A random group of individuals on a train to Sheffield are cryogenically frozen when a canister of gas is released in their carriage. They unfreeze to find the world in ruins. Unbeknownst to them, 52 years have passed. They wrongly believe weeks, then months, then just 14 years have passed whilst they were frozen in time. They are some of the few humans to have survived an apocalypticasteroid strike and are alone in the British countryside. It is revealed that one of the group, Harriet Ambrose, knew of the incoming asteroid strike and had been on her way to a top-secret government project known as Ark. Harriet wishes to track down the Ark team to find her boyfriend, scientist Jonathan Geddes. The rest of the group agrees to join her, since it seems like their best chance to find other survivors and a safe haven. On the way, they must deal with the dangers of the post-apocalyptic world, such as feral dog packs and tribes of seemingly hostile humans.
Cast and crew
Main characters
Supporting cast
Ordered alphabetically by actors' surnames
Guard – Episode 1
Johnathan Geddes, Arks chief scientist and Harriet's lover, who gave her the cryogenic canister, government clearance, a security badge/swipe card, and directions to meet at his government bunker and later, at Ark. He appears as Harriet remembers him in a video in Episode 2, and in person having aged 40 years at the end of Episode 6.
Karen – Episode 6
Mark, Gillian's father and leader of the Mareby village group; he wants Hild and the train group to stay with him and, to that end, sabotages the van – Episode 5
Darren
Archie – Episode 1
Danny – Episode 1
Gillian, Mark's daughter; she's had several still-born babies – Episode 5
In Canada, the series aired under its working title: Cruel Earth. The series was written by Matthew Graham, who went on to co-create and write Life on Mars, its spin-off Ashes to Ashes, and the short-lived Bonekickers. He also wrote the episode "Fear Her" for the 2006 series of Doctor Who, as well as two episodes of Hustle. Settings:
In the United States, the Fox Network purchased the rights to produce a new version of the series soon after its original 1999 UK transmission. Retitled The Ark, the idea did not progress beyond the pilot stage.
