Visit the official Doctor Who website

Visit the official Doctor Who website
Look to the future

Asylum seekers...

Asylum seekers...
Refuge of the Daleks

Doctor Who picture resource

Doctor Who picture resource
Roam the space lanes!

Explore the Doctor Who classic series website

Explore the Doctor Who classic series website
Step back in time

Infiltrate The Hub of Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood

Infiltrate The Hub of Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood
Armed and extremely dangerous

Investigate The Sarah Jane Adventures

Investigate The Sarah Jane Adventures
Fearless in the face of adversity

Call on Dani’s House

Call on Dani’s House
Harmer’s a charmer

Intercept the UFO fabsite

Intercept the UFO fabsite
Defending the Earth against alien invaders!

Uncover the secrets of the Dollhouse

Uncover the secrets of the Dollhouse
Programmable agent Echo exposed!

Hell’s belles

Hell’s belles
Naughty but nice

Love Exposure

Love Exposure
Flash photography!

Primeval portal

Primeval portal
Dressed to kill or damsels in distress?

Charmed, to be sure!

Charmed, to be sure!
The witches of San Francisco

Take on t.A.T.u.

Take on t.A.T.u.
All the way from Moscow

Proceed to the Luther website

Proceed to the Luther website
John and Jenny discuss their next move

DCI Banks is on the case

DCI Banks is on the case
You can bet on it!

On The Grid with Spooks

On The Grid with Spooks
Secret agents of Section D

Bridge to Hustle

Bridge to Hustle
Shady characters

Life on Ashes To Ashes

Life on Ashes To Ashes
Coppers with a chequered past

Claire’s no Exile

Claire’s no Exile
Goose steps

Vexed is back on the beat!

Vexed is back on the beat!
Mismatched DI Armstrong and bright fast-tracker Georgina Dixon

Medium, both super and natural

Medium, both super and natural
Open the door to your dreams

Who’s that girl? (350-picture Slideshow)

Sunday 23 November 2008

Who Survives(?)


“Doctor Who” celebrates its forty-fifth anniversary today and there’s not a single programme on television to mark the occasion!

“The Bill” recently celebrated its twenty-fifth year, ITV slipping in a couple of special episodes just in the nick of time, before giving over most of its precious airspace to jungle idiocy. So, why can’t the BBC manage something similar, between dancing bouts, for its flagship science fiction series, especially now they claim it’s so popular once again? Too busy trying not to hurt the feelings of Jonathan Ross no doubt!

Ironically, the BBC are resurrecting Terry (Dalek creator) Nation’s post-apocalyptic “Survivors” tonight, based on his highly original novel and television series from the mid-Seventies. I don’t know whether I should be excited or give up the notion of ever seeing anything as remotely creative as television once was.

“Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)”, “Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons”, “Doctor Who” and now “Survivors”… what are the chances of the latter being as good, second time around, considering the quality of those other revivals when compared to their originals? The changes to the structure of the programme don’t bode well…

Two of the three lead characters of the original first season of “Survivors” are now a politically-correct shade of black while the endearingly brilliant Talfryn Thomas, as Tom Price, has morphed into Mr. chunky-hunky Max Beesley.

The new “Survivors” is brought to the Beeb by the same team who sold ITV “Primeval”. Fun as that was, the present undertaking needs to be grim.

It’ll be interesting to see how “Survivors” fares in the ratings up against the aforementioned, oh-so-popular, celebrity lunacy. I won’t hold my breath. Or, perhaps I should, given the nature of the epidemic! People want fun and what better way to have it than see people humiliated down under, credit crunching on bugs. Hopefully, “Survivors” will be intelligent, at the very least…

“Survivors” is the closest we’re going to get to “Doctor Who” (1963-89) tonight, to which I wish a very Happy Birthday!

8 comments:

doppelganger said...

unless, of course, they chosse the anniversary to announce Tennant's successor?

Still, you're right - it's poor fare from the BBC

Steve said...

The Beeb has a weird sense of honour and loyalty it seems to me - influenced rather noticeably by the loudest public opnion. Karen and I are going to give Survivors a go - we missed the original but both loved those kind of post apocalypse / disaster stories as a kid, my favourite always been Jphn Christopher's "Empty World" which has the same premise as Survivors.

TimeWarden said...

I don't think we'll hear who Tennant's successor is for a while, Doppelgänger, unless it's leaked and they're forced to announce it, though I'm sure the actor has already been chosen.

Thanks for the John Christopher recommendation, Steve. I've read "The Tripods" trilogy but not "Empty World" so I shall seek out a copy and give it a go. The synopsis in Wikipedia sounds very similar to "Survivors" which I hope both Karen and you will enjoy.

Steve said...

I definitely recommend it, TW. It's a "kid's book" but certainly not Enid Blyton and it holds its own admirably when re-read as an adult. It's hard to come by - out of print alas - but some good on-line resources should be able to furnish you with a copy. I can't remember where I got my copy otherwise I'd let you know!

Tim Atkinson said...

Me too! (It's the same with kid's TV as well.)

Old Cheeser said...

Belatedly, hello Tim. Hope you're good. What did you think of "The Survivors" remake then? I caught most of it the other night and have to say I was rather disappointed. There is something about the way TV shows are remade these days that seems to sap the life out of the originals (apart from Dr Who of course, he he)...and this was no exception. It was very glossy, with lots of gimmicky, fast-moving camera shots, but seemed to lack something fundamental. The acting was okay, the woman playing Abby being the best of the bunch and also it was good to see Nicky Amuka-Bird from the last series of T-Wood as a rather cold and efficient official. But the rest of the characters I didn't really give two hoots about. Freema A wasn't anything special either...The 70s original had so much more punch!

Ok, rant over.

And I forgot about DW's 45th anniversary!! Shameful.

OC.

TimeWarden said...

I shall try a few of the local libraries, Steve, you never know!

Children's telly was extraordinarily imaginative throughout the '60s and '70s, Dotterel.

Hi, Simon! Hope you're good, too, and the new job and driving lessons are going well.

I didn't dislike the new version of "Survivors" but it could never hope to match the original which remains amongst my all-time favourite series. For starters, how can you can top a title sequence and theme tune which were perfectly matched first time round?!!

Regarding the "Doctor Who" anniversary, I thought I'd better mention it in case I'm not here when the series reaches its 50th!

Michael Grant Clark said...

Survivors really is quite dire. I've been trying to watch it while forgetting the original but really can't, it was so much better than this one.

Couldn't Freema's character have survived by herself? I'd watch that version.