch for a disparate band of survivors who come together.
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"She's definitely the bonding influence on the group, the one who keeps them together," says Julie, whose career spans more than 22 years.
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"But having to put her search for Peter on hold while she gets on with the day-to-day struggle of surviving is very hard. That's the real dilemma for her as a character."
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Working on Survivors sparked happy memories for the Scottish star of her late mother, who she recalls being an avid viewer of the original Seventies ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ series.
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"I was about 10 when it began. I remember my mum watching it and really loving it, and people talking about it a lot," says Julie.
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"My cousin, who's eight or nine years older than me, remembers it vividly and found it absolutely terrifying. She was very excited when I got a part in the new series."
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As was Julie, who confesses to being a real science-fiction aficionado.
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"My mum was a huge fan - I remember when I was 16 she gave me Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, the novel on which Blade Runner is based.
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"So I kind of got the bug through her. I was a massive fan of Doctor Who and still am, and I'm sure I've infected my own children!"
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However, Julie believes what was originally seen as science-fiction when created by the genre's British TV giant Terry Nation is now perceived as something likely to happen.
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"What makes it even more relevant today is that people are more concerned about the future of the planet and whatever it is that will end up wiping us all out.
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"Whether that's in 10 years time or 100 years, and whether it's a virus or a meteor strike or war, everybody is more aware now of the possibility.
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"So when you present a concept such as Survivors, there's no giant leap of faith to be made by the audience any more, you absolutely think it could happen quite easily.
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"And in places like Britain, where we all live in such close proximity to each other, you can see how quickly a virus like the one in the series would spread."
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Julie believes that the Western world's increased reliance on technology since the original series was first aired also makes the time ripe for a re-imagining of Survivors.
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"We're such babies now. In some ways, we have regressed because we're so dependent on technology in our everyday lives that we'd be helpless without it.
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"I try to look at it from my daughter's point of view – things such as air travel, the internet – she just takes it all for granted, and she's only four-and-a-half.
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"I think most of us would be absolutely lost in Abby's situation – I'd definitely want to be on Ray Mears's team!
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"The whole technology thing is another reason why I love the story, but if it hadn't been backed up by the strength of Adrian Hodges' scripts there'd be no point.
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"We haven't set out to do a re-make. In the new Survivors there's a lot of leeway in terms of changing the characters, or introducing new ones.
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"For instance, the Tom Price character [Max Beesley] in our series is nothing like the one in the original, but he still brings an edge to the group."
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So does Julie feel any pressure for Survivors in 2008 to live up to, or even surpass, the appeal of the original?
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"I don't," she laughs, "but I'm sure Adrian does!"
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