Zoë Tapper – Dr Anya Raczynski
Of all the characters who come together in the aftermath of the virus in Survivors, Zoë Tapper's is perhaps the most traumatised by her experiences.
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Although she hides it beneath a calm, detached exterior, young doctor Anya is haunted by her helplessness in the face of the plague which overwhelms her hospital – she is the only person to escape with her life from its devastated wards.
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"Anya definitely veers towards being an outsider, because of what she's been through," says Zoë, who found fame as Nell Gwynne in Richard Eyre's 2004 film Stage Beauty.
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"Watching everyone dying and not being able to do anything about it is such a distressing thing for someone whose profession it is to save lives.
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"She pretty much has a huge breakdown and has to make a decision to move on, but she is very distrustful of people and keeps her secrets very well-guarded.
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"For a long time, the rest of the group don't even know that she's a doctor. The others are more willing to talk about their lives and who they are than she is."
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Attractive and enigmatic, Anya attracts the attentions of both Al (Phillip Rhys), who still sees himself as a ladies' man, and Tom (Max Beesley), who is hiding some even darker secrets of his own.
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"The dynamic between the men is great," says Zoë. "One of the great things about the series is that Adrian Hodges, the writer, plants a lot of seeds so there's opportunities for the characters to go in a number of different directions, and that keeps it really fresh."
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The Bromley-born actress is hoping the new version of Survivors has as much impact as the original series, although she is too young to recall it.
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"I'd heard of it, though, and it's amazing how many people do remember it and loved it," she says. "It was a real hit and people wanted to stay in to watch it.
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"Like the old series, the new one has got elements of sci-fi in it, but I think we very much focus on the human stories.
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"The first episode is all about the virus and how it brings the survivors together. Of course, they talk about what they've lost, there's an element of that, but it's very much about going forward.
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"I do believe the instinct to survive in all of us is huge, but I don't think you realise it until you're in that kind of life-or-death situation. Having said that, as an actress, I'm sure I'd be hopeless!"
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