TV: Survivors

Survivors

Terry Nation brings science fiction's post-apocalyptic subgenre to British TV screens.

The legend goes that Terry Nation got his TV break when Spike Milligan bought a sketch from him "because he looked hungry." Apocryphal or not, it is true that Nation began his writing career in sketch comedy before moving to science fiction, where he created the Daleks for Doctor Who. He subsequently wrote Survivors and then Blake's 7.

Set in a post-plague Britain, the survivors of the title are the only people to escape a virus that has killed the rest of Earth's population. At first, the survivors are shocked and search aimlessly for their loved ones, but soon decide to establish a community so that mankind can begin again. Survivors ran for 38 episodes over three series, and although the departure of Nation after the first series is thought to have led to a dip in quality, it remained popular with viewers - so much so that there are constant rumours of revivals and remakes.