In SundanceTV's new miniseries, "One Child," keepsakes abound. Adoption files in a British country home; a photograph in a Guangzhou hotel room; a certificate of achievement from a Chinese school: from these mementos screenwriter Guy Hibbert and director John Alexander construct a complex family portrait in the vernacular of an international thriller, adding another notch to the network's impressive belt ("Rectify," "Top of the Lake," "The Honorable Woman"). Indeed, it's this attention to globalization's human dimension that marks the miniseries as such powerful viewing. "One Child" asks, finally, how our understanding of the wider world changes when we're forced to confront it face to face. In this sense, the miniseries' excitements, though abundant, occur on intimate terrain. With the exception of the crime that sets the narrative in motion, the tension derives not from adventurous set pieces but from quotidian suspense...
- 12/2/2014
- by Matt Brennan
- Thompson on Hollywood
Weeds star Elizabeth Perkins has joined the cast of BBC Two's upcoming drama One Child.
Game of Thrones actor Donald Sumpter will also appear in the Guy Hibbert project, which has begun shooting in London and Hong Kong.
Katie Leung will lead the cast of the drama as Mei, who is adopted by Anglo-American parents and sets out to find out more about her original home.
Perkins and Sumpter will play Mei's adoptive American mother and British father.
Mei returns to her birthplace of Guangzhou after birth mother Liu (Mardy Ma) seeks her help in saving her son Ajun (Sebastion So).
The two-part, 90-minute drama will be directed by John Alexander (The 7.39), and will air on BBC Two later this year.
Elizabeth Perkins is best known for her movie roles in Big, The Flintstones, Miracle on 34th Street and for Showtime drama Weeds.
Veteran actor Sumpter recently starred...
Game of Thrones actor Donald Sumpter will also appear in the Guy Hibbert project, which has begun shooting in London and Hong Kong.
Katie Leung will lead the cast of the drama as Mei, who is adopted by Anglo-American parents and sets out to find out more about her original home.
Perkins and Sumpter will play Mei's adoptive American mother and British father.
Mei returns to her birthplace of Guangzhou after birth mother Liu (Mardy Ma) seeks her help in saving her son Ajun (Sebastion So).
The two-part, 90-minute drama will be directed by John Alexander (The 7.39), and will air on BBC Two later this year.
Elizabeth Perkins is best known for her movie roles in Big, The Flintstones, Miracle on 34th Street and for Showtime drama Weeds.
Veteran actor Sumpter recently starred...
- 5/16/2014
- Digital Spy
Katie Leung is to star in upcoming BBC Two drama One Child.
The Harry Potter actress will lead the cast of the two-part 90-minute drama written by Guy HIbbert and directed by The 7.39's John Alexander.
One Child sees Leung play a young Chinese-born woman adopted by Anglo-American parents, who makes her way across the world on a personal voyage to discover who she really is.
Writer Guy Hibbert said: "I wanted to visit a contemporary Chinese city to discover what I felt was the most important story to tell from the point of view of the ordinary Chinese citizen. It is, of course, corruption - as it is in far too many countries throughout the world.
"My story is set amongst the poorest in the city and amongst the richest, the new billionaire class, abusing power alongside provincial Party officials.
"I have also looked at the effect of...
The Harry Potter actress will lead the cast of the two-part 90-minute drama written by Guy HIbbert and directed by The 7.39's John Alexander.
One Child sees Leung play a young Chinese-born woman adopted by Anglo-American parents, who makes her way across the world on a personal voyage to discover who she really is.
Writer Guy Hibbert said: "I wanted to visit a contemporary Chinese city to discover what I felt was the most important story to tell from the point of view of the ordinary Chinese citizen. It is, of course, corruption - as it is in far too many countries throughout the world.
"My story is set amongst the poorest in the city and amongst the richest, the new billionaire class, abusing power alongside provincial Party officials.
"I have also looked at the effect of...
- 4/1/2014
- Digital Spy
There are so many regional detectives cluttering up British television that executives have started to look abroad for inspiration. But why bother importing a foreign series and subtitling it (as BBC4 did with French crime drama Spiral) when you can simply film British actors overseas, pretending to be foreigners. First out of the gate was an English-language remake of Wallander, where Kenneth Branagh played a dour Swedish detective in a country suddenly populated by “Brits”, and now it’s the turn of late author Michael Dibden‘s Italian detective Aurelio Zen, played by the smouldering Rufus Sewell. The benefit is we get detective shows crammed with exotic scenery, with a cultural backdrop that’s unfamiliar and thus fascinating to explore. On the downside, it might take some people awhile to adjust to seeing Italians played by people who sound like they’re from the home counties, but I found myself...
- 1/3/2011
- by Dan Owen
- Obsessed with Film
"One should respect his motherland, his culture and his mother tongue because they are givers of happiness." - Rig Veda Adapted from Andrea Levy's novel of the same name, the lyrical and profound Small Island--airing the next two Sundays as part of PBS' Masterpiece Classic--recounts the struggle of two very different couples, bound by a invisible web of fate, who attempt to reconcile their own notions of the motherland and the reality of their circumstances. Set during and immediately after World War II in London, two-part drama Small Island--adapted by Paula Milne (Endgame) and Sarah Williams (Becoming Jane) and directed by John Alexander (Sense & Sensibility)--explores the imaginary landscape of the motherland, the promise of its embrace, and its cold reception towards those who might be willing to lay down their lives to her defense but whose skin color makes them outcasts. For Jamaican schoolmistress Hortense (Pirates...
- 4/16/2010
- by Jace
- Televisionary
Year: 2009
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
Approaching the end of the season and running out of time to tie up its various strands, Survivors takes a turn for the better in episode six, a tightly-plotted instalment in which some of the series' familiar flaws only seem to have been included for consistency's sake.
Hurtling into a complex plot back at the government lab in a manner quite alien to those of us used to Survivors' usual aimless approach, episode six rushes out a story it could have done with unravelling slowly over previous episodes, but is all the more exciting for it. A little too much talky exposition is used to explain the vaccine the lab has developed (a convincing sounding cure that attacks the 'flu virus's basic, unchanging M2 protein rather than the more mutatable...
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
Approaching the end of the season and running out of time to tie up its various strands, Survivors takes a turn for the better in episode six, a tightly-plotted instalment in which some of the series' familiar flaws only seem to have been included for consistency's sake.
Hurtling into a complex plot back at the government lab in a manner quite alien to those of us used to Survivors' usual aimless approach, episode six rushes out a story it could have done with unravelling slowly over previous episodes, but is all the more exciting for it. A little too much talky exposition is used to explain the vaccine the lab has developed (a convincing sounding cure that attacks the 'flu virus's basic, unchanging M2 protein rather than the more mutatable...
- 2/24/2010
- QuietEarth.us
Year: 2009
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 4.5 out of 10
A couple of promising stories, some interesting new characters and a handful of inspired ideas have raised hopes considerably for the rest of this series of Survivors. Unfortunate then that these should be followed by such a dull and poorly-written episode.
A promising start sees the family foil a roadside ambush, rescuing a young couple who take them to the Valley, an idyllic commune that so reflects the self-sufficient desires of the conscious middle classes it could be satirical if that wasn't too much to expect from such a humourless program. The smugness of this wholefood fantasy, with its bowls of fresh vegetables and acoustic barn dancing sessions, is punctured by the discovery that an outpost of the commune has suffered a further outbreak of the virus, one that has mutated...
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 4.5 out of 10
A couple of promising stories, some interesting new characters and a handful of inspired ideas have raised hopes considerably for the rest of this series of Survivors. Unfortunate then that these should be followed by such a dull and poorly-written episode.
A promising start sees the family foil a roadside ambush, rescuing a young couple who take them to the Valley, an idyllic commune that so reflects the self-sufficient desires of the conscious middle classes it could be satirical if that wasn't too much to expect from such a humourless program. The smugness of this wholefood fantasy, with its bowls of fresh vegetables and acoustic barn dancing sessions, is punctured by the discovery that an outpost of the commune has suffered a further outbreak of the virus, one that has mutated...
- 2/17/2010
- QuietEarth.us
Year: 2009
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 7 out of 10
An unusually dark episode of Survivors takes us into the previously unexplored areas of slave labour and mob violence and leaves us with a surprisingly high body count. Whether this sets the tone for the rest of the series or is a lucky one-off remains to be seen.
After the show trial of the previous episode, Tom and Greg are taken to dig coal in a slave labour camp run by one of Survivors' best characters yet, classically trained Oxford graduate Mr Smithson. Played with a subtle mix of scholastic dorkiness, eccentric self-belief and disarming intellectual charm by Christopher Fulford, Mr Smithson is an unusual and well-realised bad guy whose apparent death at the end of the episode may thankfully not be all it seems, as according to IMDb he...
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 7 out of 10
An unusually dark episode of Survivors takes us into the previously unexplored areas of slave labour and mob violence and leaves us with a surprisingly high body count. Whether this sets the tone for the rest of the series or is a lucky one-off remains to be seen.
After the show trial of the previous episode, Tom and Greg are taken to dig coal in a slave labour camp run by one of Survivors' best characters yet, classically trained Oxford graduate Mr Smithson. Played with a subtle mix of scholastic dorkiness, eccentric self-belief and disarming intellectual charm by Christopher Fulford, Mr Smithson is an unusual and well-realised bad guy whose apparent death at the end of the episode may thankfully not be all it seems, as according to IMDb he...
- 2/10/2010
- QuietEarth.us
Year: 2009
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben austwick
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
The background details of Survivors, its empty cityscapes, minor characters and incidental storylines, are its most interesting aspect. They add colour to the post-apocalyptic landscape the often uninspiring central storyline takes place in. It's because of this that episode three of the second series, which takes a look at the way broader post-virus society is reorganizing itself, is probably the most successful yet.
The episode kicks off with Tom being kidnapped by the henchmen of Samantha Lewis, the only surviving member of the British government, who as we saw in series one has set up a heavily defended self-sufficient community (filmed, interestingly, at the disused Doncaster Earth Centre, a failed millennium project designed to promote environmental awareness). Tom shot dead one of Samantha's guards in series one, and is to be...
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben austwick
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
The background details of Survivors, its empty cityscapes, minor characters and incidental storylines, are its most interesting aspect. They add colour to the post-apocalyptic landscape the often uninspiring central storyline takes place in. It's because of this that episode three of the second series, which takes a look at the way broader post-virus society is reorganizing itself, is probably the most successful yet.
The episode kicks off with Tom being kidnapped by the henchmen of Samantha Lewis, the only surviving member of the British government, who as we saw in series one has set up a heavily defended self-sufficient community (filmed, interestingly, at the disused Doncaster Earth Centre, a failed millennium project designed to promote environmental awareness). Tom shot dead one of Samantha's guards in series one, and is to be...
- 2/3/2010
- QuietEarth.us
Year: 2009
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 6 out of 10
Fast paced, coherent and focused, episode two of the second series of Survivors should have been the great program it has always hinted it can be. With Tom gone feral and stalking the abandoned streets robbing anyone he can find, and Abby's ordeal in the government lab bringing to light its secrets, there was none of the filler that has dogged previous episodes. Unfortunately though, exorcising Survivor's cosmetic flaws has revealed some previously unnoticed, more problematic ones hiding underneath.
Foremost in these is a lack of viewer compassion for the central characters. Previously, bad acting and dialogue has distracted from what's exposed as a rather plain and interchangeable cast. Bad boy Tom and deep, brooding Abby are the exceptions, showing a little nuance can go a long way, while the rest flutter between petulance,...
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 6 out of 10
Fast paced, coherent and focused, episode two of the second series of Survivors should have been the great program it has always hinted it can be. With Tom gone feral and stalking the abandoned streets robbing anyone he can find, and Abby's ordeal in the government lab bringing to light its secrets, there was none of the filler that has dogged previous episodes. Unfortunately though, exorcising Survivor's cosmetic flaws has revealed some previously unnoticed, more problematic ones hiding underneath.
Foremost in these is a lack of viewer compassion for the central characters. Previously, bad acting and dialogue has distracted from what's exposed as a rather plain and interchangeable cast. Bad boy Tom and deep, brooding Abby are the exceptions, showing a little nuance can go a long way, while the rest flutter between petulance,...
- 1/27/2010
- QuietEarth.us
Year: 2009
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 7 out of 10
The first series of Survivors was a ratings success for the BBC but badly received by critics, and for good reason. Despite some engaging and imaginative set pieces, bad acting, worse writing, cheesy direction and a tendency to pad out episodes with irrelevant filler dragged Survivors down considerably. The hope was that the BBC would take these criticisms on board and come back with an improved second series. Thankfully early impressions are positive, although old problems still persist.
In case you missed series one, Survivors is the story of a group of people brought together by circumstance after a devastating 'flu epidemic wipes out most of the world's population. It's an adaptation of an original 1970s BBC series by Terry Nation which was a much slower paced affair, often concentrating on...
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 7 out of 10
The first series of Survivors was a ratings success for the BBC but badly received by critics, and for good reason. Despite some engaging and imaginative set pieces, bad acting, worse writing, cheesy direction and a tendency to pad out episodes with irrelevant filler dragged Survivors down considerably. The hope was that the BBC would take these criticisms on board and come back with an improved second series. Thankfully early impressions are positive, although old problems still persist.
In case you missed series one, Survivors is the story of a group of people brought together by circumstance after a devastating 'flu epidemic wipes out most of the world's population. It's an adaptation of an original 1970s BBC series by Terry Nation which was a much slower paced affair, often concentrating on...
- 1/13/2010
- QuietEarth.us
Producer Vicky Licorish (Goodbye, Mr. Steadman) has recently completed a labour of love in the shape of 'Small Island', a drama from Ruby Television in association with Al Films for BBC, which chronicles the intertwining lives and loves of Jamaicans and Londoners in the 1940s where English landlords' signs reading 'No Irish, No Coloureds, No Dogs' appeared to be the message of almost an entire country. 'Small Island' was filmed in Belfast and Jamaica during February / March 2009, with a few days also spent shooting in Dublin. The crew shot for six weeks in Belfast having transformed parts of the city into post war London. The drama feature, which is expected to broadcast as two 90 minute pieces, is adapted from Andrea Levy's novel of the same name, directed by John Alexander (The Shadow in the North) and adapted by Paula Milne (I Dreamed of Africa). Produced...
- 11/4/2009
- IFTN
Chicago – Any good reader of HollywoodChicago.com knows that we have a soft spot for modern British television. “Torchwood,” “Doctor Who,” “Primeval,” “Robin Hood,” “Ashes to Ashes,” and many more shows range from good to great. One of the best series of the ’00s is the excellent “Life on Mars,” soon-to-be available in a series 1 DVD box set and accompanied on store shelves this month by the sixth volume of the thrilling “Wire in the Blood”.
DVD Rating: 5.0/5.0 The spectacular “Life on Mars” was adapted into an ill-fated ABC remake last fall and I worry that American audiences will ignore the original because they see the remake as a failure (which is itself debatable). Whether or not you liked or disliked the Yank version, please check out the BBC original, a great twist on the standard police procedural.
Life on Mars will be released on DVD on July 28th, 2009.
Photo...
DVD Rating: 5.0/5.0 The spectacular “Life on Mars” was adapted into an ill-fated ABC remake last fall and I worry that American audiences will ignore the original because they see the remake as a failure (which is itself debatable). Whether or not you liked or disliked the Yank version, please check out the BBC original, a great twist on the standard police procedural.
Life on Mars will be released on DVD on July 28th, 2009.
Photo...
- 7/22/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Year: 2008
DVD Release date: January 26th, 2009
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 8 out of 10
In an action-packed final episode of "Survivors" Samantha's ad-hoc government begins to flex its muscles with the dubious help of armed thug Dexter from episode two, driving the gang from their country base and onto the dangerous streets of Manchester. Meanwhile, the desperate search for a virus vaccine at the government bio lab brings the series to a proper cliffhanger ending.
With a story like this, who cares about the hammy soap opera acting, clumsy editing and cheesy dialogue? Genre film has always had a fraught relationship with artful writing and the craft of acting, but as long as the ideas and entertainment are present these things matter not a jot. In previous episodes "Survivors" has been guilty of failing to deliver either, but that isn't...
DVD Release date: January 26th, 2009
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 8 out of 10
In an action-packed final episode of "Survivors" Samantha's ad-hoc government begins to flex its muscles with the dubious help of armed thug Dexter from episode two, driving the gang from their country base and onto the dangerous streets of Manchester. Meanwhile, the desperate search for a virus vaccine at the government bio lab brings the series to a proper cliffhanger ending.
With a story like this, who cares about the hammy soap opera acting, clumsy editing and cheesy dialogue? Genre film has always had a fraught relationship with artful writing and the craft of acting, but as long as the ideas and entertainment are present these things matter not a jot. In previous episodes "Survivors" has been guilty of failing to deliver either, but that isn't...
- 12/26/2008
- QuietEarth.us
Year: 2008
DVD Release date: January 26th, 2009
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
In the fifth episode of “Survivors”, Naj goes on a foraging expedition for the group and comes across a friendly camp of young hippies, led by a charismatic young man with a positive but rather overbearing line in religion. One of his followers is pregnant and the camp sets up in the grounds of the house so she can give birth in comfort. Unfortunately, Al's libido, Tom's increasingly violent nature and the hippie leader's fraught relationship with God conspire to bring the arrangements to a head.
This was by far the best episode of Survivors yet. The strong story with its multiple themes didn't leave any time for the embarrassing speeches and boring character exposition that has plagued previous instalments. Every line of dialogue was integral to the plot,...
DVD Release date: January 26th, 2009
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
In the fifth episode of “Survivors”, Naj goes on a foraging expedition for the group and comes across a friendly camp of young hippies, led by a charismatic young man with a positive but rather overbearing line in religion. One of his followers is pregnant and the camp sets up in the grounds of the house so she can give birth in comfort. Unfortunately, Al's libido, Tom's increasingly violent nature and the hippie leader's fraught relationship with God conspire to bring the arrangements to a head.
This was by far the best episode of Survivors yet. The strong story with its multiple themes didn't leave any time for the embarrassing speeches and boring character exposition that has plagued previous instalments. Every line of dialogue was integral to the plot,...
- 12/16/2008
- QuietEarth.us
Year: 2008
DVD Release date: January 26th, 2009
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 6 out of 10
Episode four and "Survivors" continues to explore its post-apocalyptic vision through short, self-contained storylines, the main strands examining a group of teenage boys running amok in an abandoned country mansion while its former owner stalks the grounds; and a return to the eco commune of the previous episode, where Nikki Amuka-Bird puts in a good turn as increasingly despotic Health Minister Samantha, and Tom's criminal background begins to cause him problems.
The storylines are well written and interesting (taken as they are from the original script), exploring unique dilemmas and situations posed by an ungoverned, chaotic world that nevertheless contains ample resources and minimal risks. Danger is posed by other people, and though no doubt such a threat would exist, you do wonder how realistic a...
DVD Release date: January 26th, 2009
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 6 out of 10
Episode four and "Survivors" continues to explore its post-apocalyptic vision through short, self-contained storylines, the main strands examining a group of teenage boys running amok in an abandoned country mansion while its former owner stalks the grounds; and a return to the eco commune of the previous episode, where Nikki Amuka-Bird puts in a good turn as increasingly despotic Health Minister Samantha, and Tom's criminal background begins to cause him problems.
The storylines are well written and interesting (taken as they are from the original script), exploring unique dilemmas and situations posed by an ungoverned, chaotic world that nevertheless contains ample resources and minimal risks. Danger is posed by other people, and though no doubt such a threat would exist, you do wonder how realistic a...
- 12/10/2008
- QuietEarth.us
Year: 2008
DVD Release date: January 26th, 2009
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 7 out of 10
With the scene set in the previous two episodes, the latest installment of “Survivors” moves away from the virus outbreak and its aftermath and explores different ways of preparing for the uncertain future. Abby discovers a self-sufficient community in an eco park struggling with the difficulties of communal governance, while Tom and Greg come across a family who have isolated themselves from the outbreak and intend to avoid all human contact in hope of escaping the virus.
With a theme of suspicion between strangers hindering attempts to build a new society, this is a more thoughtful and mature episode than we have seen so far. The story lines are coherent and rounded, and look at the situations the characters find themselves in in original, imaginative ways.
DVD Release date: January 26th, 2009
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 7 out of 10
With the scene set in the previous two episodes, the latest installment of “Survivors” moves away from the virus outbreak and its aftermath and explores different ways of preparing for the uncertain future. Abby discovers a self-sufficient community in an eco park struggling with the difficulties of communal governance, while Tom and Greg come across a family who have isolated themselves from the outbreak and intend to avoid all human contact in hope of escaping the virus.
With a theme of suspicion between strangers hindering attempts to build a new society, this is a more thoughtful and mature episode than we have seen so far. The story lines are coherent and rounded, and look at the situations the characters find themselves in in original, imaginative ways.
- 12/3/2008
- QuietEarth.us
Year: 2008
DVD Release date: January 26th, 2009
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 5 out of 10
Part two of Survivors sees the characters of the opening episode step out into the newly depopulated streets of Manchester to forage for food. Tensions rise as they come across a violent rival group, armed with shotguns and drunk on looted alcohol, who want to keep the easy pickings of the local supermarket and shopping center to themselves. Meanwhile, a nearby warehouse piled high with produce is presided over by a young ex-employee who uses sex as currency to protect the building which, she hopes, will make her rich as she sells the goods in the new, post-virus world.
While spoiled by a gaping plot hole (why don't our group of survivors just drive to another part of the city and loot there?), the first plot strand is tense,...
DVD Release date: January 26th, 2009
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 5 out of 10
Part two of Survivors sees the characters of the opening episode step out into the newly depopulated streets of Manchester to forage for food. Tensions rise as they come across a violent rival group, armed with shotguns and drunk on looted alcohol, who want to keep the easy pickings of the local supermarket and shopping center to themselves. Meanwhile, a nearby warehouse piled high with produce is presided over by a young ex-employee who uses sex as currency to protect the building which, she hopes, will make her rich as she sells the goods in the new, post-virus world.
While spoiled by a gaping plot hole (why don't our group of survivors just drive to another part of the city and loot there?), the first plot strand is tense,...
- 11/26/2008
- QuietEarth.us
Year: 2008
DVD Release date: January 26th, 2009
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
The remake of Terry Nation's cult 1970s science fiction drama “Survivors” arrived with little fanfare but was nevertheless a lavish production aired in a prime time slot on BBC1. The first episode sets up the rest of the series by following a devastating and rapid flu epidemic that wipes out ninety percent of the world population, from the perspective of ordinary people on the ground in the Northern English city of Manchester, and a collapsing government unable to cope in London.
Some of the early scenes are truly frightening as loved ones die, hospitals fill with bodies, services collapse and panic sets in. However the pace of the disease's onslaught changes dramatically part-way through to make sure everyone has died by daybreak, a sloppy bit...
DVD Release date: January 26th, 2009
Directors: John Alexander / Andrew Gunn
Writers: Various
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
The remake of Terry Nation's cult 1970s science fiction drama “Survivors” arrived with little fanfare but was nevertheless a lavish production aired in a prime time slot on BBC1. The first episode sets up the rest of the series by following a devastating and rapid flu epidemic that wipes out ninety percent of the world population, from the perspective of ordinary people on the ground in the Northern English city of Manchester, and a collapsing government unable to cope in London.
Some of the early scenes are truly frightening as loved ones die, hospitals fill with bodies, services collapse and panic sets in. However the pace of the disease's onslaught changes dramatically part-way through to make sure everyone has died by daybreak, a sloppy bit...
- 11/24/2008
- QuietEarth.us
BBC One has announced plans to adapt Andrea Levy's award-winning novel Small Island. The BBC Drama commission will be split into two 90-minute episodes, which are scheduled to air in autumn 2009. Paula Milne (The Virgin Queen) and Sarah Williams (Becoming Jane) adapted Levy's book, while Life On Mars's John Alexander will helm the project. The cast features Naomie Harris (28 Days Later), David Oyelowo (The Last King Of Scotland), Ruth Wilson, Benedict Cumberbatch and Nikki Amuka-Bird (Survivors). New BBC Drama controller Ben Stephenson commented: (more)...
- 10/23/2008
- by By Alex Fletcher
- Digital Spy
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