Survivor (British TV series)
Survivor is the British reality game show based on the popular international reality franchise of the same name. The series aired for 2 series on ITV network from 2001 to 2002.
| Survivor | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Reality competition |
| Created by | Charlie Parsons |
| Presented by |
|
| Theme music composer | Russ Landau |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Nigel Lythgoe |
| Running time | 60 minutes (inc. adverts) (main show) |
| Production company(s) | Planet 24 |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | 21 May 2001 – 29 May 2002 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | International versions |
As in all versions of the show, it features group of strangers who are marooned in an isolated location, where they must provide food, water, fire, and shelter for themselves. The contestants will compete in challenges to earn either a reward, or immunity from elimination. The contestants will be progressively eliminated from the game as they are voted-off by their fellow contestants until only one remains and is given the title "Ultimate Survivor" and is awarded the grand prize of £1 million.
While it was considered a failure in the ratings by ITV, the programme was watched by more viewers than other reality shows at the time, including Big Brother.[1]
Format
The show follows the same general format as the other editions of the show. The players are split between two "tribes", are taken to a remote island and are forced to live off the land with meager supplies for an extended period of time. Frequent physical and mental challenges are used to pit the teams against each other for rewards, such as food or luxuries, or for "immunity", forcing the other tribe to attend "Tribal Council", where they must vote off one of their players.
Once about half the players are remaining, the remaining players are merged into a single tribe, and competitions are on an individual basis; winning immunity prevents that player from being voted out. Most players that are voted out at this stage form the "Tribal Council Jury". Once down to two people, a final Tribal Council is held where the remaining players plead their case to the Jury as to why they should win the game. The jury then votes for which player should be considered the "Ultimate Survivor" and be awarded the grand prize of £1,000,000.
Series
| No. | Title | Premiere | Finale | Location | Days | Initial Tribes | Winner | Runner-up | Final vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Survivor: Pulau Tiga | 21 May 2001 | 25 July 2001 | Pulau Tiga, Sabah, Malaysia | 40 | Two tribes of eight | Charlotte Hoborough | Jackie Carey | 7–0 |
| 2 | Survivor: Panama | 13 March 2002 | 25 May 2002 | Bocas del Toro, Panama | 37 | Two tribes of six | Jonny Gibb | Susannah Moffatt | 7–0 |
Controversy
I'm a Celebrity ... lawsuit
While Survivor did not succeed for ITV, the network did find success with I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, with many similarities to Survivor, and which received massive ratings in August 2002. The show's similarity in content to Survivor led many viewers (both in the UK and US) to believe that the shows had some licensing agreement, however this was not the case. Legal action was sought by CBS to prevent broadcast in the US however the court ruled against, stating that "Celebrity is different enough from Survivor that CBS would have difficulty prevailing in its underlying copyright infringement suit."[2]
Potential revival
Following the Banijay Group's acquisition of Castaway Productions (the owners of the Survivor format), they are looking to revive Survivor in the UK. Banijay Group's CEO Peter Langenberg spoke to Broadcast Now about the potential return in the UK, stating that RDF, the largest UK production company within Banijay, is attempting to rekindle interest in the format amongst broadcasters. “Having hands on the format means we can polish it and come up with Survivor 2.0, because it needs a refresh,” Langenberg said.[3]
In October 2019, a casting call for an "Adventure Island" programme led to speculation that Survivor would be revived.[4]
See also
References
- "Survivor proves a TV dinosaur". BBC. 25 July 2001.
- "CBS loses lawsuit; ABC's "I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" to air in February". Reality TV World. 14 January 2003. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
- "Banijay Acquire Castaway Productions, Could Survivor UK Return?". 20 July 2017.
- "Could Survivor UK Be About To Make A Comeback?". Inside Survivor. 14 October 2019.