The Stage

BBC to remake seventies cult drama Survivors

Published Thursday 22 November 2007 at 15:55 by Matthew Hemley

Seventies drama Survivors is to be remade by the BBC after the Corporation acquired the rights to develop it from creator Terry Nation’s estate.

Set in the present day, the new series will be penned by Primeval and The Ruby in the Smoke writer Adrian Hodges and will be broadcast on BBC1.

The original drama, which also played on BBC1, focussed on a post-apocalyptic world in the aftermath of a plague that has wiped out most of mankind and a group of individuals trying to survive.

It was launched in 1975 and ran for 38 episodes over three series.

Hodges said the theme of the drama was as “relevant as ever”, adding that his version will stay faithful to many aspects of the original, whilst being “accessible to a contemporary audience”.

BBC head of series and serials Kate Harwood said: “The opportunity to remake Survivors for a modern generation proved irresistible. After months of negotiations, I am delighted that one of British television’s great cult series will return with original stories packed with adventure and spirit, set against the backdrop of our own recognisable world.”