Survivors remake

[andygates]

Editorial decision - this is child-friendly.  Corvus corax with his sticky beak in granny's guts isn't.

The fires was an odd omission though.

[pcolbeck]

How long would you have to quite cities for before it was safe to go back scavenging ? Presumably after a certain point the bodies would have decomposed enough that cholera etc were no longer a risk. In the meantime out of town shopping centres would be a boon for once.

[toekneep]

The biggest let down for me was the fact that on the one hand the disease was supposedly flu like which would suggest that most people would be at home or in hospital when they finally died. On the other hand, there were many people who appeared to have died very suddenly, at the wheel of their car for example. The manner and speed of death would have made a very big difference to the scene left behind so I think it was quite a big oversight to get it wrong.

[Charlotte]

Summary:  Guns, lots of guns.

Sadly, I think this is quite true.  Human nature being what it is, in the event of most of our civil infrastructure disappearing, if you're living in a populous area then you'd better be well armed.

This reminds me - I must set up an archery boss at the SEEKRIT BUNKER.  It'll only be 20m or so, but then again, that's about right for most shots in the post-apocalyptic world.

[pcolbeck]

I did wonder about personal weapons. Swords might make a rather rapid comeback.

[andygates]

Excellent, lots of mall ninjas to mock. 

[pcolbeck]

I was thinking more along the lines of a 17th / 18th  century rapier. Something not too heavy but with an edge on both sides as well as a point.

[Charlotte]

You're still screwed - get yourself a decent machete and learn to run.

[Malandro]

Thing is, so far they've only shown around 20 survivors (though obviously there are meant to be more).  Aside from a few nutters, you'd think people would want to band together in order to survive rather than think about who they might have to shoot.  At least initially when no one really has any idea as to whats going on....

Perhaps I'm just being naive...

[vorsprung]

Thing is, so far they've only shown around 20 survivors (though obviously there are meant to be more).  Aside from a few nutters, you'd think people would want to band together in order to survive rather than think about who they might have to shoot.  At least initially when no one really has any idea as to whats going on....

Perhaps I'm just being naive...

The population of the UK is 50 million, approx.

1% of that is 500,000.  That's quite a lot of people still really

Why would you "band together" with a total stranger?

[Flying_Monkey]

I was sitting there watching it, tripping on "I would do this, this, this and I'm so ready for this shit..."

The conspiracy theorists would contend that releasing dramas like this is a way that the authorities are preparing us for the breakdown of society.

c.f. When the Wind Blows, Threads,

eh? Threads was considered to be so much against nuclear defence policy at the time (i.e.: it showed how useless our deterrent would be) that the BBC was forced to shelve in by the government of the day.

Why on earth would the government want to 'prepare us for the breakdown of society'? They'd rather have us believing in their power to keep society going for ever, but at the same time have us menaced by threats that require a strong, militarised state. 

[toekneep]

Thing is, so far they've only shown around 20 survivors (though obviously there are meant to be more).  Aside from a few nutters, you'd think people would want to band together in order to survive rather than think about who they might have to shoot.  At least initially when no one really has any idea as to whats going on....

Perhaps I'm just being naive...

The population of the UK is 50 million, approx.

1% of that is 500,000.  That's quite a lot of people still really

Why would you "band together" with a total stranger?

Because most people would feel safer than they would on their own and survival chances would surely be enhanced by cooperation.

[Malandro]

Thing is, so far they've only shown around 20 survivors (though obviously there are meant to be more).  Aside from a few nutters, you'd think people would want to band together in order to survive rather than think about who they might have to shoot.  At least initially when no one really has any idea as to whats going on....

Perhaps I'm just being naive...

The population of the UK is 50 million, approx.

1% of that is 500,000.  That's quite a lot of people still really

Why would you "band together" with a total stranger?

Because most people would feel safer than they would on their own and survival chances would surely be enhanced by cooperation.

You beat me to it.  Some people could survive as loners but I reckon the majority would crave companionship sooner or later.   

[Really Ancien]

The point of a series like this is to tell us something about the nature of the society we live in. The most obvious point is that most people do nothing practically in their everyday lives which would be of value in a post apocalyptic world. Indeed those who do carry out practical work are derided by those who hold power.
We have among us immigrants who would thrive in the 'Survivors' scenario. I would pitch in with Sri Lankans, Zimbabweans, Australians, New Zealanders, Poles and others from a peasant or mining background before I looked for any help from someone from Hampstead. I'm off for a bike ride now, I've got to fit a new clutch to a chainsaw when I get back. I might check the generator and my petrol powered drill as well.

Damon.

[redshift]

I was sitting there watching it, tripping on "I would do this, this, this and I'm so ready for this shit..."

The conspiracy theorists would contend that releasing dramas like this is a way that the authorities are preparing us for the breakdown of society.

c.f. When the Wind Blows, Threads,

eh? Threads was considered to be so much against nuclear defence policy at the time (i.e.: it showed how useless our deterrent would be) that the BBC was forced to shelve in by the government of the day.

Threads was not shelved, and went out as scheduled, to the roars of some pro-nuclear types.  The War Game was shelved, as I mentioned, and not shown until 1985 - about a week after a repeat of Threads, IIRC.  There was a 'Nuclear' week on the Beeb and the highlight of the week was "The film that we couldn't ever show you - until now."

Why on earth would the government want to 'prepare us for the breakdown of society'? They'd rather have us believing in their power to keep society going for ever, but at the same time have us menaced by threats that require a strong, militarised state. 

Hence why I highlighted the stupidity of 'Protect and Survive' and the way it was satirized - I never knew anyone who thought the content of the publication was worth a damn.

[andygates]

Threads scared the crap out of me.   

[Flying_Monkey]

Hence why I highlighted the stupidity of 'Protect and Survive' and the way it was satirized - I never knew anyone who thought the content of the publication was worth a damn.

The Manchester Imperial War Museum North has a fantastic exhibition of all that 'Protect and Survive' / 'Duck and Cover' (US version) stuff. The bizarre thing is that they don't appear to have learnt much - the recent 'Preparing for Emergencies' material was almost as vacuous.

PS: thanks for the correction on Threads.

[redshift]

Threads scared the crap out of me.   

If the rumours were true, it scared the crap out of Sheffield's finest too, when someone forgot to phone round all the stations with the warning about the big petrol-bomb mushroom cloud that the SFX team conjured up... 

@Flying Monkey - I'll have to go and have a look at that: Another exhibition on the list of 'things shifty must do', like the Wellcome Foundation 'War & Medicine' one that's on at the moment.

[clarion]

I remember watching it in silence with other Sheffielders - really shocking. 

Mind you, there was a cheer when the Housing Benefit Office exploded...

[Flying_Monkey]

I remember watching it in silence with other Sheffielders - really shocking. 

Mind you, there was a cheer when the Housing Benefit Office exploded...

I can imagine! I showed it to a film club I run here last year, and people were just as shocked. It is, for all its early 80s cheapness, a very powerful piece of work.

[Martin]

Enjoy 

<a href="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-2023790698427111488" target="_blank">http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-2023790698427111488</a>

the scariest thing was that Thatcher and Reagan would actually have pushed the button

[border-rider]

I remember watching it in silence with other Sheffielders - really shocking. 

It really was a shocking (in a good way) piece of TV when it was screened.  I can still remember watching it.

[bikenerd]

Now the thread has turned nuclear, I think it's time I mentioned Jericho which was shown recently on Virgin 1 (IIRC).  The first 12 episodes or so were very good.  Then it went a bit "24".

Anyway, watching Survivors last night I thought of how different the post apocalyptic worlds in Jericho and Survivors are.  In Jericho *everyone* has a gun, but they're all still loyal to the flag / mayor / government and believe that the federal government will save them all.  In Survivors the characters quickly realise that they're on their own to a lesser or greater extent and no government is going to save them.

[Tom B]

In Survivors the characters quickly realise that they're on their own to a lesser or greater extent and no government is going to save them.

Is this plot device getting us ready for the revelation of the purpose of the above-mentioned 'Seekrit Bunker', perhaps?

[Really Ancien]

IIRC the original series developed to study the nature of  bonds and obligations in the context of a society where the normal primary loyalties of kinship were removed, as such it reflected a fascination with the conflict between communal living and the family which was fashionable at the time. This was coupled with an exploration of the nature of economics in a nascent state, It was all very interesting to a 15 year old.
There was actually more useful post-apocalypse advice in 'The High Chapparal' which concerned itself with kinship and rivalry and how to resolve conflicts without recourse to violence.
The real winners in a Survivors scenario would be Travellers, a suitable skill set and a no-nonsense attitude to attempted intimidation.

Damon.