Survivors: A World Away – Page 11 – Survivors: A World Away

Big Finish announce two new Survivors audio boxsets

BIG FINISH HAVE today (13 July 2021) announced the release of two new boxsets of original full-cast Survivors audio adventures – starring Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant) and Lucy Fleming (Jenny Richards).

The first set of three new stories in the Survivors: New Dawn series will be released in November 2021, which the second volume following in February 2022.

A press release from Big Finish provides a host of details about the new releases:

Based on Terry Nation‘s BBC TV series which ran from 1975-77, Survivors is a post-apocalyptic drama concerning the plight of a group of people who have survived a worldwide plague. As they fight against the odds – and each other – to survive, you’re never quite sure who’s going to make it from one episode to the next
Due for release in November 2021 and February 2022 respectively, New Dawn 1 and New Dawn 2 find original TV series regulars Abby Grant (Carolyn Seymour) and Jenny Richards (Lucy Fleming) returning to an England devastated by disease, and facing a renewed fight for survival alongside faces old and new.
“The world has ended. The pandemic crossed continents, sparing only a fraction of the global population. The survivors are now trying to pick up the pieces and rebuild society to create a new future. But with only a handful of towns and cities starting to rise from the ashes, and governance and law-making in a fragile, fledging state, everyone must start over. And the worst of human nature has survived along with the best…“
The three adventures in Survivors: New Dawn 1 are as follows:
* Tethered by Andrew Smith
* My Generation by Katherine Armitage
* Behind You by Roland Moore
And the three tales in Survivors: New Dawn 2 are:
* Bad Blood by Lizbeth Myles
* When First We Practice to Deceive by Andrew Smith
* Last Stand by Roland Moore
Producer Emma Haigh said: “I’m so pleased Survivors is returning for another two box sets. In these stories we explore how communities and society rebuild after such life-changing experiences and look to a brighter future. And I couldn’t be happier to be back working with Carolyn and Lucy and the team.”
Carolyn Seymour said: “I love Abby! She’s so over the top but such a fantastic woman, and I love being back working with Luce. It’s like we’ve never not being doing this in a way, we slip right back into the same rhythm – it’s just heaven!”
Lucy Fleming added: “It’s just bliss – it’s like putting on a lovely old pair of shoes! Recording is just so much fun, and particularly with these scripts – they’ve moved the story forward a lot, so the characters and the circumstances have changed.”
“It’s a wonderful position to be in, to play the same character years and years later from when you first played it – and to have not aged at all!”
Survivors: New Dawn 1 is due for release in November 2021 and is now available to pre-order at £19.99 as a collector’s edition CD box set or £16.99 as a download here.
Survivors: New Dawn 2 is due for release in February 2022 and is now available to pre-order at £19.99 as a collector’s edition CD box set or £16.99 as a download HERE.
Big Finish listeners can save more by pre-ordering both Survivors: New Dawn box sets together as a bundle on CD at £38 and on digital download at £33.
Praise for previous Survivors series:
“Endlessly inventive, fascinating and thoroughly addictive.” – Mass Movement
“Survivors continues to be a challenging and thought-provoking series…far more than simply surviving, Survivors is thriving on audio.” – IndieMac User
“Intelligent, literate and superbly scripted and performed, this is post-apocalyptic drama of the highest possible calibre.” – Starburst
“Survivors really is something special. 10/10.” – SciFi Bulletin
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.

Carolyn Seymour and Lucy Fleming - Big Finish - New Dawn

Steve Brailsford

STEVE BRAILSFORD, ONE of the catalysts responsible for the emergence of organised Survivors fandom in the 1990s and active within it ever since, has died.

Long-time friend and fellow Survivors fan activist Adrian Hulme writes:

Many of those involved with the world of Survivors fandom since the 1990s will have connected with Steve Brailsford at some point. Those who knew Steve well, and who counted him as a friend, will be deeply saddened at his untimely passing.

Steve made a massive contribution to Survivors fandom. From the start he was heavily involved, and continued in a major way for well over 20 years. A true fan till the end, he had most recently been running the Survivors Newsletter Facebook page.

An enthusiast for the programme since it was first shown on BBC1 in 1975, Steve later recalled that although he “loved Abby, Greg and Jenny’s characters”, he was especially pleased by the arrival of Paul Pitman in Spoil of War – “probably identifying him with my own ‘social category’ at the time,” he suggested. After he watched the third series finale Power (“an excellent episode in its own right”, he judged), he was dismayed to discover there would be no fourth series of Survivors. “I even sent in a script”, he revealed.

It was the arrival of Survivors on satellite TV in the UK in the 1990s that rekindled Steve’s interest in the show, even though he only had terrestrial TV at home at the time Survivors began screening. I remember him telling the tale of hiding the remote control for the Sky TV in his local pub so he could watch Survivors‘ first appearance on UK Gold. This was much to the annoyance of the regulars wanting to watch the Grand Prix at the time.

Steve was right there at the start. He attended the Dreamwatch convention in 1994, which was really the kick-off point for the era of Survivors fandom that continues to this day. Steve wrote a report on the convention in the very first issue of Over The Hills. Through that fanzine he got to know Bob Meade and Mark Wheatley. Together with Mark he organised the very first organised Survivors fan event, which took place in Herefordshire on 7 September 1996. This ground-breaking location trip included a lengthy tour of the the grounds and castle interior of Hampton Court, a venue that it was all-but impossible to get access to at the time.

Steve was a regular on virtually every Survivors location trip, or ‘Reunion’ as they were called, over the following two decades. Steve and Lynne Sweetman pioneered the Survivors Hampton Picnic, an event that continues to this day.

Steve loved an on-location ‘re-enactment’ of a scene from the series, often joining in the action (and supplying the dialogue) or directing from the sidelines. He was game for anything, and joined in laughing, joking or just strolling through life. If a ‘Reunion’ took fans anywhere near water (be it a river, a ford, a stream or a weir), you could guarantee that Steve would want to paddle, wade or swim in it, whatever the time of year and regardless of the weather.

The world was a better, calmer place when you were with him. Many a happy hour was spent in his company at the evening get-togethers that were always an integral part of fan location trips.

Steve was a talented singer and guitarist, performing at open mike events locally and at several fan gatherings. He took great pride in recording his own version of the song Reaping and Sowing (available on YouTube), in tribute to the original version written by Ian McCulloch (Greg Preston) which featured in the first series Survivors episode Corn Dolly.

Through his activities in Survivors fandom Steve met Lynne Sweetman and became involved in the publication Bridgehead, which evolved into the Survivors Newsletter which ran for 72 issues in total. Although Steve only became credited as Editor from issue 16, there is no doubt he had an active hand in previous issues. Steve continued to work on compiling the Newsletter throughout its run as a print publication and was without doubt its chief contributor. When the Newsletter came to an end in physical format, Steve helped to set up a Facebook presence. When Lynne died in January 2018, Steve amended the name of the Survivors Newsletter Facebook page in her honour, and continued to run and post material to the site.

Steve and Lynne had a deep and strong friendship over many years. For those who read the famous “small print” section of the Newsletter, they would see Steve referred to as her “friend in the North” in every issue.

Steve enjoyed writing and made probably the biggest contribution of anyone to the genre of Survivors “fan fiction”. He wrote stories for both Over The Hills and the Newsletter. In 1995 he self-published three standalone Survivors tales: The Darkest Hour, Land of the Free and The Hills of Home. This was followed up in 1996 by two contributions to an anthology produced with Mark Wheatley: The Long Run and Contact. Steve’s last published work of Survivors fiction appeared in issue 71 of the Newsletter, and followed on from the events in the finale of the BBC’s 2008-2010 remake.

Steve took life with ease. He always walked forward hand open stretched and greeted you with a great smile and a warm handshake.

Those that knew him will raise a glass in his honour. But perhaps, better still, they will remember him every time they have a paddle in the waters of Survivors.

Top Bloke, Survivors Legend. You are really missed mate.

Adrian Hulme, 20 June 2021

Steve passed away in hospital on Sunday 13 June 2021

Big Finish podcast spotlights fourth series of Survivors audios – with discount offer

Big Finish - Survivors - series four - audios - cover

THE LATEST BIG Finish podcast (13 June 2021) picked the fourth series of Survivors audio adventures for a one-week price discount.

In each episode of the Big Finish podcast, hosts Nicholas Briggs and Benji Clifford used the super-secret technology of the Randomoid Selectortron to pick a title from the Big Finish back catalogue.

The pair then share recollections of the making of that Big Finish release, and then offer listeners a seven-day-only 25% discount on the list price of that title.

This week’s podcast 2021-06-13 War Doctor Begins saw the Randomoid Selectortron choose Survivors: Series 4 for the discount offer.

“Excellent fun. Always loved working on the Survivors stuff,” says Clifford of the selection, as he recalls his musical and vocal contributions to the series’ sound design. After a replay of the original pre-release trailer, Briggs notes that the release received “great reviews”, and reads out several glowing review quotes from the genre press (including one from the writer of this site that was published in Starburst). “Some winning stuff there,” Clifford agrees.

To take advantage of the offer, following the simple instructions on the podcast page (up until Sunday 20 June, when a new title will be selected).

In other Survivors-related Big Finish news, Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant) returns to the latest series of The Robots (volume four) “from the worlds of BBC Doctor Who” as the character of Ullmann. This latest instalment in the The Robots saga is released later this month and is available for pre-order from the Big Finish site.

Cover of Big Finish's The Robots: Volume Four

Hampton Court interiors reopen for self-guided tours

The libary at Hampton Court in Herefordshire

THE MOST RECENT changes to Coronavirus precautions in effect at Hampton Court in Herefordshire, a key filming location for six episodes of the first series of Suvivors, mean that limited access to the castle interiors is now available once again.

Access to the grounds and gardens at Hampton Court, along with limited access to the Orangery cafe, was reenabled on 1 April 2021. At that time, the castle interiors remained inaccessible.

In the last few days, and in line with the evolving government Covid guidelines, visitor access to the castle been opened up – for self-guided tours.

Because staff will not be accompanying visitor groups inside the castle, some areas (such as the main stone staircase and first floor landing) will remain out of bounds.

Self-guided tours will be available between 11:00 and 16:00, with access to the castle provided through the Orangery cafe.

A statement on the Hampton Court web site explains the updated arrangements:

Following government guidelines, we will be opening up in stages this year.
Our gardens and grounds are now open, with the exception of the Maze and the Gothic Tower which have to remain closed to ensure effective social distancing. Please see the Visit Us page for opening times and prices for the gardens.
Coronavirus precautions will be in place across the estate and please adhere to relevant signage. The Orangery Cafe will be offering a limited menu for both inside and outside seating. The Gift Shop and Ice Cream Parlour will remain closed for the time being, but prepackaged ice creams are available from the Orangery Cafe. The Castle is open for self-guided tours only. These are available between 11am and 4pm and entrance to the castle tour is in the Orangery Cafe.
We will be able to open more facilities throughout the following weeks and months, in line with the government’s step system. Please keep an eye on our website, or follow us on Facebook or Instagram, for more information and details of any upcoming events.
We welcome feedback from visitors and are happy to answer any questions. Please speak to a member of staff during your visit or email us at visit@hamptoncourtcastle.co.uk.

Monsal Dale provides base for new episode of Countryfile

BBC1 Countryfile - 16 May 2021 - iPlayer title screen

MONSAL DALE, THE key filming location for the third series Survivors episode Mad Dog, provides the ‘centre of operations’ for the ‘White Peak’ episode of Countryfile, first shown on BBC1 on 16 May 2021.

Presenters Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith introduce all segments of the show from different locations in the Monsal Valley in the heart of the Peak District to “celebrate the 70th anniversary of the UK’s first national park”.

Key sites from across the Dale feature throughout the episode, which ends with the creation of an artwork (made from natural materials) on the valley floor beneath the viaduct (close to the spot where Charles Vaughan tumbles from his horse in the opening moments of Mad Dog).

Matt joins a pioneering scheme to restore ruined farm buildings and meets ‘legend’ of the Peak District Gordon Miller, one of the area’s early rangers and a last link to those who brought about the national park. Charlotte channels her inner artist to help create a giant anniversary art mural and records the special sounds of the park’s waterways. Sean Fletcher meets a ‘tyre runner’ using the Peak District’s hills to help his mental health. Meanwhile, as some of his traditional crops fail, Adam takes a glimpse at what the farming of tomorrow might look like, and Joe Crowley investigates new pollution laws causing controversy in the countryside.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000w72y/countryfile-white-peak

Countryfile - White Peak - May 2021 - An aerial view of the Monsal Dale viaduct

Countryfile - White Peak - May 2021 - The Monsal Dale viaduct viewed from the valley floor

Hampton Court to open ‘luxury holiday cottages’ in castle grounds

Hampton Court on Antiques Roadtrip (S21, E17) - the house and garden from the air - shot two

THE RECENTLY REVAMPED Hampton Court web site reveals the estate’s plans to open ‘luxury holiday cottages’ in a ‘quiet part of the grounds’ as an additional revenue stream that can help to ‘protect the long term future of the estate’.

Few details have been provided as yet, but the development suggests that (rental costs and availability permitting) Survivors fans could have the chance to enjoy a residential break inside the grounds of the show’s most iconic series one location.

The first of the cottages, which appear to be renovations of existing structures on the estate’s grounds, are expected to open in 2022. The announcement on the site explains:

Hampton Court Castle has been an important part of the Herefordshire countryside for over 600 years. Over the centuries the estate has evolved and it is still being added to and updated now.
The latest part of this work is the development of luxury holiday cottages. This new venture will bring life to a quiet part of the grounds, restoring and preserving some of the old buildings, while helping to protect the long term future of the estate.
The first holiday cottages will open in 2022, and will allow visitors a chance to stay on the Castle grounds and explore the beautiful Herefordshire countryside. They will provide an ideal base for walking, cycling or just relaxing and enjoying the sumptuous food and drink that is on offer in Herefordshire.
Each cottage will be sympathetically restored and designed to be a home away from home, maintaining many original features as well as modern comforts.

The redesigned Hampton Court web site also integrates drone and ground-level video footage of the main castle, the formal gardens and the grounds of the estate into its main design.

Hampton Court Castle re-opened the estate to visitors on 1 April 2021, although the castle building is not currently accessible and other Covid safety restrictions remain in effect.

Out now – Carolyn Seymour: In Conversation

BIG FINISH HAVE today (6 April) released, in digital download format, Carolyn Seymour: In Conversation – a two-hour conversation between the celebrated genre actor and voice artist and interviewer Toby Hadoke.

A new Big Finish press statement announcing the release gives more details:

Released today is an in-depth conversation about the life and career of Carolyn Seymour, an actress of renown in the UK and the US and best known to Big Finish listeners as Abby Grant in Survivors. Now she sits down to talk to Toby Hadoke about her astonishing career and life outside of the spotlight, unfiltered and unvarnished.

This is the latest release in the incredibly popular Big Finish in Conversation series, where listeners get the opportunity to spend quality time in the company of their heroes, exploring their life stories in frank detail.

Big Finish in Conversation: Carolyn Seymour is now available as a digital download for just £7.99, exclusively HERE!

Known best to Big Finish listeners as Abby Grant in Survivors, Carolyn Seymour is an actress who is equally at home in a Hollywood blockbuster, a British cult comedy or drama series. She played Jenny in Take Three Girls, Zita in the Steptoe & Son movie, and starred on the silver screen alongside Peter O’Toole, Albert Finney and Michael Keaton in a career that has lasted five decades.

Now she opens up in an exclusive two-hour interview with writer, actor and comedian Toby Hadoke, talking with openness and honesty about her astonishing career and life outside of the spotlight.

Carolyn Seymour said: “I have always hated giving interviews, and always, in my effort to be diplomatic, my words would be twisted into some kind of other person’s thoughts. This interview isn’t like that! I didn’t have to worry about that with Toby, so he asked the questions, and I gave him the answers, unedited and totally frank. What you get is purely and simply me. I hope that you get to know me a little, I hope that I don’t seem as distant as I might have done. My life has been full, challenging, sometimes a joy, and other times not so much… but work has always saved my soul. I thank [Big Finish senior producer] David Richardson for helping me to heal, and listening to my myriad stories with patience and humour!”

David Richardson added: “I first noticed Carolyn Seymour when I was 14 years old – her performance as Abby Grant in Survivors made me take notice. Abby was, without a doubt, one of the first strong roles for women on TV. And from there I carried on watching Carolyn’s amazing work through her career – over to America, playing such memorable characters on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, Quantum Leap… so many, many shows. I never dreamed I’d be lucky enough to work with her, or even better to know her as a friend, but in 2014 I was able to track her down to France, and over the last seven years she has become a regular player at Big Finish.

“I know, from sitting in the green room with her, that Carolyn has the most fascinating life stories to tell. It’s a rich and sometimes dark journey – but here she shares it with Toby Hadoke without varnish. She calls herself an open book, and this is a book you won’t be able to put down. This time spent with Carolyn Seymour is time well spent indeed.”

Big Finish in Conversation: Carolyn Seymour is now available as a digital download for just £7.99, exclusively HERE!

This release contains adult material and may not be suitable for younger listeners.

Hampton Court Castle and the Severn Valley Railway prepare to reopen to visitors

The rear of Hampton Court Castle in Herefordshire

TWO OF THE most popular current-day tourist attractions which provided filming locations for Survivors back in the 1970s, and which have remained inaccessible during Covid lockdown restrictions, are now preparing to re-open and welcome visitors once more.

Hampton Court Castle, the location used throughout the latter episodes of series one of Survivors as the site for ‘The Grange’, re-opened its gates on 1 April 2021. With Covid restrictions still placing limits on how far people are allowed to travel, access to Hampton Court Castle is currently intended for “local people” only.

Those local visitors will be able to access the formal gardens, the ‘river walk’, and the main grounds of the estate. At present, the castle itself, together with the Gothic tower and the gift shop, remain closed. There will be some restrictions to movement through the gardens, including a one-way system that can ensure adherence to social distancing. The cafe will be open, providing takeaway services only, offering a limited menu.

Rail services on the Severn Valley Railway, which provided locations for the series three Survivors episodes Law of the Jungle, Mad Dog, and Bridgehead (and footage used in Power), will recommence on Monday 12 April.

Services will run between Bridgnorth and Kidderminster, with seats needing to be pre-booked for “travel in a private compartment or reserved table seats” on “specially tailored return trips”. Stations along the line will only be accessible to those with pre-booked tickets for specific journeys. The Engine House will remained closed until 17 May 2021, and there are social distancing restrictions and additional safety protocols in place whilst travelling.

A programme of events, including ‘steam galas’ and special services, has been announced for the coming months.

A SVR video, produced during last year’s easing of lockdown restrictions, gives a good indication of how services will operate in the coming weeks and months.

Myra Frances (Anne Tranter, Survivors S1) dies aged 78

Myra Frances - Anne Tranter - Genesis - Survivors

MYRA FRANCES, WHO played the role of Anne Tranter in two episodes of series one of Survivors, has died of cancer just weeks after her seventy-eighth birthday.

Frances’ death, at 01:30 on Tuesday 30 March 2021, was announced on social media today by her husband of 45 years the actor Peter Egan. The couple had married on 13 February 1977, and had a daughter, Rebecca Egan – who has also pursued a career as an actor.

The news of Frances’ passing was quickly picked up by news agencies, including the Daily Mail, Daily Express, The Sun, OK, The Independent and Metro. Frances’ obituary in The Guardian (13 April 2021) has the most detailed discussion of her “powerful portrayal… as a screen villain” in Survivors.

The character of ‘spoilt rich girl’ Tranter first appeared in Survivors‘ second episode “Genesis”, when she flags down Greg’s car on the main road next to a quarry. Wrapped in a fur coat, and with an immaculate appearance, her character makes an immediate impression. She insists that Greg help her, by freeing her partner Vic Thatcher who’s become trapped under an overturned tractor.

Tranter, who had enjoyed a life of privilege and indulgence before The Death, soon has Greg lined up to replace the now seriously injured Vic. When Greg insists on leaving, she abandons the patient to his fate telling the returning Greg, now in the company of Jenny Richards, that the injured Vic was already dead.

Myra Frances - Anne Tranter - and Ian McCulloch - Greg Preston - in Genesis - Survivors

Tranter later refuses to join Greg and Jenny as they head off into the night to trace the source of the signal from Abby’s fire. Her disappearance is referred to in the next episode “Gone Away”, when Greg confirms to Abby that she was no longer in the barn the trio were overnighting in when Greg made good on his pledge to return to collect her.

Frances’ formidable character returns in the eleventh episode “Revenge”, when Tranter arrives at the Grange settlement in the company of the good-natured tanker driver Donny. With Vic rescued from his isolation at the quarry and now living as part of Abby’s community, the scene is set for a confrontation between Vic and Anne – with him determined that she must account for her wickedness and cruelty in leaving him “to die in his own filth”.

When the two are finally reconciled by their recognition of the value of life itself, she heads off alone towards an unknown future – but with a reaffirmed sense of self.

Myra Frances - Anne Tranter - Revenge - Survivors - 01

Myra Frances - Anne Tranter - Revenge - Survivors - 02

Prior to her retirement, Frances had enjoyed a successful and varied screen career.

As well as her appearance in Survivors, she also memorably guest-starred in the 1979 Doctor Who story ‘The Creature from the Pit’ in the role of Lady Adrasta.

Frances also played the role of Stella Clisby, in series four of Hadleigh, and appeared in a number of episodes of the lunchtime legal series Crown Court.

In addition, she appeared in episodes of The Sweeney, Z-Cars, Angels, Within These Walls, The Newcomers and The Organisation – the show on which she met her future husband.

The day before her death, MyLondon coincidentally ran a short feature recalling the controversy that surrounded Frances’ appearance alongside Alison Steadman in the BBC drama Girl, where their characters shared what was claimed to be the first lesbian kiss on British television.

On the big screen she took roles in films including Don’t Just Lie There, Say Something!, Very Like a Whale and Remembrance.

In retirement, and alongside her husband, Myra Frances devoted considerable time and effort supporting animal charities and campaigning for better treatment of animals.

UPDATED 24 April 2021

Carolyn Seymour: In Conversation – Big Finish podcast preview

THE 28 MARCH 2021 Big Finish podcast, presented by Nicholas Briggs and Benji Clifford, includes a preview from the upcoming audio release Carolyn Seymour: In Conversation.

The Centurion Seymour edition of the podcast is available to stream or download from the Big Finish web site, and through all usual podcast plaforms and services.

The preview includes a discussion of the personal and professional challenges that Seymour experienced working on the Steptoe and Son movie and securing the role of Abby Grant on Survivors. She also reflects on the sexist culture that afflicted the entertainment industry during the 1970s, and the impact that this had on women working in film and TV.

After the preview, the hosts discuss how much they have enjoyed working with Carolyn on Big Finish productions since she began to lend her audio talents to the company’s output. Briggs and Clifford also reflect on how positive their personal interactions in the studio always are with this most singular of actors.

Known best to Big Finish listeners as Abby Grant in Survivors, Carolyn Seymour is an actress who is equally at home in a Hollywood blockbuster, a British cult comedy or drama series. She played Jenny in Take Three Girls, Zita in the Steptoe & Son movie, and starred on the silver screen alongside Peter O’Toole, Albert Finney and Michael Keaton in a career that has lasted five decades.
Now she opens up in an exclusive two-hour interview with writer, actor and comedian Toby Hadoke, talking with openness and honesty about her astonishing career and life outside of the spotlight.
Please note release contains discussion of alcoholism and attempted suicide and therefore is not suitable for younger listeners.

Big Finish have also released the first trailer from the release, which can also be listened to on, and downloaded from, the Big Finish site.