7. The Last Train (1999)
A great little post-apocalyptic drama, this acts like a prototype
Lost and is one of those British shows where people respond with the comment 'oh, I remember that one'. And it was a great little show that only lasted six episodes but like more well-known survivor stories like
Threads stands out as a solid piece of drama with a great cast. And its was written by Matthew Graham who went on to create the brilliant
Life On Mars. A group of passengers on a train are cryogenically frozen as they crash into a tunnel just as an asteroid decimates the Earth. Waking up many years later they begin their search for survivors across a devastated Britain. Like many of these shows, there is a grim tone to the plot. Characters die. Acid rain and wild boars. Armed military horsemen. The group are put through the ringer and we are kept guessing over several episodes over the timeline and whether the mysterious ark is the sanctuary they are looking for. Nicola Walker (of
Spooks fame) is on top form as 'scientist Harriet, a woman with all the secrets and appointed leader (though there is a great twist to come). Amita Dhiri (
This Life) play a sympathetic mother struggling to keep her children alive in this new hostile world. Christopher Fulford, a staple of British television is equally relatable as a policeman who was on the train on his way to his wife, who was in labour and struggles with his loss. And Steve Huison plays a man loosing his sanity and becoming a threat to the group itself. It's a shame that this has never been released on DVD because it remains another little gem of British drama. Though there are snippets of the show on You Tube. Take a look at the opening moments from episode 1...