Pandemic SURVIVORS .. Re-Posted:

Is it a good time to re-post this piece about pandemics?

Over three years between 1975 and 1977 - The BBC showed a very popular TV series 'SURVIVORS' that ran to 38 episodes before being cut for "lack of funding".

Survivor's story line was about a flu-like deadly pandemic that decimates the world's population before any remedial action can be taken .. and their theme has the disease accidentally escaping from a research laboratory in Asia and rapidly spreading around the world by infected air travellers.

- the few survivors flee from the cities and try to build small subsistence communities while relearning rural living skills ..

Written by Terry Nation - I've always thought that this original series was excellent and very thought provoking - So much so that I am the proud owner of the BBCs boxed multi DVD set!(Amazon records that I bought the set 4th April 2013 .. Great value shipped for NZ$40 ).

- Mostly filmed in rural Herefordshire locations .. apart from the dated '70s model cars - this primer for preppers has aged well.'

Paperback Terry Nation Book:

- And now I also have a 2008 paperback of the book (first published in 1976).

 Terry Nation was a great writer who invented the Daleks , Doctor Who, and Blakes 7 as well as Survivors.

The book too is well worth your time - while the final section (Book3) is totally different to the TV Series.

( - The paper-back's cover-illustrations are from the much later 2008 TV "remake")

There are quiet a lot of guns featuring throughout the original series - mostly shotguns - but also rifles, military semi-autos that seem to be FN.FAL  (L1A1 SLR?) - and some handguns.. plus crossbows.

Greg & Abby:

The later 2008 Survivors is different again from both the book and original TV Series.

- It has the  same main story characters and general pandemic disease story line - but I feel its twelve episodes suffer in comparison with the '75-'77 version and is less memorable. - And it seems that the producers felt the same - as it was chopped early.

I see that there is a audio-book available from Big Finish Productions too.

Anyone watching or reading Terry Nations story must have their eyes opened to just how vulnerable organised society might be to "the plague" - certainly it has happened before,

 - even as recently as the influenza PANDEMIC of 1918 - That virus may have killed 100 million people worldwide.

No other event has ever killed so many (8,600) New Zealanders in such a short - two months period.

Marty K.