Survivors: New Dawn 4 audio box set released today

Survivors New Dawn 4

BIG FINISH HAVE today (26 September 2023) released the new, original Survivors audio box set New Dawn 4 – the final instalment in the New Dawn series.

Survivors: New Dawn 4 is available to buy – on CD, as a digital download or as a combination of both – from the Big Finish site.

As the New Dawn series concludes, Big Finish indicate that the company’s work on the show has reached its endpoint with the release of Survivors‘ “final stories” on audio which “bring Abby and Jenny’s journey to an end.”

This is a clear statement that Big Finish are not planning any further Survivors audio releases (either as full-cast dramas or audio books), either set during the time of the original TV series or in the New Dawn era.

Since the launch of Big Finish’s Survivors audio range in 2014, nine series of original-series-related audios have been released (36 stories in total), four New Dawn boxsets (12 episodes in total) and three Survivors audio books.

Reviews of each of three episodes in the Survivors: New Dawn box set will be published on this site shortly.


Survivors comes to an end 

It’s the end of the world as we know it as the Survivors’ final stories are released today from Big Finish Productions.  

Since 2014, Big Finish’s audio drama series, Survivors, has been exploring at how humanity would survive in the aftermath of a global pandemic.

Developed from Terry Nation’s 1970s television series, the latest box set in the audio continuation examines the lives of Abby Grant (played by Carolyn Seymour) and Jenny Richards (played by Lucy Fleming), and how life is developing under the New Federal Government.

It’s been a generation since The Death killed over 99% of the population. A new breed of people have grown up free from the trappings of 20th century civilisation, and those still clinging to the past find they must adapt or die.

Survivors: New Dawn 4 is now available to own as a collector’s edition 3-disc CD box set (+ download for just £19.99) or as a digital download only (for just £16.99), exclusively here.

This release contains three stories:

Albion by Ken Bentley

Continuing their journey south, Abby and Jenny venture for the first time to Kent. There they find a strange new world where the mistakes of the past are being repeated in the present, and where life is hard for those without the skills to survive. 

Fallout by Matt Fitton

With Jenny taken by an unknown enemy, Abby sets out on a desperate search. Her journey leads into dangerous territory. An old friend is on hand to help, but Ruth has worries of her own. Together, Ruth and Abby look into the mystery of sickness around Dungeness. Will they find Jenny before it’s too late? 

Requiem by Ken Bentley

Abby and Ruth finally come face to face with the strange and elusive people of Kent. They soon find themselves on the wrong side of a bitter conflict which forces them to question everything they thought they knew about life in the new world. 

NOTE: Survivors contains adult material and is not suitable for younger listeners.

Co-writer and director Ken Bentley, who has been part of the Survivors range at Big Finish since its first day in studio, admits there’s a degree of pride in the way that it’s grown and developed over the years: “Survivors has been one of my most fulfilling creative experiences and it’s been a real honour to be one of the custodians of these characters and this story world.

“It was always our intention to be true to Terry Nation’s original vision. Back in 1975, the very first episode of Survivors was about Abby and Jenny and it followed their experience of the world breaking down. It was written very much from a female perspective including a number of dramatic moments that are unique to women.

“From the beginning of the audio series we tried to remain true to that vision and one of the most exciting things about working on these final episodes has been the opportunity to bring Abby and Jenny’s journey to an end.

“We probably didn’t fully appreciate at the time what an ambitious odyssey the audio series would turn into, but it’s been hugely satisfying to continue the story of two women surviving against all the odds.”

Survivors: New Dawn 4 is now available to own for just £19.99 (collector’s edition 3-disc CD box set + download) or £16.99 (download only).

Big Finish listeners can save money by purchasing Survivors: New Dawn 3 and 4 together in a bundle for just £38 (collector’s edition CD box set + download) or £33 (download only).

All the above prices include the special pre-order discount and are subject to change after general release.

Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mail-out of collector’s edition CDs may be delayed due to factors beyond our control, but all purchases of this release unlock a digital copy that can be immediately downloaded or played on the Big Finish app from the release date.

Big Finish, 26 September 2023

Big Finish podcast previews release of Survivors: New Dawn 4 audios

TODAY’S BIG FINISH podcast previews this week’s release of the Survivors: New Dawn 4 audio boxset, including a sneak peak of the set’s behind-the-scenes interviews and a free fifteen minute ‘drama tease’ of the opening episode “Albion”.

These latest Survivors audios offer “some of the best writing you’ll ever hear from Big Finish,” says co-host Nicholas Briggs, and feature “beautifully played” performances from Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant) and Lucy Fleming (Jenny Richards).

“It’s brilliant, isn’t it?”, adds co-host Benji Clifford. “Survivors is fantastic. It’s real drama. It’s got some fantastic actors in it. It’s got some fantastic characters in it. It’s dark and grim but it really showcases the core elements of… the human condition.”

“The scripts are so honest and real,” adds Briggs. “Doing the music is quite an emotionally exhausting – but ultimately nourishing – experience.”

Guest on the podcast, Big Finish magazine Vortex editor Kenny Smith, praises “the sound design on it, the music on it”. He commends it as “a wonderfully dark listen… very cleverly done.”

“The team behind Survivors really get it,” says Clifford. “They just understand what it is that makes this such a special series… I’m so proud of being a part of Survivors and I’m so proud of the team.”

This fourth box set, which brings to a conclusion the New Dawn series, remains available for pre-order until the day of general release.

Big Finish Podcast. 2023. ‘Room Survivors’. 24 September. https://www.bigfinish.com/podcasts/v/2023-09-24-room-survivors