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The End Of The World: The Unofficial And Unauthorised Guide To Survivors by Rich Cross and Andy Priestner
01/03/2006 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
pub: Telos Publishing. 289 page illustrated enlarged paperback. Price: £12.99 (UK), $22.95 (US), $29.95 (CAN). ISBN: 1-84583-001-6. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.telos.co.uk
I haven't seen 'Survivors' since it was on in the 70s and even then, I missed a large chunk of the first season but thought I picked up some of that from its creator, Terry Nation, in his novelisation. This book puts a lot of questions to rest as I contemplate whether I ought to invest in its DVD release of all three seasons.
Although it's unofficial and unauthorised, this book is very authoritative on this BBC TV series. It follows the aftermath of the accidental spillage and spreading of a virus that kills 90% of the population of the Earth as it is spread across the world by the insidious innocent trip on an aeroplane as only shown in the opening credits. Hmmm...that kind of thing can happen today even without the aid of human manufacture, just witness the number infections circulated home from holidays or the current bird flu outbreak. Although this book won't aid you with survivalist tips it does tend to focus on what happens to the people who survived. Some create their own little federal kingdoms to military regimes to thieving. We follow a small group who discover the difficulty of holding their group together against others and sometimes, even themselves and the decisions they must make.
'Survivors' was a rather stark series back then but if it was ever re-worked for today's audiences where there is an even greater dependency on technology which is even discussed by authors Cross and Priestner at the back of the book. I tend to side with the argument that it should be started from scratch rather than try to continue where the original left off so both can be enjoyed (??!!) as separate entities.
Much of the book is a detailed breakdown of the episodes with comments from the cast and directors concerning the distribution of power between creator Terry Nation and producer Terence Dudley as to how the series should be ran which ultimately made Nation leave after the first season. Thirty years is a long time to pass and its unfortunate that neither gentleman is available for current interviews. There was also a lot concerning what it was like on set and as a continuous outside broadcast which was rare at the time. Saying that, the interviews with the other people here certainly provides a snapshot and explanation why the cast changed so much over the three years. Not entirely sure about the comparisons to 'Doomwatch' and it's a shame that pages weren't spent covering the actors and where they are now behind the parts they played which would have truly made this absolutely definitive. There are plenty of pictures, mostly taken by cast than official ones. No doubt space or availability was a limiting factor that not all cast was covered but there is an excellent section showing where they filmed.
'Survivors' was a bleak series and for every success there was failure that dogged their way to any sort of happiness. I'm still deciding whether to watch it again but anyone who is worried about the fate of the world, I suspect this will be a stark wake-up call and that things can be a lot worse than shown here. As a reference book to the series, I think this will fill in anything else you need to know.
If you want to know all about 'Survivors' then this book deserves some space on your shelf and can no doubt enhance your viewing of the DVD release. Let's just hope no one does it for real.
GF Willmetts
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