Survivors:
The BasicsA brief history of the first release Survivors series one on VHS
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The BBC Worldwide video release
In 1993, the BBC released the first series of Survivors on a set of six PAL VHS tapes. The first five of these contained two episodes each; the sixth and concluding tape comprised the final three episodes of series one.
The BBC produced a one-minute trailer to promote the release,
based on clips from The Fourth Horseman with an overlayed
narration. Towards the end, the narrator's voice asked, in a suitably
ominous tone: "Will this be the end of one world... or the birth of another?",
before the closing on-screen caption declared: "Coming soon from BBC Video".
The trailer was used as a short ‘teaser’ advertisement on a parallel BBC
Worldwide video release of (at least one volume of) Terry Nation's Blake’s
7, although no indication was given on-screen that the two programmes
shared the same creator.
The release of Survivors' first series was widely
welcomed across the genre press, with – for example – Anthony Brown in
Dreamwatch celebrating the release of the fourth tape in the
series with the observation: “Law & Order, as far as
I’m concerned, is perhaps British telefantasy’s finest hour, and personally
speaking I’d have had no hesitation in giving it a ten” (September 1993).
Reviewing the release in TV Zone, Survivors' actor (and
later scriptwriter) Ian McCulloch was pleased to observe: “I can say with
total honesty that contrary to my worst fears they remain as fresh and
original as ever. From the first picture on the screen with its accompanying
brooding and threatening music to the final credits and each episode’s
moment of hope, my family — none of whom had seen the series — sat
rooted” (Issue 47).
Unfortunately, sales of the six tapes in the high street were
not sufficiently strong for BBC Worldwide to green-light the subsequent
release of Survivors' second or third series. Expressing his
disappointment at the decision, McCulloch noted that an “abject lack of
promotion and advertising” appeared to have sealed the release’s fate
(TV Zone, Issue 52). Others have suggested that the failure of
a highly significant distribution deal with a key high-street chain lost
BBC Worlwide a stream of critically important sales. Whatever the balance of explanations, the 1993 VHS release would
be the last time that the BBC would attempt to release the series
under its own imprint – all future releases of the programme would be
licensed to other entertainment companies.
Long since deleted by BBC Worldwide, second-hand copies of
this video release of Survivors first series regularly appear
for sale on internet auction sites. However, in the ten years before Survivors was finally released on DVD, the first series of the show would be issued on video for a second time.
Cover price: £12.99.
Order from:
Amazon.co.uk
Play.com | Telos
| The End of the World?
For an authoritative and comprehensive guide to all aspects of Survivors read The End of the World?: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Survivors, co-authored by Rich Cross and Andy Priestner. Published by Telos Publishing in December 2005, and now in its third printing.
Richly illustrated with behind-the-scenes photos, the book includes: Guides to the production of each of the three series of the show; reviews and analysis of all 38 episodes; assessments of the core themes of each series; character and location guides... and much more besides.
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