Survivors

Survivors
Episodes:	38
Year:	1975-1977
Country:	United Kingdom
Seasons:	3
Seasons Breakdown:	(1) 13, (2), 13 (3) 12.
Category:	Post-Apocalyptic
Colour:	Yes
Format:	Series
Company:	A BBC Production
Creator:	Terry Nation
Run Time (mins):	60
Language:	English
Type of Show:	Live Action
Status:	Ended
Broadcaster:	BBC
First Aired:	April 16, 1975
Last Aired:	June 8, 1977

Summary

The Survivors is a British television drama created by Terry Nation, also known for developing Blake's 7 and the Daleks in Doctor Who. The series depicts the aftermath of a global pandemic that eradicates approximately 99 per cent of the human population. The catastrophe originates from a laboratory‑engineered virus that is inadvertently released and rapidly disseminates across international borders. Mortality is near‑total; only a small minority survive either through natural immunity or rare recovery.

Set primarily in Britain, the narrative examines the lives of individuals attempting to rebuild society amid the collapse of modern civilisation. The programme presents a stark portrayal of post‑pandemic existence, emphasising the extent to which contemporary life depends on complex social and technological infrastructure. As the series illustrates, advancements in civilisation have led to widespread reliance on specialised labour, agriculture being a central example, leaving survivors ill‑equipped to meet basic needs without industrial support.

In the immediate aftermath, survivors rely on scavenging the remnants of pre‑plague society. As essential goods deteriorate or are exhausted, small communities begin to form in rural areas, avoiding towns filled with unburied bodies and disease risks. These groups gradually adopt subsistence farming and basic craftsmanship. Over time, communities establish contact with one another, collaborate on replacing manufactured items that are wearing out, and undertake efforts to restore electrical power. By the conclusion of the third and final series, humanity is depicted as being tentatively but decisively on the path toward re‑establishing organised civilisation.

Cast

Abby Grant CAROLYN SEYMOUR (1),Jenny Richard LUCY FLEMMING, Greg Preston IAN MCCULLOCH, Tom Price TALFRYN THOMAS (1), John STEPHEN DUDLEY, Lizzie TANYA RONDAR (1,2), Vic Thatcher TERRY SCULLY (1), Vic Thatcher HUGH WALTERS, Paul Pitman CHRISTOPHER TRANCHELL (1,2), Mrs. Emma Cohen HANA-MARIA PRAVDA (1), Arthur Russel MICHAEL GOVER (1,2), Charles Vaughan DENNIS LILL (2,3), Pet Simpson LORNA LEWIS (2,3), Ruth Anderson CELIA GREGORY (2), Hubert JOHN ABINERI (2), Jack GORDON SALKILD (2), Alec WILLIAM DYSART (3), Owen KEVIN VARNIER (3), Agnes ANNA PITT (3), Dave PETER DUNCAN (2), Sally JUNE PAGE (2), Melanie HEATHER WRIGHT (2), Danielle GIGI GATTI (2), Alan STEPHEN TATE (2), Wendy JULIA NEWBERT (1), Lizzie ANGIE STEVENS (3), Charmian Wentworth EILEEN HELSBY,