Hi i loved this series as a child and have series one two and three on dvd, the first series written by terry nation is brilliant, the second is patchy but has its moments, the third is just awfull, no really lol does anyone else think so? i have not seen the fourth so i cant comment on it but the third was so bad i didnt want to see the fourth!
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Yep your right there is no fourth series, i did read that there was a further series that was never released but apparently this is bs, still i am glad since the third series was so very poor that no more were made, they never really matched the quality of the first series it was downhill from there on in:)
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Thanks for that, it probably explains the confusion with the notion that a fourth was made.:)
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I'm not sure it's all down to Terry Nation leaving, but I do agree that some of his scripts are really good, and - moreso - that his concept for the show is one I seem to prefer to what was later mandated.
I think the first six or seven episodes of Survivors are not just fantastic, but are easily among my favourite episodes of any TV show ever. The rest of the first season is still pretty darn good (some episodes - such as Law and Order - are excellent), but are a slightly different pace/style, with things settled down at The Grange (something I am admittedly not as fond of as the "wandering" of the earlier episodes). A few of the loose ends (ie. Wormley!) are a bit annoying, but otherwise series 1 is a very fine set of stories.
Series 2 has some good episodes too, but by and large it is my least favourite series... the "comfort" of sitting around in one place, and the fact that going into detail about soap making and farming techniques - while interesting - really bogs down the stories, IMO. The Lights of London two-parter is the closest we get to a Survivors "movie", despite its limits, and there are some especially noteworthy guest performances this season to enjoy (eg. Pat Troughton, Philip Madoc, Roger Lloyd-Pack, John Line).
I much prefer how series 3 gets back on the road again (after what I consider a rather dreadful opening episode). Law of the Jungle, Mad Dog and Ian's few episodes are particular favourites of mine. The second-last episode ties everything together and gives some sense of closure, though the last episode seems rather redundant and almost like the first episode of the non-existent series 4.
Season 1 was best in my opinion. I think it got worse after each season.
shareIn a way there was a fourth series, and a fifth, sixth and seventh - it was called Blake's 7
Series 3 ended with Greg becoming a political figure, also being the only person in Northern England that could be trusted (the petrol notes?) He supposedly died but we never saw what happened to him, although the Norwegian girl probably only told Jenny he was dead under Greg's instructions to prevent her seeking him - remember he was carrying a killer disease and she had a young child.
Also we saw the re-activation of the hydro-electric power stations, but there was fear over who sat in the control seat, as this person would control the country (the episode was called "Power").
In series 1 of Blake's 7 we met Blake, who was once a political figure, the only person who could be trusted, "Have you ever met an honest man" "Perhaps", he'd almost been killed but kept alive as a model citizen. Also in this the wrong people had control of the technology "Not until Power is back with the honest man".
In Survivors, the original idea was where people were trying to live without technology, after Terry Nation left, they were trying to restore technology. In Blake's 7 the technology was there but Blake was trying to destroy it to prevent the Federation's strangle hold on the human race.
As a huge fan of both shows, this post made me smile!
Terry Nation was famous for recycling ideas (and indeed, actual scripts!) but while hit and miss as a writer, he was a fantastic "ideas man". Survivors and B7 take fairly standard concepts and make them fresh and thought-provoking. In both cases, however, I would say it was a different writer (Chris Boucher for B7 and arguably Jack Ronder for Survivors) who had more of a hand in making the shows what they were than Terry himself.
As for B7, I always felt Greg was a possible ancestor of Avon, or a parallel dimension version of him at least. :) Cynical, loner, borderline sociopath techs/engineers for whom killing becomes more and more justified, yet capable of being reluctant heroes when needed.