Rajendra Roy is the head film curator for MoMA in New York and we have a little discussion with him about what Television actually means.

John talks about The Doctor as one of the Greatest TV Characters of All Time.

Brett and John have an argument about politics that gets really boring but ends in a hilarious bit that makes it really worth listening all the way through for.

• RSS feed
• iTunes
• or listen to 230 in your browser

Don’t forget to let us know about your list of the greatest TV characters of all time.

You can also SMS us on 0458 288 837 (0458 CUTTER).

Become a fan of Boxcutters on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

The recent decision by the BBC to revive Terry Nation’s 1970s dystopian series Survivors probably wasn’t that much of a surprise. In the wake of the hugely successful Doctor Who (and copious spin-offs), we’ve seen the return of Quatermass, Captain Scarlet and Day Of The Triffids. There’s even endless rumours (or threats) of a rebooted Blake’s 7.

The 2008 version of Survivors started off as a lesser-populated EastEnders before descending into sub-Lost territory, and was finally put out of its misery at the end of the second season (which ended – optimistically – with a cliff hanger). The best word to describe the show was “workmanlike”, combining all the usual elements of 21st Century genre telly in all the usual ways.

That’s not how you’d describe the original. Debuting in 1975, it remains the bleakest programme ever to be a prime-time hit. A man-made virus sweeps the earth, killing the majority of the population. Faced with disease, wild animals, starvation and loneliness, the few who are left struggle to survive. It’s hard to imagine showing that one against Masterchef today. Survivors, however, was a hit in the UK and across Europe, and watching it on DVD now it’s hard to imagine anyone having the guts to make such unrelenting fare now.

Part of the success is due to Terry Nation cleverly playing against type – two of the three leads are female, and Abby Grant’s search for her son forms a rock-solid premise that other story lines can weave around. Carolyn Seymour as Abby is superb, playing the part with a stoic determination you wouldn’t see on telly today. Lucy Fleming plays plucky Jenny Richards (the only totally likeable character) and Ian McCollough plays granite-faced tough guy Greg Preston. The first series raises difficult questions about the life ahead and society they will need to build, and the episode “Law And Order” still packs a punch, an unrelenting tragedy combining rape, murder and the failure of justice.

Sadly the show goes off the rails after the first season, getting bogged down (literally) with the minutiae of subsistence farming, muddled storylines and continued (and seemingly random) changes of cast. Most shamefully, Jenny Richards gets relegated to background “wife-and-mother” character and Abby Grant vanishes altogether (Seymour claims she was fired for being argumentative and drinking too much, so she moved to the US and played villains for the next 20 years. She’s particularly good as Dean Stockwell’s evil counterpart in two episodes of Quantum Leap).

All three seasons of Survivors are now available as a 39-episode box set and are worth a look, if only to see a time when television was made without focus groups or the bourgeois concept of audience appeal. The lack of incidental music, the grimy look, the strong female characters and the powerhouse credit sequence all form a convincing world that make for a fascinating visit. You do have to allow for the cheap video look and cod-Shakespearean delivery that was de rigueur for the times, but even these add a certain quality to this barren world.

A final word on the recent remake – in a bizarre piece of legal jiggery-pokery the 2008 series claimed to be “based on the novel by Terry Nation”. That “novel” was actually a novelisation of the 1975 series published a year after it went to air. Yet Adrian Hodges still had the gall to claim a “created by” credit. Shame, Adrian, shame.

Find TV series, DVDs and Blu Ray discs, including the complete Survivors Series at Sanity Entertainment.

This is turning into a massive operation. We have created a provisional list of the Greatest TV Characters of All Time taken from your suggestions over the last two weeks and our own personal top tens. You can hear all about how we’re putting the list together and our continual investigation about what makes a truly great TV character.

We’ve also got the usual bunch of News, Pork, One Thing and Letters.

Listen up. It’s golden.

• RSS feed
• iTunes
• or listen to 227 in your browser

Don’t forget to let us know about your list of the greatest TV characters of all time.

You can also SMS us on 0458 288 837 (0458 CUTTER).

Become a fan of Boxcutters on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Correction – 8 June, 2010

It was Serbia who won Eurovision 2007 with a horn-rimmed glasses and comfortable shoes wearing, rumoured lesbian, not Spain.

Also, the title of the Greg Fleet vehicle is Die on Your Feet, co-starring Alan Brough.

This week we talk to Dan Ilic about the ads he created for the VicRoads road-safety campaign. You probably would have seen them referred to because of their controversy.

Also, Dave Bloustien discusses writing for Good News Week and the Glass House.

• RSS feed
• iTunes
• or listen to 218 in your browser

Continue to the show notes »

This week, we lounge into our new century with a look at the future (ooh, spooky) with FlashForward. There’s an I Don’t Buy It. Also, one of the most interesting discussions in Pork we’ve ever had.

It’s like delicious, fluffy mashed potato but for your ears.

• RSS feed
• iTunes
• or listen to 201 in your browser

Contact us by sending us email or send us an SMS on 0458 288 837 (0458 CUTTER) Continue to the show notes »

This week, Alexandra Tynan, the designer of the Cybermen, joins us in the studio to talk about costume design and creating a science fiction icon. Also, we have a couple of I Don’ts Buys Its sent in by listeners (see the clips below).

• RSS feed
• iTunes
• or listen to 177 in your browser

Contact us by sending us email or send us an SMS on 0458 288 837 (0458 CUTTER)

There’s some great Doctor Who stuff available at Amazon UK:

• Doctor Who Original Series : The Cybermen – Limited Edition 4 Disc Box Set (Exclusive To Amazon.co.uk) [DVD] [1963]
• Doctor Who – The Tomb Of The Cybermen [1967] [DVD] [1963]
• and Doctor Who – Lost In Time [DVD] [1963]

Remember that every time you make a purchase through the Boxcutters site, you help Boxcutters survive.

Also, check out our US-based store for some excellent TV recommendations.

Gloria Jeans Ad

Ingham Chicken Ad

Diet Tango Ad