Survivors - Complete Series 3 [DVD]

It is three years on from the plague that killed all but around 50,000 people. Packs of wild dogs roam the countryside and there are new diseases to contend with. Shot mainly in winter, Britain seems a grim and desolate place, but the outlook isn't entirely pessimistic. Some successful communities have been formed and have learned to become virtually self-sufficient. Also, some older technologies like wind and steam power have been revived. It is clear that a lot of thought went into what direction this series would take. The cast were, quite rightly, made to look more ragged and emaciated and the the complaint by some that only middle-class people survived has clearly been addressed.

In today's political climate, with global warming, terrorism, bird flu and the end of oil threatening our expectations of continued progress, this superb drama series seems more poignant than ever.

The DVD is very well produced, with an informative booklet about the background the the series. I strongly recommend this to anyone who likes thoughtful, well-written drama.

Series two was a dud apart from one episode, although there were individual good scenes. The applied wisdom should be that once a series is in decline, it cannot recover. How surprising then that this third series is stunning. Interesting, compelling and moving, its photography and vistas especially remind me of Tarkovsky. Unlike series two, I will be watching all these again except the Bron one (that scarf doesn't do it for me!)

The departure of Carolyn Seymour at the end of series one baffles me to this day and Survivors always suffered for it, like carrying on the James Bond series with Felix Leiter. To build up a strong female character with a truly wonderful performance from the actress and pass on it in favour of the chauvinist Charles character from a particularly creepy episode in series one called 'Corn Dolly' seems perverse. Likewise, Greg only saw himself as 'enforcement', not a leader in series one, he becomes something else again here (although admittedly for practical reasons as he only wanted to appear in two episodes.) One feels an opportunity was lost with the Abby Grant character in favour of more traditional masculine leads. It also leaves a plothole as to why after traipsing the breadth of the country, the survivors do not come across her.

Nevertheless, this series stands up as the best without her and I did not find the absent Greg arc at all annoying. The producers seamlessly used it to enhance rather than hinder the narrative, introducing some interesting sexual politics and I especially liked some of the arguments and shouting matches the characters would get into for not always rational reasons, I thought that was very true to life. I disagree that the series should have ended with 'Long Live The King'. The final episode built up a full head of steam (if perhaps too abrupt a finish.) It was a rousing, fitting ending.

Lucy Fleming comes into her own after a somewhat colourless and flatly delivered performance previously. Hubert, while not always dependable, proves his staunch loyalty and usefulness and I even warmed to Charles. There are always interesting ironies and parallels, such as Frank's guilt mirrowed by Greg's in McCulloch's self-penned 'The Last Laugh'. He is a strong writer too. Somehow you don't expect that from an actor which is uncalled for, obviously.

No Seymour, but it would be churlish to give this outstanding third series anything other than five stars.