TV1 back in the Wednesday race

Press, 17 September 1976, Page 11

TV1 back in the Wednesday race

(By KEVIN McMENAMIN)

It is difficult to know whether to commend or condemn TVI for choosing Wednesday night for its new futuristic drama, "Survivors."

The night has for many months belonged to TV2

— especially in midevening. where it has one of the best double billings of the week: "The Brothers" and “Kojak.” By slotting "Survivors" into the running time of both these programmes, TVI has, on the one hand, shown a certain amount of boldness and, on the other, a degree of disregard for the majority of viewers.

In any event, it is unlikely that followers of “The Brothers” will easily be wooed away, for after a shakv start and then a brief flirtation with the modes of soap opera it has developed into an extremely fine series. Not only are the characters strong and true to life, but the abrupt cuts from one domestic scene to another and then a repeat of the cycle keeps three or four pots boiling

all the time. The effectiveness of this scene changing was well demonstrated this week as tension mounted on three fronts.

To be completely honest, we are so hooked on “The Brothers” that we caught only snatches of the first half of "Survivors" and then reluctantly abandoned “Kojak” to make a better acquaintance.

But enough was seen to suggest that "Survivors" is a programme of considerable promise and one that would demand fullattention on almost any other night of the week.

There was the usual first-episode scene setting to do and this comprised killing off almost the entire population of the world. It is how those left will manage that remains to be seen and there were some thoughtful predictions about the need for the learning of essential crafts and skills.

Following this idea through should make for an interesting series and while the theme might be in the realms of science fiction the possibility of a plague killing millions is not all that far fetched.

The recent mystery ailment that struck in Philadelphia is a reminder of the gaps that exist in modern medicine.

Much play was made by TV2 of the uniqueness of the "Six Thirty Special" and while it was obviously a show with a difference it did not quite reach the heights expected.

The compere, Dave Allen, told a number of old jokes, as he endeavoured, without a great deal of success, to win over his first American audience and Peter Sellers was not the funny man of yore.

There also seemed something wrong with the sound system. Tom Jones and Julie Andrews both played second fiddle to the orchestra and when they sang together the volume was well down. If there was a show stopper it was Sir Lew himself. His Charleston at the finish was lively enough to make any modern-day hoofer look to his laurels — and here he earned the standing ovation that the star-studded audience kept insisting on giving him.