Friday, November 23, 2007

BBC Drama Productions acquires rights to develop 1970s series Survivors for BBC One

BBC Drama Productions has acquired the rights from the Terry Nation Estate to develop the Seventies drama series Survivors, it was announced today by Jane Tranter, BBC Controller, Fiction.

Set in the present day, the new series will be written by Adrian Hodges (Ruby In The Smoke, Shadow In The North, Charles II and Primeval) for transmission on BBC One.

Launched in April 1975 on BBC One, Survivors ran for 38 episodes over three series.

The cult series focussed on a post-apocalyptic world, in the aftermath of a devastating plague which wipes out over 99% of the world's population, and how a group of individuals grappled with the trials of day-to-day survival.

Kate Harwood, Head of Series and Serials, BBC Drama Production, says: "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."

Adrian Hodges says: "Survivors was one of the bravest and most exciting programmes of its time and I'm thrilled to be involved with re-imagining it for a new audience.

"I remember its original impact vividly and I hope we can make a similar impression with the new version.

"Its themes remain as relevant as ever and while we will be staying faithful to many aspects of the original, we will also be bringing the story into the 21st Century and make it accessible to contemporary audiences."

BBC Drama Productions is a world leader in producing much loved and critically-acclaimed dramas, from classic adaptations such as the much-loved Cranford starring Dame Judi Dench and Jane Eyre, to last year's tense thriller The State Within, and next year's long-awaited adaptations of Lark Rise To Candleford and Sense And Sensibility.

A BBC Drama Production for BBC One, the executive producer of Survivors is Susan Hogg.

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